There is much disagreement concerning the nature of the individual soul or jīva. According to his nature, each human being will hold a different conclusion about the jīva. Those under the influence of ignorance believe that the jīva is an object arising from material elements. According to them, the jīva arises in material nature along with the material body.
Those who are influenced by a mixture of ignorance and passion say that only human beings have souls or may be classified as jīvas. Animals are less than jīvas, and are meant for the enjoyment of humans. According to them, the associates of the Lord are a higher class than the jīvas. They do not believe in previous or future bodies for the human being. They cannot say why one person for the first time attains a comfortable position in life and another person attains a miserable position.
Those in the mood of passion say that humans, animals and birds are all jīvas and they believe in previous and future lives, but they do not believe in a pure spiritual destination beyond the gross material realm. Persons of mixed passion and goodness believe in elevation to higher planets but not the spiritual world. Those in the mode of goodness believe in the undifferentiated brahman beyond the material world as the goal of the jīva. Those bewildered by māyā consider the jīva in this manner. Those who succeed in piercing the three gunas, and therefore can reason without prejudice, accept with devotion the words of Caitanya Caritāmṛta.
māyādīśa, māyāvaśa īśvare jīve bheda
hena jīve īśvara-saha kaha ta'abheda?
gītā-śāstre jīva rūpa śakti kari' māne
hena jīva bheda kara īśvārera sāne
The Lord is the master of the potencies, and the living entity is the servant of them. That is the difference between the Lord and the living entity. However, you declare that the Lord and the living entities are one and the same. In Bhagavad Gītā the living entity is established as the marginal potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet you say that the living entity is completely non-different from the Lord. (C.C.Madhya 6, 162-3)
jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya dāsa
kṛṣṇera taṭasthā śakti bhehābeda prakāśa
sūryaṁśu kiraṇa yena agni jvālācaya
svābhāvika kṛṣṇera tina-prakāra ‘śakti’ haya
It is the living entity's constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. (C.C.Madhya 20.108-9)
kṛṣṇa bhuli'sei jīva anādi bahir mukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁśāra duḥkha
Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence. (C.C.Madhya 20. 117)
māyā saṅga vikāre rudra-bhinnābhinna rūpa
jīva tattva haya, nahe kṛṣṇera svarūpa
dugdha yena amla yoge dadhi rūpa dhare
dugdhāntara vastu nahe, dugdha haite nāre
Rudra, Lord Śiva, has various forms, which are transformations brought about by association with māyā. Although Rudra is not on level with the jīva -tattvas, he still cannot be considered a personal expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Milk is transformed into yogurt when it associates with a yogurt culture. Thus yogurt is nothing but milk, but still it is not milk. (C.C.Madhya 20, 308-309)
svāṅga viśeṣābhāsa rūpe prakṛti sparśana
jīva rūpa bīja tāte kaila samarpaṇa
To impregnate with the seeds of living entities, the Lord Himself does not directly touch the material energy, but by His specific functional expansion, He touches the material energy, and thus the living entities, who are His parts and parcels, are impregnated into material nature. (C.C. Madhya 20, 273)
svāṁśa vistāra-caturvyuha, avatāra gaṇa
vibhinnāṁśa jīva tāṅra śaktite gaṇana
sei vibhinnāṁśa jīva dui ta'prakāra
eka nityamukta eka nitya saṁśāra
Expansion of His personal self-like the quadruple manifestations-descend as incarnations from Vaikuṇṭha to this material world. The separated expansions are living entities. Although they are expansions of Kṛṣṇa, they are counted among His different potencies. The living entities are divided into two categories. Some are eternally liberated, and others are eternally conditioned. (C.C. Madhya 22, 9-10)
Those equipped with sāttvika knowledge, when they consider the opposite of material knowledge, conclude that there is no difference between the jīva (individual) and brahman (Supreme). Whatever differences are perceived are apparent only, not really spiritual. They have three schools of thought. Among them, some believe that the idea of difference (between jīva and brahman) is false, being but a perception due to māyā. By the imposition of ignorance, the jīva percieves an illusion of difference, like the sky and the pot containing a portion of sky. When ignorance disappears, the illusion of difference ceases, and only the great sky or brahman remains. At that time the jīva or the false ego disappears. This doctrine is called pariccheda paricchinna vādā.
The second school believes that brahman is reality and the jīva is a perception of its reflection due to ignorance. The jīva has no actual existence. Ignorance is a particular function of māyā śakti. When the ignorance is removed, the existence of jīva ceases. The third school says that actually nothing exists. There is some disturbance called māyā by which there is a perception of difference.
Reviewing these theories one can understand that they are all pompous talk generated from logic. By skillful logic, they can be quickly defeated. These philosophies arise by taking support from some portions of the Vedas, but they are not the conclusion of the Vedas. The conclusion of the Vedas is that the Lord is naturally the controller of māyā and the jīva is naturally controlled by māyā.
The Vedas say:
chandāmsi yajñāḥ kratavo vratāni
bhūtaṁ bhhavyaṁ yac ca vedā vadanti
asmān māyī sṛjate viśvam etat
tasmiṁś cānyo māyayā sanniruddhaḥ
māyās tu prakṛtim vidyān
māyinaṁ tu maheśvaram
The controller of māyā, the Lord, creates the material universe by māyā. The jīva, different from the Lord, falls under the control of māyā in the material world. Māyā is an energy of the Lord and the Lord is the controller of māyā. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4. 9-10)
Thus the jīva is, under no condition, the same as the Lord. In the Bhagavad Gītā, the jīva is called energy. That means the jīva cannot be the same as the Lord.
bhumir āpo'nalo vayuḥ kham mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinna prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva bhūtām mahābāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego-altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies. Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe. (B.G.7.4-5)
The jīva is the servant of Kṛṣṇa. The jīva is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa, being simultaneously different and non-different from the Lord. That means that the jīva is neither completely different from the Lord, nor absolutely identical with the Lord.
Brhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad says:
tasya vā etasya puruṣasya dve eva sthāne bhāvata
idaṁ ca paraloka-sthānaṁ ca sandhyaṁ tṛtīyaṁ
svapna-sthānam tasmin sandhye sthāne tiṣṭhan ete
ubhe sthāne paśyati idaṁ ca paraloka-sthānaṁ ca
The puruṣa or jīva has two locations, the material world and the spiritual world. The jīva is situated at a third position, called svapna sthāna, on the border between these two places. Situated in this marginal place, he can see both the material and spiritual worlds. (Brhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.3.18)
This marginal position is described as follows:
tad yathā mahā matsya ubhe kule'
nusañcarati pūrvaṁ ca paraṁ caivam
evāyaṁ puruṣa etāv ubhāv antāv
anusañcarati svapnāntaṁ ca buddhāntaṁ ca
Just as a large fish living in the river wanders from one bank to the other, so the jīva is of similar quality, and is equipped to wanders in the Kāraṇa waters between the material and spiritual worlds (svapnānta and buddhānta). (Brhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.3.18)
Though all the jīvas are generated from the Supreme Lord through the taṭastha śakti, they have a separate existence from Him. They may be compared to the atoms in the sun's rays, or the sparks of a fire.
yathāgne kṣudrā visphuliṅgā vyuccaranti evam
evāsmād ātmānaḥ sarvāni bhūtāni vyuccaranti
Just as sparks arise from fire, all the jīvas arise from Kṛṣṇa, the supreme soul. (Brhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.1.20)
From this it may be determined that jīvas are small, separate conscious particles which may find their place either in the material or spiritual worlds due to their dual nature (taṭastha). But their essential nature is to be the servant of Kṛṣṇa.
The moment that the jīvas desire to enjoy independently while gazing at the two banks of the river, they become averse to Kṛṣṇa, who is like the sun. They are called by māyā, who is situated close by, to accept a place of enjoyment. Due to loss of remembrance of Kṛṣṇa, they are averse to Kṛṣṇa with no beginning. They are in this state due to misuse of their independence.
One should not attribute this unfortunate situation to fault or cruelty on the part of Kṛṣṇa, for Kṛṣṇa has no responsibility at all for the misuse that the jīva makes of his spiritual quality of independence. When this misuse takes place, Kṛṣṇa places the jīvas like seeds in the material world, through a special functional expansion (Mahāviṣṇu). (see above C.C.Madhya 20.273)
Kṛṣṇa does not touch matter, but through the form of Mahāviṣṇu, who glances upon matter, he places the offending jīvas in matter. Due to this offense, matter or māyā punishes the jīvas by inflicting the sufferings of repeated births in the material world.
The Lord has two types of expansions, svaṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. The caturvyuha and avatāras are all svāṁśa. The jīvas are vibhinnāṁśa. The difference between svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa is that the svāṁśa entites are always endowed with all powers, and always identify themselves as the Lord. Kṛṣṇa's desire is their desire. They have no independence. The vibhinnāṁśas eternally identify themselves as separate from Kṛṣṇa. Being of small form, the jīvas have small power, and their desires are separate from Kṛṣṇa's. In this manner, though unlimited jīvas emanate from Kṛṣṇa, they do not in any way decrease the perfect nature of Kṛṣṇa.
The offense of turning from Kṛṣṇa occurs before the entrance of all jīvas into matter. Because the root of this offense occurs before material time, it is called beginningless aversion to Kṛṣṇa (anādi bahir mukhatā).
Because of transformation due to association with matter, Rudra also is different and non-different from the Lord. He is not the svarūpa of Kṛṣṇa. By contact with tamarind, milk becomes yogurt. It is not something completely different from milk, but it is not milk as well. (see CC M. 20.307-9).
In the Paramātmā Sandarbha (19) of Jīva Gosvāmī Jamatr Muni 's quote from the Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khanda is found describing the jīva:
jñāṇāśrayo jñāna-guṇaś cetanaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
na jāto nirvikāraś ca eka-rūpa-svarūpa-bhāk
aṇur nityo vyāpti-śīlaś cid ānandātmākas tathā
aham-artho'vyayaḥ kṣetri bhinna-rūpaḥ sanātanaḥ
adāhyo'yam acchedyo' kledyo' sosyākṣara eva ca
evam adi guṇair yuktaḥ śeṣa-bhūtaḥ parasya vai
The jīva is the shelter of knowledge, has the quality of knowledge, is conscious, non-material, without birth, unchanging, has one natural form, is a particle, eternal, pervasive, full of knowledge and bliss, has a sense of "I", is master of his body, does not decrease, is a separate form, cannot be burned, cut, or dried and is indestructible. He is the servant of the Lord.
Shelter of knowledge means that the jīva is a knower; having the quality of knowledge means that knowledge is his attribute. The jīva is beyond matter, he has no birth or change, and is more subtle than the material atoms. Pervasive means that the jīva pervades his whole body. . He identifies himself as "I", he is the master of his body, is separate from the Lord's form, and is devoid of impermanent qualities.
Nārada in the Pañcarātra has spoken of the taṭastha śakti.
yat taṭasthaṁ tu cid rūpam svakaṁ vedyād vinirgatam
The particle of consciousness emanating from the cit śakti is called taṭastha.
Jīva Gosvāmī has explained about the nature of the taṭastha śakti:
taṭasthatvaṁ ca māyā-śakty atītatvāt
asyāvidyā-parā-bhavādi-rūpeṇa doṣeṇa
paramātmāno lepābhāvāc ca ubhaya koṭav
apraviṣṭes tasya tac caktitve saty api
paramātmānas tal lepābhāvas ca yathā kvacid
eka-deśa-sthe raśmau chāyayā tiraskṛte'pi
sūryasyātiraskāras tadvat
The taṭastha or jīva śakti is different from māyā śakti. It is not considered in the category of māyā. However, because of the fault of being overcome by ignorance, the jīva śakti cannot be considered in the category of Paramātmā, which is free from the influence of māyā. Though the jīva is the śakti of the Paramātmā, Paramātmā is not touched by the jīva's contamination of ignorance. Though a particular ray of the sun may be covered by shadow, the sun is not covered. (Paramātmā Sandarbha 37)
These jīvas are of two types: eternally conditioned and eternally liberated.
Śrī Jīva says:
tad evam anantā eva jīvakhyās taṭasthāḥ śaktayaḥ
tatra tāsāṁ varga-dvayam eko vargo' nādita
eva bhagavad-unmukhaḥ anyas tv anādita eva bhagavat-parāṅmukhaḥ svabhāvatas tadīya-jñāna-bhāvāt tadīya-jñānābhāvāt ca tatra prathamo' ntaraṇgā- śakti vilāsānu
gṛhīto nitya-bhagavat-parikara rūpo garuḍādikaḥ asya
ca taṭasthatvaṁ jīvatva-prasiddher īśvaratva-kotāv
apraveśāt aparaṁ tu tat parāṅmukhatva-
doṣeṇa labdha-chidrayā māyayā paribhūtaḥ saṁśārī
The number of jīvas is unlimited. They are divided into two classes. One class is favorable to the Lord without beginning. The other class is averse to the Lord without beginning. The first class is favorable to the Lord because of knowledge of relationship with the Lord. The second class is averse to the Lord because of lack of that knowledge. The favorable jīvas are all recipients of the Lords splendid internal energy. They are the eternal associates of the Lord, such as Garuda. They are not in the category of the Lord, as in shown by the scriptures. They are still taṭastha or jīva. The second class of jīvas is devoid of the help of the internal energy as they are averse to the Lord. Because of this lack, they are overwhelmed by māyā and take repeated birth in the material world.
cit sūryaḥ paramātmā vai jīvas cit paramaṇavaḥ
tat kiraṇa-kaṇāḥ śuddhāś cinmad arthāḥ svarūpataḥ
acintya-śakti-sambhūta-taṭastha-dharmataḥ kila
cit svarūpasya jīvasya māyā-vaśyam ca sidhyati
apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me param
jīva bhūtāṁ mahābaho yayedam dhāryate jagat
iti yad bhagavad vākyaṁ gitopaniṣadi śrutam
jīvasya tena śaktitve siddhe bhedo na sidhyati
jivo māyā-vaśaḥ kintu māyādhīśaḥ pareśvaraḥ
etad āmnāya vākyāt tu bhedo jīvasya sarvadā
bhedābheda prakāśo'yaṁ yugapaj jīva eva hi
kevalābheda-vādasyāvaidikatvaṁ nirūpitam
māyā-vaśatva-dharmeṇa māyāvādo na sambhavet
yato māyā'parā śaktih parayā jīva nirmitaḥ
māyā-vṛttir ahaṅkaro jīvas tad atiricyate
māyā-saṅga vihīno'pi jīvo na hi vinaśyati
māyāvāda-bhramārtānāṁ sarvaṁ hāsyās- padaṁ matam
advaitasya niṣkalasya nirliptasya ca brahmaṇaḥ
pratibimba-paricchedau kathaṁ syātāṁ ca kutracit
advaita siddha labhe'pi kathaṁ nirbhayatā bhavet
rajju-sarpa-ghaṭākāśa-śukti-rajata-yuktiṣu
advaita-hānir evāsyād yathodāhṛteṣu vai
brahma-līnā yadā māyā tadā tasyāḥ kriyā katham
kasya vā spṛhayā tasyāḥ pravṛttir upajāyate
brahmecchā yadi tad dhetuḥ kutas tan nirvikāratā
māyecchā yadi va hetur durbhāgyam brahmaṇo'hi tat
māyāvādam asac chāstram sarvaṁ veda- viruddhakam
prakṛtaṁ yuktim āśtritya prakṛtārtha- viḍambanam
acintya-śakti-viśvāsāt jñānaṁ sunirmalaṁ bhavet
brahmaṇi nirvikāre syād icchā-śakt-viśeṣataḥ
tad icchā sambhavā sṛstis tridhā tad īkṣaṇa- śruteḥ
māyikā jaivikī śuddhā kathaṁ yuktiḥ pravartate
nāhaṁ manye suvedeti no na vedeti veda ca
śruti-vākyam idam labdhvā' cintya-śaktim vicāraya
bheda-vākyāni lakṣyāni dvā suparṇādi sūktiṣu
tattvam asyādi vākyeṣu cābhedatvaṁ pradarśitam
sarvajña-veda-vakyānām virodho nāsti kutracit
bhedābhedātmākaṁ tattvaṁ saytaṁ nityaṁ ca sārthakam
eka-deśātham āśritya cānya-deśārtha- kalpanam
matavāda-prakāśārthaṁ śruti-śāstra-kadarthanam
karma-mīmāṁsakānāṁ yad vijñānaṁ śruti- nindanam
murkhatvam eva teṣaṁ tat na grāhyam tattvavij janaiḥ
vibhinnāṁso hi jīvo'yaṁ taṭastha-śakti- kāryataḥ
sva-svarūpa-bhramād asya māyā-kārāgṛha-sthitiḥ
Paramātmā is the spiritual sun. All the jīvas are particles of his rays. The real nature of the jīva is purely spiritual. The jīva is by nature possessed of individual identity. Because of the nature of taṭastha śakti which emanates from the inconceivable energy of paramātmā, the jīva, being minute, is liable to fall under the control of māyā. In the verse of Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa teaches that the jīva is a superior energy to māyā, and thus the jīva is not qualitatively different from paramātmā, nor is he the same. The jīva is controlled by māyā and the Lord is the controller of māyā. Through this scriptural statement it is understood that the jīva is simultaneously different and non-different from the Lord. The doctrine of absolute monism is not according to Vedic evidence.
If the jīva is under the control of māyā, one cannot say that everything is māyā. According to the doctrine of māyā, the jīva is a temporary phenomenon, like a reflection. When we say the jīva is controlled by māyā, it meams that spiritual particle called jīva is different from māyā and is capable of falling under the influence of māyā because of his minute nature. Māyā is inferior energy and the jīva is composed of superior energy. The fnction of māyā is material identification. The jīva is a separate category, a spiritual being. Though the jīva is absorbed in māyā, it does not lose its nature as jīva. The māyāvāda philosophy is erroneous.
The opinions of those contaminated by this error are ridiculous. According to them, brahman is one, uncontaminated. Then how is it possible that this brahman becomes divided? How can there be any freedom from fear once the jīva has attained oneness? The examples of the rope and snake, shell and silver are inappropriate. Rather than prove the concept of advaita, they defeat it. If one tries to say that māyā dissolves in brahman, the concept of absolute advaita fails. If one argues that māyā is desire, how does that desire act? By whose desire does māyā act? If brahman is the source of this desire, then brahman is not unchanging. If one maintains the changeless nature of brahman and existence of the desire of māyā, then there arises another being opposing brahman which divides up the desireless brahman. That is a great disaster for brahman!
If one images that brahman becomes īśvara and then creates the world of māyā, in the absence of independent desire of brahman, it means that brahman becomes unfortunately controlled by one of its energies. Thus māyāvāda is an unauthorized doctrine, contrary to all the Vedas. By material logic the non-material subject of the Vedas becomes lost.
If a person has faith in the Lord's inconceivable energy, his knowledge becomes perfect. Accepting that brahman is non-dual, and changeless, if one also accepts that brahman has inconceivable energy, both the changeless state and desire can harmoniously coexist and act without contradiction.
The Vedas say, sa aikṣata ("He glanced.") This statement illustrates that by the Lord's desire alone, his inconceivable energy creates the material energy, the jīvas and the spiritual energies. If one believes in this inconceivable energy, his doubts will be dissipated. In the words, naham manye suvedeti no na vedeti veda ca (I do not think I know Brahman well. I know and I do not know) of the Kena Upaniṣad, the inconceivable energy is accepted. In the statement dvā suparṇa ("two birds in a tree"), the eternal difference is taught, and in tat tvam asi ("you are that") eternal non-difference is taught. There is no contradiction anywhere in the perfect Vedas. (Paramātmā Sandarbha 47)