Perishable and Imperishable Puruṣa (15.15-15.16)🔗

Kṛṣṇa takes Arjuna into deeper understanding on Puruṣa, principle of energy. Puruṣa is the unmoving, passive energy principle, whereas prakṛti is the active material principle. Kṛṣṇa goes beyond this Sāṅkhya philosophy. He says Puruṣa is twofold, one imperishable and the other perishable. He says all living beings are the perishable puruṣa and they are situated in the imperishable energy.

The primal energy, puruṣa is potential energy behind the entire Universe. There are two kinds of puruṣa, one is eternal, akṣara and one perishes, kṣara. The puruṣa that perishes is the body-mind energy in all beings. This energy has a limited lifetime. The puruṣa that is 'kūṭastha, unchangeable*' is the imperishable aspect of this energy; the spirit that is indestructible, akṣara.*