By Swami Harshananda
Kṣarapuruṣa literally means ‘the being who changes’.
In the Bhagavadgitā[1] Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes two kinds of puruṣas or beings:
- The kṣara - All the living beings and objects associated with prakṛti or nature, whether it is Brahmā the creator or the blade of grass, are ‘kṣara’ puruṣas since they are subject to change.
- The akṣara - The ‘akṣara’ puruṣas are the liberated souls who are ever established in their essential changeless nature.
Sometimes ‘kṣarapuruṣa’ is interpreted as the products of prakṛti[2] and ‘akṣarapuruṣa’ as the māyā, power of God.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore