Jiva Tattva Sri Baladev Vidyabhusan explains the truth about the Liberated Jiva Souls The Jiva is a Separated Infinitesimal Particle (Vibhinnamsa) of the Lord 10.1 svamsa-vibhinnamsa-rupe hana vistaraananta vaikuntha-brahmande karena viharasvamsa-vistara catur-vyuha, avatara-ganavibhinnamsa jiva tanra saktite ganana Krishna expands Himself in the forms of His own personal portions and His separated portions, and thus performs His pastimes throughout innumerable Vaikuntha worlds and material universes. His personal expansions include the catur-vyuha and the various avataras, while the jivas are His separated portions and are counted among His energies. (Cc. Madhya 22.8-9) 10.2 mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanahmanah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati The living being in this world is truly an eternal part of Me. Situated within material nature, he struggles with the six senses, including the mind. (Bhagavad-gita 15.7) The Nature of the Jiva is Transcendental Substance 10.3 na jayate mriyate va kadacinnayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyahajo nityah sasvato ‘yam puranona hanyate hanyamane sarire The soul is never born, nor does it ever die. Having once existed, it never ceases to be. It is unborn, eternal, everlasting, and ancient. It is not slain when the body is slain. (Bhagavad-gita 2.20) 10.4 nainam chindanti sastraninainam dahati pavakahna cainam kledayanty apona sosayati marutah Weapons cannot cut the soul, fire cannot burn it, water cannot moisten it, and the wind cannot dry it. (Bhagavad-gita 2.23) 10.5 acchedyo ‘yam adahyo ‘yamakledyo ‘sosya eva canityah sarva-gatah sthanuracalo ‘yam sanatanah The soul cannot be cut, burned, moistened, or dried. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable, and everlasting. (Bhagavad-gita 2.24) The Jiva is a Particle of a Ray of Paramatma 10.6 yathagneh ksudra visphulinga vyuccarantievam evasmad atmanahsarve pranah sarve lokah sarve devahsarvani bhutani vyuccaranti Just as tiny sparks spring forth from a fire, so from this Self arise all the vital forces, all the worlds, all the gods, and all living beings. (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 2.1.20) 10.7 isvarera tattva yena jvalita jvalanajivera svarupa yaiche sphulingera kana The nature of the Lord is like a great blazing fire, while the true nature of the jiva is like a tiny spark from that fire. (Cc. Adi 7.116) The Jiva is a Conscious Energy, Atomic in Size 10.8 balagra-sata-bhagasyasatadha kalpitasya cabhago jivah sa vijneyahsa canantyaya kalpate If the tip of a hair were divided into one hundred parts, and one of those parts were again divided into one hundred, the jiva should be understood to be of such minuteness. Yet that jiva is capable of attaining the infinite. (Svetasvatara Upanisad 5.9) The Infinitesimal Soul is Pure, but Sometimes is Involved in Piety and Impiety 10.9 anur hy esa atmayam va ete sinitahpunyam capunyam ca This self is indeed atomic, and it becomes associated with both piety and impiety. (Madhva-bhasya, quoting Gautama-sruti-vakya 2.3.18) 10.10 eso ‘nur atma cetasa veditavyoyasmin pranah pancadha samvivesapranais cittam sarvam otam prajanamyasmin visuddhe vibhavaty esa atma This atomic self is to be known through purified consciousness. Within it the vital force functions in five divisions, and the consciousness of living beings is interwoven with those vital forces. When that consciousness becomes purified, the true nature of the self becomes manifest. (Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.9) The Soul Pervades the Body With Consciousness 10.11 yatha sarva-gatam sauksmyad akasam nopalipyatesarvatravasthito dehe tathatma nopalipyate Just as the all-pervading sky, because of its subtle nature, is not contaminated by anything, so the self, though situated throughout the body, does not become contaminated by the body. (Bhagavad-gita 13.33) The Evidence of Vedanta on the Nature of the Soul 10.12 gunad va lokavat Just as fire pervades a place by means of its light, the soul pervades the body through its quality of consciousness. (Brahma-sutra 2.3.24) Two Kinds of Souls: Bound and Liberated 10.13 sei vibhinnamsa jiva dui ta’ prakaraeka ‘nitya-mukta’, eka ‘nitya-samsara’‘nitya-mukta’ nitya krsna-carane unmukha‘krsna-parisada’ nama, bhunje seva-sukha‘nitya-bandha’ krsna haite nitya-bahirmukha‘nitya-samsara’, bhunje narakadi duhkhasei dose maya-pisaci danda kare tareadhyatmikadi tapa-traya tare jari’ mare These separated jivas are of two kinds: some are eternally liberated, while others are eternally within samsara. The eternally liberated are always turned toward the feet of Krishna. They are known as Krishna’s eternal associates and enjoy the happiness of serving Him. The eternally bound are perpetually turned away from Krishna. Remaining within beginningless samsara, they experience the sufferings of hell and other material conditions. Because of this fault, the witch of maya punishes them, and the threefold miseries, beginning with those arising from the body and mind, continually torment them. (Cc. Madhya 22.10-13) Gaudiya The Soul’s Constitutional Position 10.14 jivera ‘svarupa’ haya krsnera ‘nitya-dasa’krsnera ‘tatastha-sakti’, ‘bhedabheda-prakasa’suryamsa-kirana, yaiche agni-jvala-cayasvabhavika krsnera tina-prakara ‘sakti’ haya The constitutional nature of the jiva is to be the eternal servant of Krishna. The jiva is Krishna’s marginal potency, a manifestation of simultaneous difference and non-difference. The jiva is like a ray from the sun or a spark from a fire. Krishna naturally possesses three kinds of potency. (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109) Gaudiya The Jiva is an Eternal Servant of Krishna 10.15 sabrahmakah sa-rudras ca sendra deva maharsibhiharcayanti sura-srestham devam narayanam harim Brahma, Rudra, Indra, the gods, and the great sages all worship the supreme Lord among the gods, Narayana Hari. (Prameya-ratnavali 5.2, quoting the Mahabharata) Gaudiya The Jiva is Krishna’s Tatastha-sakti 10.16 tasya va etasya purusasya dve eva sthane bhavata idam ca paraloka-sthanam casandhyam trtiyam svapna-sthanamtasmin sandhye sthane tisthann ete ubhe sthane pasyat idam ca paraloka-sthanam ca For this person there are two states: this world and the other world. Between them is a third, intermediate state, the state of dream. Situated in that intermediate state, he beholds both this world and the other world. (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 4.3.9) Gaudiya The Jiva is a Manifestation One With and Different From the Lord 10.17 ‘mayadhisa’ ‘maya-vasa’ isvare-jive bhedahena-jive isvara-saha kaha ta’ abhedagita-sastre jiva-rupa ‘sakti’ kari’ manehena jive ‘bheda’ kara isvarera sane The Lord is the master of maya, while the jiva is subject to maya. This is the difference between the Lord and the jiva. How then can one say that such a jiva is completely non-different from the Lord? The Bhagavad-gita accepts the jiva as a potency of the Supreme Lord; therefore one should not assert that the jiva and the Lord are identical. (Cc. Madhya 6.162-163) Gaudiya 10.18 bhakti-yogena manasi samyak pranihite ‘maleapasyat purusam purnam mayam ca tad-apasrayam When his mind had been perfectly purified and concentrated through bhakti-yoga, he saw the complete Supreme Person, together with maya, His external potency, situated under His control. (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.4) Gaudiya 10.19 yaya sammohito jiva atmanam tri-gunatmakamparo ‘pi manute ‘nartham tat-krtam cabhipadyate Bewildered by that maya, the jiva, although transcendental to the three gunas, considers himself to be constituted of those gunas and consequently undergoes the unwanted sufferings produced by them. (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.5) Gaudiya The Jivas are Dependent on God 10.20 nityo ‘nityanam cetanas cetananameko bahunam yo vidadhati kamantam atmastham ye ‘nupasyanti dhirastesam santih sasvati netaresam Among the many eternal conscious beings there is one supreme eternal conscious Being. He alone fulfills the needs of the many. Those wise persons who behold Him dwelling within the self attain eternal peace; others do not. (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13) 10.21 ekasmad isvaran nityac cetanat tadrsah mithahbhidyante na bahavo jivas tena bhedah sanatanah The many jivas are distinct from the one eternal and conscious Supreme Lord, and they are also distinct from one another. Therefore, their distinction is eternal. (Prameya-ratnavali 4.5) Gaudiya Suddhadvaita on the Difference Between Jiva and Isvara 10.22 yatha samudre bahavas tarangastatha vayam brahmani bhuri jivahbhavet tarango na kadacid abdhistvam brahma kasmad bhavitasi jiva Just as there are many waves within the ocean, so there are innumerable jivas within Brahman. A wave can never become the ocean. O jiva, how then could you become Brahman, the Supreme? (Tattva-muktavali 10) Gaudiya The Difference Between Jiva and Isvara is Eternal 10.23 idam jnanam upasrityamama sadharmyam agatahsarge ‘pi nopajayantepralaye na vyathanti ca Taking shelter of this knowledge and attaining a nature resembling My own, they are not born when creation takes place, nor are they disturbed when dissolution comes. (Bhagavad-gita 14.2) Gaudiya Sruti on the Eternal Difference Between Jiva and Isvara 10.24 pranaikadhina-vrttitvad vagadeh pranata yathatatha brahmadhina-vrtter jagato brahmatocyate Just as speech and the other senses may be called prana because their functions depend upon prana, so the universe may be called Brahman because its existence and activity depend upon Brahman. (Prameya-ratnavali 4.6) Gaudiya 10.25 na vai vaco na caksumsi na srotrani na manamsity acaksateprana ity evacaksate, prana hy evaitani sarvani bhavanti Speech, the eyes, the ears, and the mind are not independently called by those names; rather, they are spoken of as pranas, for all of them depend upon the vital force and function through it. (Chandogya Upanisad 5.1.15) [Baladeva Vidyabhusana develops his point by quoting from the Upanisads.] Although speech, sight, hearing, mind, and the other faculties may collectively be called prana because they depend upon prana, they nevertheless remain distinct from prana itself. In the same way, the jivas may sometimes be designated Brahman because they depend upon Brahman and arise from Him, yet they remain eternally distinct from Brahman. Gaudiya Sankara was Really a Proponent of the Difference Between Jiva and Isvara 10.26 sri sutra-karena krto vibhedoyat karma-kartur vyapadesa uktahvyakhya krta bhasya-krta tathaivaguham pravistav iti bheda-vakyaih The author of the Vedanta-sutra establishes a distinction when he speaks of the object and the agent as different. The commentator likewise explains this distinction through passages such as “the two who have entered the cave of the heart.” (Tattva-muktavali 5.83) The point is that Vedavyasa distinguishes Brahman from the jiva. Sankaracarya, in commenting upon the Brahma-sutra, also cites Upanisadic passages describing two distinct selves dwelling within the heart: the jiva, who experiences the fruits of karma, and Paramatma, who is the supreme director. Thus these passages distinguish the individual soul from the Supreme Lord. Gaudiya 10.27 yadyapi ha jagate isvare bheda naisarvamaya paripurna ache sarvathanitabho tomahaite se haiyachi “ami”ama haite nahi kabhu haiyacha tumiyena samudrera se “taranga” loke boletarangera samudra na haya kona kaleata eva jagat tomara, tumi pitaihaloke paraloke tumi se raksitayaha haite haya janma, ye kare palanatare ye na bhaje, varjya haya sei janaei sankarera sloka ei abhiprayaiha na janiya matha ki karye mudhaya Although it is said that there is no difference between the world and the Lord, this means that the Lord is all-pervading and fully present everywhere. Yet I have come from You; You have never come from me. Just as people say that a wave belongs to the ocean, the ocean can never be said to arise from the wave. Therefore this world is Yours, and You are its father. In this world and the next, You alone are its protector. Everything takes birth from You, and You maintain everything. One who does not worship You is to be rejected. This is the meaning of Sankara’s verse. What use is there in foolishly confusing oneself by failing to understand its true intention? (Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya 3.48-53) Gaudiya The Cause of the Jiva’s Ignorance 10.28 dva suparna sayuja sakhayasamanam vrksam parisasvajatetayor anyah pippalam svadv attyanasnann anyo abhicakasiti Two beautiful birds, intimate companions, sit upon the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruit of that tree, while the other does not eat but simply watches. (Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.6) The two birds are the jiva and the Supreme Lord. The jiva experiences the fruits of karma, while the Lord remains beside him as his eternal friend and witness. Gaudiya 10.29 samane vrkse puruso nimagno‘nisaya socati muhyamanahjustam yada pasyaty anyam isamasya mahimanam iti vita-sokah Upon the same tree, the individual soul becomes absorbed in material existence and, being powerless, laments in bewilderment. But when he turns and beholds the other, the worshipful Lord, and realizes His greatness, he becomes free from sorrow. (Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.7) Gaudiya In Ignorance, the Soul Identifies With the Gross and Subtle Body and Suffers Repeated Birth and Death 10.30 avidyayam antare vartamanahsvayam dhirah panditam manyamanahdandramyamanah pariyanti mudhaandhenaiva niyamana yathandhah Dwelling within ignorance, yet considering themselves wise and learned, the deluded wander about, afflicted and confused, like blind men being led by another blind man. (Katha Upanisad 1.2.5) 10.31 krsna bhuli’ sei jiva anadi-bahirmukhaataeva maya tare deya samsara-duhkhakabhu svarge uthaya, kabhu narake dubayadandya-jane raja yena nadite cubaya Having forgotten Krishna, the jiva has been turned away from Him since beginningless time. Therefore maya subjects that jiva to the sufferings of samsara. Sometimes she raises him to heaven, and sometimes she plunges him into hell, just as a king repeatedly raises and submerges a condemned criminal in water as punishment. (Cc. Madhya 20.117-118) Gaudiya Attaining Krishna’s Lotus Feet is Liberation From all Material Suffering 10.32 jnatva devam sarva-pasapahanihksinaih klesair janma-mrtyu-prahanihtasyabhidhyanat trtiyam deha-bhedevisvaisvaryam kevala aptakamah By knowing the Supreme Lord, all bonds are cut away. When the afflictions have been destroyed, birth and death come to an end. Through meditation upon Him, and upon the dissolution of the body, one attains the third state, the supreme divine condition, and becomes fully satisfied in all desires. (Svetasvatara Upanisad 1.11) Gaudiya 10.33 sadhu-sastra-krpaya yadi krsnonmukha hayasei jiva nistare, maya tahare chadaya If, by the mercy of the sadhus and the scriptures, the jiva turns toward Krishna, that jiva crosses beyond material existence, and maya releases him. (Cc. Madhya 20.120) Gaudiya The Siddhanta of Visistadvaita-vada Consciousness and Matter are Like the Gross and Subtle Body of the Lord 10.34 yah sarvesu bhutesu tisthan sarvebhyo bhutebhyo ‘ntaro yamsarvani bhutani na vidur yasya sarvani bhutani sariramyah sarvani bhutany antaro yamayaty esa ta atmantaryamy amrtah He who dwells within all beings, who is distinct from all beings, whom all beings do not know, whose body all beings are, and who from within controls all beings – He is your Self, the immortal indwelling controller. (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 3.7.15) Gaudiya The Siddhanta of Dvaitadvaita-vada on the Subject of the Jiva 10.35 jnana-svarupas ca harer adhinamsarira-yoga-viyoga-yogyamanum hi jivam pratideha-bhinnamjnatrtvavantam yad anantam ahuh The jiva is by nature conscious and dependent upon Hari. It is capable of connection with and separation from a material body. The jiva is atomic, distinct in each body, endowed with the capacity to know, and infinite in number. (Nimbarkacarya, Dasa-sloka) Gaudiya The Siddhanta of Suddhadvaita-vada (Visnusvami as Represented by Sridhara Svami) 10.36 hladinya samvidaslistah sac-cid-ananda isvarahsvavidya-samvrto jivah samklesa-nikarakarah The Supreme Lord is sac-cid-ananda, eternal existence, consciousness, and bliss, and is united with the hladini and samvit potencies. The jiva, however, when covered by its own ignorance, becomes a receptacle of many forms of suffering. (Sridhara Svami on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.5-6) Gaudiya 10.37 vastuno ‘mso jivo vastunah saktir mayavastunah karyam jagac ca tat sarvam vastv eva The jiva is a portion of the Supreme Reality; maya is the potency of that Reality; and the material world is the effect of that Reality. Therefore all of these are, in that sense, nothing other than that one Supreme Reality. (Bhavartha-dipika 1.1.2) Gaudiya A Liberated Soul Attains a Perfect Spiritual Body in the Service of Krishna 10.38 mukta api lilaya vigraham krtva bhagavantam bhajante Even liberated souls assume divine forms for the sake of lila and worship Bhagavan through participation in His transcendental pastimes. (Cited by Sridhara Svami while commenting on Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.21) Gaudiya Suddhadvaita-vada on the Distinct Position of the Eternally Liberated Souls 10.39 parsada-tanu-nama-karmarabdham nityatvam suddhatvam ca The bodies of the Lord’s eternal associates are not produced by karma. They are eternal and pure. (Bhavartha-dipika 1.6.21) Gaudiya One who Equates the Jiva with the Supreme Lord is an Atheist 10.40 aparimita dhruvas tanu-bhrto yadi sarva-gatastarhi na sasyateti niyamo dhruva netarathaajani ca yan-mayam tad avimucya niyantr bhavetsamam anujanatam yad amatam mata-dustataya If the innumerable embodied jivas were all-pervading and possessed unchanging forms, then, O immutable Lord, You could not be their supreme ruler. But because they arise from You and remain dependent upon You, You are indeed their controller. What is produced can never exist independently of its source. Therefore the view that the jiva is equal to the Supreme is a mistaken doctrine arising from defective understanding. (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.30) Gaudiya 10.41 yei mudha kahe, jiva isvara haya ‘sama’seita ‘pasandi’ haya, dande tare yama Any fool who says that the jiva and Isvara are equal is a heretic and offender. Yamaraja punishes such a person. (Cc. Madhya 18.115)