Jīva as Individual Soul
Jīva (Sanskrit: जीव — from jīv, 'to live, to breathe') refers to the individual living being — the jīvātmā as it exists in embodied form. While ātmā emphasizes the pure, eternal conscious nature, jīva emphasizes the living, experiential aspect — the soul as it actually lives, experiences, and navigates existence.
Jīva's Essential Nature
In Viśiṣṭādvaita, the jīva:
- Is atomic in size (aṇu) but its dharma-bhūta-jñāna (attributive knowledge) can expand to omniscience in liberation
- Is self-luminous (svayam-prakāśa) — consciousness is its essential nature
- Is dependent (paratantra) — entirely dependent on Īśvara
- Is śeṣa — its very svarūpa (nature) is to belong to and serve the Lord
- Is distinct — each jīva is a unique, irreducible individual even within the Lord's body
Three States of Jīvas
- Baddha (bound) — currently in saṃsāra, experiencing karma's fruits through successive bodies
- Mukta (liberated) — freed from saṃsāra, dwelling in Vaikuṇṭham in eternal kainkaryam
- Nitya (eternal-free) — nityasūris who have never experienced bondage
The Jīva's Confusion
Piḷḷai Lokācārya identifies the root error: the baddha jīva mistakes the body for the self (deha-ātma-bhrānti) and mistakes itself as independent (svātantrya-bhrānti). These two confusions are the root of all saṃsāric suffering. Prapatti corrects both: 'I am not the body; I belong to the Lord.'