The phrase “Sarvam idam kṣaṇikam” (सर्वम् इदं क्षणिकम्) means:
“All this is momentary.”
Breakdown
- Sarvam (सर्वम्) – all, everything.
- Idam (इदम्) – this, here, what is present.
- Kṣaṇikam (क्षणिकम्) – momentary, transient, lasting only for an instant.
Context in Buddhist & Indian Thought
This phrase reflects the truth of impermanence (anitya / anicca), one of the three marks of existence (trilakṣaṇa):
- Anitya (Impermanence) – all conditioned things are momentary.
- Duḥkha (Unsatisfactoriness) – because things change, they cannot ultimately satisfy.
- Anātman (Non-self) – no permanent essence can be found in them.
In Buddhist Abhidharma philosophy, especially in the Sarvāstivāda and later Mahāyāna schools, the teaching emphasizes that:
- Phenomena (dharmas) arise and perish in every moment (kṣaṇa).
- Even what appears “continuous” (like a flame or a river) is actually a rapid succession of momentary events.
So “Sarvam idam kṣaṇikam” is a meditative reflection: recognizing that everything around us—thoughts, feelings, bodies, relationships, the world—exists only moment by moment, and is constantly changing.
📿 Together with the earlier phrase you mentioned:
- Sarvam idam duḥkham – “All this is suffering/unsatisfactory.”
- Sarvam idam kṣaṇikam – “All this is momentary/impermanent.”
They are often paired in Buddhist contemplation to deepen insight into reality.
Would you like me to also unpack the third contemplation that usually goes with these—“Sarvam idam anātmakam” (all this is without self)—so you have the full triad of insight reflections?
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