In Hinduism the jiva ' is a living being, or any entity imbued with a life force. The word itself originates from the Sanskrit verb-root jīv which translate to "to breathe or to live". The jiva, as a metaphysical entity, has been described in various scriptures, such as the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and the Vachanamrut. Each sub-school of Vedanta describes the role of the jiva with the other metaphysical entities in varying capacities.
Described in the scriptures
A common metaphysical entity discussed in the scriptures in the seven schools of Vedant is the jiva or atman: the soul, or self.
Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita contains verses describing the jiva. For example, the jiva is described as eternal and indestructible in Chapter 2, verse 20:
Upanishads
बालाग्रशतभागस्य शतधा कल्पितस्य च । भागो जीवः स विज्ञेयः स चानन्त्याय कल्पते ॥ ९ ॥ The Shvetashvatara Upanishad compares the jiva and the Paramatma to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. समाने वृक्षे पुरुषो निमग्नोऽनीशया शोचति मुह्यमानः । जुष्टं यदा पश्यत्यन्यमीशमस्य महिमानमिति वीतशोकः ॥ ७ ॥
Vachanamrut
Swaminarayan has described the nature of the jiva in his discourse in Vachanamrut Jetalpur 2:
Vedanta
Vedanta is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy which contains sub-schools that have derived their beliefs from the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. The aforementioned three scriptures are commonly referred to as the Prasthantrayi.
Advaita Darshan
The Advaita Darshan posits the existence of only one entity, Brahman. It considers all distinctions ultimately false since differentiation requires more than one entity. Those distinctions empirically perceived, along with those expounded in the Prasthanatrayi, are accounted for within this school by the recognition of a relative reality. One such distinction is that between jivas, or souls, and Brahman. Understood through the paradigm of relative reality, jivas are cloaked by maya—avidya'', or ignorance—a state in which they are not able to realize their oneness with Brahman.
The Akshar-Purushottam Darshan, the classical name given to the set of spiritual beliefs based on the teachings of Swaminarayan, centers around the existence of five eternal realities, as stated in two of Swaminarayan’s sermons documented in the Vachanamrut, Gadhada 1.7 and Gadhada 3.10: The jiva is defined as a distinct, individual soul, i.e. a finite sentient being. Jivas are bound by maya, which hides their true self, which is characterized by eternal existence, consciousness, and bliss. There are an infinite number of jivas. They are extremely subtle, indivisible, unpierceable, ageless, and immortal. While residing within the heart, a jiva pervades the entire body by its capacity to know, making it animate. It is the form of knowledge as well as the knower. The jiva is the performer of virtuous and immoral actions and experiences the fruits of these actions. It has been eternally bound by maya; as a result, it roams within the cycle of birth and death. Birth is when a jiva acquires a new body, and death is when it departs from its body. Just as one abandons one's old clothes and wears new ones, the jiva renounces its old body and acquires a new one.
Bhedhabheda (Dvaitadvait) Darshan
The Bhedhabheda Darshan, founded by Nimbark, maintains that jivas are at once distinct and part of Brahman, a middle ground of sorts between the extremes of Advaita, utter oneness, and Dvaita, utter distinctness. This notion of difference yet non-difference is commonly depicted through an analogy: just as rays originate from the sun but are spatio-temporally distinct from it, so too jivas are parts of the whole that is Brahman.
Dvaita Darshan
Founded by Madhva, the Dvaita rejects the Advaita notion of one ultimate reality. It propounds a duality of five kinds, the most fundamental of which is that between jivas and Isvara. A soul, or jiva, is differentiated from God, Isvara, due to the jiva’s dependence on Isvara; this state is an indication of eternal, ontological distinction. Unique to this school is the idea of a hierarchy of souls, evocative of predestination. Within the system, some souls are inherently and eternally destined for liberation, others for hell, and still others for migration through the cycle of birth and death.
The Vishishtadvaita Darshan, proposed by Ramanuja, maintains an ontological distinction between jivas and God. However, unlike in the Dvaita Darshan, the distinction is qualified. The jiva still remains dependent on God for its qualities and volition. Vishishtadvaita holds, like other darshanas, that the self is chetan, a conscious being that is made up of consciousness. The school offers many rebuttals against the Advaita conception, one of which addresses the way in which Advaita's jiva, Brahman, may be in a state of ignorance. The Vishishtadvaita Darshan argues, if ignorance is not a quality of Brahman, then the notion of non-duality is contradicted.
