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Archive for October 20th, 2011

Categories of Jivas

20 Oct

Jivas are categorized in two groups.

1. Liberated Jiva or Siddha.

2. Non-liberated Jiva or Sansari Jiva.

Liberated souls have no karmas and therefore, they are no longer in the cycle of birth and death. They do not live among us, but reside at the uppermost part of this universe called Siddhashila. They are formless and shapeless, have perfect knowledge and perception, and have infinite vigor and bliss. All siddhas are equal and there is no difference in their status.

On the other side, non-liberated (worldly) jivas have karmas, and are continually going through the cycle of birth and death. They experience happiness and pain and have passions, which in turn cause the soul to wandering more. Except for the jivaof  Arihants, non-liberated jivas have limited knowledge and perception.

 
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What is a Jiva

20 Oct

In Jainism, Jiva and soul are more or less described synonymously. When the spiritual or psychic status of the Jiva is described it is referred to as the soul, and when the physical structure about the soul is described it is called Jiva.

Jiva or soul is one which keeps the Pran life. It is a distinct from of consciousness. Jiva is something living, having a physical structure  and, which by itself only, with application of one’s own mind, can move here and there one which can feel cold, warm and such other feelings.

The jiva is that which grows, decays, fluctuates, varies, eats, sleeps, awakes, acts, fears, rests, has knowledge and perception, attempts to self defend, and reproduces. These and more qualities of the jiva are obvious through a physical body when the soul is present in it but when the soul leaves these qualities cease. These qualities are external features and consciousness (chetan) is the basic inner feature of the soul. This also makes it clear for us that the body and the soul are separate entities.

Since the soul has a flexible size, pervades the entire body that it occupies. For example, the same soul can occupy the body of an ant or an elephant. Such bodies stay alive as long as there is a soul within. A live body, or rather, a body with a soul is described  here as a Jiva.

Jivas are categorized in two groups.

1. Liberated Jiva or Siddha.

2. Non-liberated Jiva or SansariJiva.

 
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