Jiva

Jiva (Sanskrit jiva, literally life ) or Jivatman is in Indian philosophy the individual self or soul. It refers to the Atman, which gives the physical and subtle bodies life. The Jiva is not the mental self-awareness, which was designed by nature for their time- limited purpose, but the natural parent is beyond birth and death. This individual self is regarded as eternal, true essence of the individual who is not born, nor evolution goes through. Rather, it directs the individual birth and evolution.

The relationship between Jiva, God and the world is described by the various schools of philosophy in different ways: The Advaita Vedanta of Shankara claims in his monistic doctrine that Jiva have no real existence, since the Divine is indivisible. For this doctrine of the Jiva is identical with God, however, prevent ignorance, desire, karma and so the human mind to recognize this.

For the followers of the teachings of Ramanuja, referred to as Vishishtadvaita ( qualified monism ), God has the individual souls ( Jivatman ) and nature as qualities ( Vishesha ). So you really are, but have no independent existence.

In the teaching of Madhva, as Dvaita Vedanta ( dualism ) referred, there are three eternal entities that cooperate in world affairs: first the omnipresent God; 2 the infinite multiplicity of individual souls ( Jiva) and 3 nature ( Prakriti ) from the evolved in evolution all inanimate.

See also

Atman

Swell

• Helmuth von Glasenapp: The philosophy of the Indians. An introduction to its history and doctrines. 4th ed Kröner Verlag, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-520-19504-6 ( Kroner pocket edition, Vol 195).

• Hinduism
• Jainism
• Yoga