Shloka 16
Chapter 43: Tumult of Battle-Sounds and the Proliferation of Dvandva
Paired Engagements
सम्बन्ध-- पहलेसे छठे श्लोकतक वृक्षरूपसे संसारका; दृढ़ वैराग्यके द्वारा उसके छेदनका
dvāv imau puruṣau loke kṣaraś cākṣara eva ca | kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭastho 'kṣara ucyate ||
阿周那说：“在此世间，当知有两类‘人’：可坏者与不可坏者。凡一切众生之身，因变易败坏，名为可坏；而内在不动、作为见证者的自性，则称为不可坏。”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes two levels of identity: the perishable (all embodied forms and changing conditions) and the imperishable (the steadfast inner Self, kūṭastha). Ethical clarity arises when one acts from the standpoint of the imperishable rather than being driven by transient fear, gain, or loss.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra teaching, the speaker summarizes earlier analysis of the ‘aśvattha’ world-tree and then condenses the doctrine into a clear classification: perishable embodied existence versus the imperishable witnessing Self, preparing for the subsequent elevation of the Supreme Person (puruṣottama).