The following outlines five fundamental entities based from the Vishishtadvait school of Hindu philosophy: Jiva (the individual soul), Ishwar (the cosmic controller), Maya (the illusionary power), Brahm (the divine abode and consciousness), and Parabrahma (the Supreme Being). Together, they form a framework for understanding reality, liberation, and the nature of God.
1. Jiva (The Individual Soul)
The Jiva is the individual, eternal soul or life-force that resides within a living being. It is distinct from the physical body it inhabits.
Characteristics of the Jiva:
- The Jiva is described as subtle, smaller than an atom, yet it pervades the entire body through its inherent consciousness and knowledge.
- It is eternal, meaning it is never born and never dies.
- It is fundamentally indivisible, invulnerable, and imperceptible to the ordinary senses. As the scriptures state, weapons cannot cut it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot drench it, and wind cannot dry it.
- The Jiva is the “knower,” possessing its own consciousness.
The Cycle of Bondage (Samsara):
Although eternally free by nature, the Jiva becomes bound by the laws of action (karma). Due to its association with Maya (cosmic illusion), it develops an ego and attachment to its body and worldly relations. The Jiva receives a body according to its accumulated good or bad actions. Upon the death of that body, it assumes another, thus moving through the cycle of birth and death.
The Jiva is associated with three distinct bodies:
- Gross Body (Sthula Sharir): The visible, physical body.
- Subtle Body (Sukshma Sharir): The mind, intellect, and ego, which carries the impressions of karma.
- Causal Body (Karan Sharir): The innermost body, holding the seed of ignorance that is the root cause of bondage.
The Three States of the Jiva:
- Bound (Badha): Jivas who are caught in the cycle of worldliness, driven by karma and desire. In this state, the soul experiences the world through eight gross qualities: word, touch, taste, smell, vision, power, knowledge, and pleasure.
- Liberated (Mukta): Those who, through intense devotion to the Lord, are freed from the cycle of birth and death. They leave their mortal bodies and reside in the divine abode of the Lord.
- Eternally Liberated (Anadi Mukta): Those who are eternally devoted to Parabrahm (the highest reality). They attain Akshardham (the imperishable abode) and serve the Lord, attaining a status equivalent to His.
Liberation is achieved through single-minded devotion, which frees the soul from worldly desires. The liberated Jiva attains the Lord’s abode, where it enjoys the bliss of serving Him.
2. Ishwar (The Cosmic Lord)
Just as the Jiva resides in the heart, Ishwar also resides within the heart of the Jiva as the inner controller (Antaryami). However, unlike the Jiva, Ishwar is absolutely independent and serves as the supreme judge of the actions of all Jivas within a single universe (Brahmand).
- Role and Function: Ishwar is the entity through whom the Supreme Lord accomplishes the creation, sustenance, and destruction of a universe. These functions are personified as the deities Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Sustainer), and Shiva (the Destroyer).
- Omniscience and Omnipotence: Within his own universe, Ishwar is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is the controller of everything in his domain.
- Innumerable Ishwars: Since there are innumerable universes, there are innumerable Ishwars, each presiding over one.
- Power Distinction: Ishwar’s power is immense, while the Jiva’s is very limited.
The Three Bodies of Ishwar:
- Virat (The Universal Gross Body): The entirety of the physical universe, including the fourteen realms (seven above and seven below the Earth), constitutes the gross body of Ishwar.
- Sutratma (The Cosmic Subtle Body): The sum total of all intelligence and sensory actions in the universe forms the subtle body of Ishwar, running like a thread (Sutra) through all creation.
- Avyakrut (The Cosmic Causal Body): The unmanifested, causal form that pervades the entire universe as motion and potential.
3. Maya (The Cosmic Illusion)
Maya is the primordial, eternal power of the Lord. It is the cause of the Jiva’s ignorance (avidya), ego (ahankar), and attachment to the material world.
- The Three Gunas: Maya is constituted by the three fundamental qualities or modes of nature (gunas):
- Sattva (purity, harmony, light)
- Rajas (passion, activity, attachment)
- Tamas (inertia, darkness, ignorance)
The equilibrium of these three gunas is called Mulprakruti, and from their interplay, the entire material world, including the 24 elements, evolves.
These 24 elements are categorized as follows:
1. The Five Great Elements (Maha bhutas)
These are the five states of physical matter.
- Pruthvi: Earth (the principle of solidity)
- Jal: Water (the principle of liquidity)
- Tejas: Fire (the principle of radiance and heat)
- Vayu: Air (the principle of gaseousness and movement)
- Akash: Space or Ether (the principle of accommodation and vacuity)
2. The Five Organs of Action (Karma Indriyas)
These are the faculties through which we interact with the world.
- Vak: The faculty of speech
- Pani: The faculty of grasping (Hands)
- Pada: The faculty of locomotion (Feet)
- Upastha: The faculty of procreation (Genitals)
- Payu: The faculty of excretion (Anus)
3. The Five Organs of Perception (Gnan Indriyas)
These are the faculties through which we receive information from the world.
- Shrotra: The faculty of hearing (Ears)
- Chakshu: The faculty of sight (Eyes)
- Ghrana: The faculty of smell (Nose)
- Jihva: The faculty of taste (Tongue)
- Tvak: The faculty of touch (Skin)
4. The Five Vital Airs (Pranas)
These are the five primary life-force energies that animate the physical body.
- Prana: Governs respiration and the function of the heart.
- Apana: Governs the elimination of waste products from the body.
- Samana: Governs digestion and the assimilation of nutrients.
- Vyana: Governs the body’s circulation and expansion/contraction processes.
- Udana: Governs upward-moving energies, such as speech and the departure of the soul at death.
5. The Four Aspects of the Inner Instrument (Antah Karanas)
These are the four functions of the mind or inner consciousness.
- Manas (Mind): The processing faculty that receives sensory input, thinks, and doubts.
- Buddhi (Intellect): The faculty of discernment, reasoning, and decision-making.
- Chitta (Memory/Consciousness): The storehouse of memories, impressions, and subconscious thoughts.
- Ahankara (Ego): The sense of “I-ness” which creates individual identity and attachment.
- Function and Effect: Maya acts as the field where Jivas take birth according to their karma. It creates the sense of “I” and “mine,” binding the soul to its body and relationships. It is an obstacle to true knowledge and devotion to the Lord, inducing intense desire and attachment.
- Overcoming Maya: Maya is incredibly difficult to overcome through personal effort alone. As Lord Krishna states in the Bhagvad Gita, “This divine Maya of Mine is difficult to cross over. But those who take refuge in Me alone, they cross over this illusion.” Only through total surrender and devotion to the Lord can a Jiva transcend the influence of Maya.
4. Brahm (The Divine Abode and Consciousness)
Brahm is a higher reality, superior to Jiva, Ishwar, and Maya. It is described as having two distinct forms.
- Nirakar Brahm (Formless): This is the formless, all-pervading divine consciousness. It is often referred to as Chidakash (the ether of consciousness) or Brahm Mahol. This formless Brahm serves as the ultimate, imperishable abode of God, known as Akshardham. It is an infinite expanse of pure, divine light that is eternal, changeless, and beyond time and Maya. It sustains all the liberated souls and the innumerable universes.
- Sakar Brahm (With Form): This is Brahm with a form, also known as Aksharbrahm. In this aspect, Brahm is the ideal devotee, eternally in the service of Parabrahm within the divine abode of Akshardham.
Characteristics of Brahm:
- Satya Swarup: The form of eternal reality.
- Gnan Swarup: The form of profound knowledge.
- It is pure, immortal, indivisible, unchangeable, and indestructible.
- It is a realm of condensed light, free from misery, malice, and attachment.
5. Parabrahm (The Supreme Reality)
Parabrahm is the highest and ultimate reality, the Supreme Being, also known as Paramatma or Purushottam Narayan. He is the master of all other entities, including Jiva, Ishwar, Maya, and even Brahm.
- Nature and Abode: Parabrahm possesses a divine, perceptible human form and resides in the ultimate abode, Akshardham, amidst the effulgent light of Brahm. He is the absolute reality (Satya Swarup) and the source of all light (Prakash Swarup).
- Supreme Attributes: He is absolutely omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is the master controller of infinite universes (Brahmands) and the regulator of all Ishwars and liberated souls.
- The Ultimate Controller: Parabrahm resides simultaneously in Akshardham and within the hearts of all Jivas as their ultimate witness and controller. He dispenses the fruits of karma to all beings. It is His supreme command that governs the entire cosmos, compelling the sun, oceans, elements, and gods to perform their respective functions.
- Cause of Incarnations: He is the cause of all divine incarnations. By His own will, He descends to Earth in an appropriate form to protect righteousness (dharma), destroy evil, and grant liberation to His devotees.