Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15, Verse 16

English Translation

There are these two persons in the world-the mutable and the immutable. The mutable consists of all things; the one existing as Maya is called the immutable.

Detailed Commentary

Here, 'loke' should be understood as the world (samsara). 'Jivaloke' in the seventh verse of this very chapter is also used in the same sense. In this world, there are two types of entities: the perishable body (inert/jada) and the imperishable Jivatma (conscious/chetan). Upon reflection, we find that a body is directly visible, and residing within it is the Jivatma. It is due to the presence of the Jivatma that the pranas function, and the body operates. When the Jivatma leaves the body, it becomes inactive, and the body begins to decay; hence, it is cremated. The importance lies not with the perishable body, but with the imperishable Jivatma residing within it. All substances formed from the Panchamahabhutas (Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Jala, and Prithvi) are inert and perishable. The gross body (Sthula Sharira), the ten Indriyas, the five Pranas, Manas, and Buddhi, which together constitute the subtle body (Sukshma Sharira), and the causal body (Karana Sharira – comprising svabhava, karma samskaras, and avidya) – all these are perishable. All these are termed Kshara. In reality, nothing exists as a distinct individual (vyashti); only a small part of the world, mistakenly regarded as one's own, is called vyashti. In essence, the distinctions of the body, etc., are merely imagined. All substances and actions belong to Prakriti. Therefore, all actions of the gross, subtle, and causal bodies should be for the welfare of the world, not for oneself. That element which is never destroyed and remains changeless (nirvikara) is called the Akshara Jivatma. Prakriti is inert, and the Jivatma is conscious because it is a part of the Paramatma. The world (samsara) which Bhagavan advised to sever in the third verse of this chapter is here referred to as Kshara, and the Jivatma, which He declared to be His own part, is called Akshara. Here, the terms Kshara, Akshara, and Purushottama are respectively masculine, feminine, and neuter genders. This implies that Prakriti, Jivatma, and Paramatma have no fixed gender. These genders are merely for words, not for the Tattva (underlying reality). Bhagavan has here called Kshara and Akshara 'Purusha' so that Purushottama (the Supreme Purusha) may be established. Here, 'bhutani' refers to the gross, subtle, and causal bodies of beings, as they are perishable. The Jivatma is referred to as 'Kutastha' because it always remains unmoving (achala), regardless of the body it inhabits. In the Gita, the essential nature (svarupa) of Jivatma and Paramatma are stated to be similar. Both fundamentally possess ontological and essential unity. By its very nature, the Jivatma is ever changeless (nirvikara), but due to mistakenly identifying itself with the body and other elements, it is called a 'jiva'. In reality, from the perspective of Advaita Siddhanta, it is none other than Paramatma itself.