1.4. The Nature and Form of the Jīva?

Svāminārāyaṇa explains the nature of the jīva in detail. His succinct exposition serves as an important platform to understand further details. Svāminārāyaṇa explores:

“The jīva is uncuttable, impermeable, immortal, formed of consciousness, and the size of an atom? (aṇu)…It pervades the entire body from head to toe yet is distinct from it. Such is the nature of the jīva.” (Vacanāmṛta Jetalapura 2)

Along with this, the jīva is eternal, imperishable, immutable, and individual. (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā III/39, 3/4). Svāminārāyaṇa also recapitulates the fine feature of the jīva where he mentions the anādi form of the jīva, tracking its existence back to beyond the re-organization of each universe after the state of termination. Using another analogy, he elucidates in the Vac. Gadh 3/10 that the jīvas remain in maya after pralaya. In differentiating the jīva from its three māyic bodies and its three states born of the three māyic characteristics, Svāminārāyaṇa wishes to accentuate the jīva, in its pure form, without māyic faults. As a matter of fact, a significant and striking attribute of the jīva is that it is always śuddha (pure). For example -“In fact, not a single one of these vicious natures lies within the jīva.” (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/12)

As accurate as this is, though, the jīva’ s ignorance or contrary knowledge about its true nature is equally real and the cause of eternal pain. Thus, despite being significantly pure in nature, this māyā (as the form of ignorance) propels the jīva through the relentless cycle of births and deaths, necessitating it to be enlightened and liberated. Again, juxtaposing the self with that which it is not.

He explains:

“After acquiring knowledge of the ātman and the perfect knowledge of Parabrahman’s nature, one should contemplate, ‘I am the ātman, characterized by eternal existence (sat), consciousness (cit) and bliss (ānanda), whereas the body and the brahmānda are māyic and perishable. How can they compare to me?”(Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/73)^[1]

Svāminārāyaṇa usually says that the jīva is the ‘knower’, and related to the body. The world is knowable. The Svāminārāyaṇa Bhāṣya also confirms it.

Bhadreśadāsa comments on the second chapter of the Gītā by just touching the basic verses:

“abhyāsanayena ātmasvarūpaṃ dṛḍhayati” (Bhagavad-Gītā 2/20)

“The Gītā invariably consolidates the nature and form of the ātman.”

He further explains that ātman remains forever. It has no birth and death. It is endless, unprecedented yet older than the oldest, and ageless. The ātman is not eliminated when the deha perishes. (Gītā 2/20).

In the same way, Katha-upaniṣad explores:

“trividhaśarīrasthopyayaṃ nityatvannirvikāratvād ati sukṣmatvācca na śarīranāśepi naśyati iti bhāvaḥ” (Katha-upaniṣad 2/18, p.115)

“The ātman, which resides within the three bodies, never perishes even though the body dies. It is because of its eternal immutability and the supreme subtleness.”

If the jīva is unborn and undying, why does the Veda say,

“The Creator Created jīvas”? (Yajur Veda 8/2/2)

The answer is: the jīvas were lying dormant in the subtle seed-like state in the māyā before creation. They were resting in the body of Parabrahman. So, birth means becoming embodied, and death means getting disembodied. Thus, origination means getting associated with the gross form of the psycho-physical body, and destruction means getting dissociated from the same psycho-physical body. Consequently, there is development or vikāsa and contraction or saṅkoca of knowledge in the two states respectively.

Thus, the jīva is a sentient entity. Bhadreśadāsa discloses it in the Praśna-upaniṣad:

“eṣa hi draṣṭā spraṣṭā śrotā ghrātā rasayitā mantā boddhā cakṣurādijñānendriyamanaādyantaḥ karaṇajanyadarśanamananādikartā vijñānātmā puruṣaḥ” (Praśna-upaniṣad 4/9, p.211)

“The ātman itself becomes the viewer of the scenes, listens to the discussions of others’, smells the fragrances, enjoys the tastes, contemplates, knows and does a variety of other actions which are executed by external senses or inner senses.”

The Brahmasūtra also speaks of jīva’ s jñānatṛtva and kartṛtva:

“jīvātmeśvarātmā ca jñaḥ jñātāpi, na jñānamātram...itthamātmano jñātṛtve siddhe” (Brahmasūtra 2/3/19, p.233) “

The jīva is not only full of knowledge but also the knower. Thus, the jīva is proved as a knower.”

Ātman is not merely sat (Īśa-upaniṣad 15) and consciousness (Taittiriya-upaniṣad 2/5/1), but the support and substratum of knowledge or consciousness (Bhagavad-Gītā 13/1). It is the metaphysical ego (I sense or ahaṃtā). It is not just knowledge or cognition, but it is the locus of knowledge. Knowledge or cognition is its attribute (dharma). This meaning is elaborately brought out in Brahmasūtra 2/3/29-32. It is noteworthy that, without the acceptance of the knowing jīva as jñātā, the knower as the permanent identical self, the problem of memory and recognition cannot be expounded. Amid the changing experiences, the experiencer is the same.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Svāminārāyaṇa also iterates the jīva as being sat', 'cit' and 'ananda' by using these terms and their synonyms) separately in several other sermons: • satya' and 'sattārūpa': Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I 7, Gadh. 1.14, Gadh. 1.16, Gadh.1.47, Loyā.17, Gadh. 2.57, Gadh. 2.66, Gadh. 3.3, Gadh. 3.22, Gadh. 3.33, Gadh. 3.39 'caityana' and 'caitanyarūpa': Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I 23, Sār.i, Sār.4, Sär.10, Sār.12, Loyā.7, Loyā.18, Pan.3, Gadh. 2.2, Gadh. 2.17, Gadh. 2.20, Gadh. 2.22, Gadh. 2.55, Gadh. 2.60, Gadh. 2.66, Var.4, Gadh. 3.2, Gadh. 3.3, Gadh. 3.19, Gadh. 3.22, Gadh. 3.27, Jet.2, Jet.3. 'ānandarūpa' and 'sukharūpa': Vacanāmṛta Sārangpur 1, Sár.12, Kär.3, Loyā.10