Definition
Chit (Sanskrit: चित्) — from the root cit (to know, to be conscious) — refers to the entire category of sentient beings: the countless individual souls (jīvātmās) that populate all worlds and bodies. Chit is distinguished from achit precisely by the presence of consciousness (jñāna).
Nature of the Jīvātmā
In Viśiṣṭādvaita, the individual soul has several essential characteristics:
- Eternal (nitya) — neither created nor destroyed; atomic in size (aṇu)
- Of the nature of knowledge (jñāna-svarūpa) — consciousness is its essential form, not merely an attribute
- Possessor of attributive knowledge (dharma-bhūta-jñāna) — the expanding quality of knowledge that contracts in bondage and expands infinitely in liberation
- Dependent (paratantra) — utterly dependent on Īśvara, never independent
- Śeṣa — belonging to Śrīman Nārāyaṇa; existing for His service and pleasure
Three Classes of Chit
Chits are classified as: (1) Nityas — eternally free souls in Vaikuṇṭham who have never been in bondage; (2) Muktas — liberated souls who were once bound but now free; (3) Baddhas — presently bound souls in samsāra. The goal of all baddha jīvas is moksha — attaining the status of mukta.
Chit as Brahman's Body
The defining insight of Viśiṣṭādvaita is that the jīvas, though distinct from Brahman, constitute His body (śarīra). They have no existence independent of Him — He is their ādhāra (support), niyantā (controller), and śeṣī (principal).