Definition
Jīva is the individual soul — the conscious entity that experiences the world, accumulates karma, and transmigrates from body to body across lifetimes. In Advaita Vedanta, the jīva is Ātman appearing limited due to ignorance (avidya) and the conditioning of the mind-body complex. The jīva is bound by karma and samsara until it realizes its true nature as Brahman. In Dvaita, the jīva is eternally distinct from God and can never become God — liberation is eternal communion. The jīva is characterized by consciousness (caitanya), agency (kartṛtva), and enjoyment (bhoktṛtva). It is subtler than the body and mind, and survives death to take on a new body according to its karma.
Etymology
From the root jīv (जीव्), "to live, be alive." Jīva means "the living one" — that which has life, the animating principle of a being.
Key Texts
Related Verses
वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि
vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro'parāṇi
As a person casts off worn-out garments and puts on new ones, so the jīva casts off worn-out bodies and enters new ones.
Bhagavad Gita 2.22ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः
mamaivāṃśo jīvaloke jīvabhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
The eternal jīva in this world is an eternal fragment of Myself.
Bhagavad Gita 15.7Interpretations Across Traditions
Advaita Vedanta
The jīva is Ātman plus limiting adjuncts (upadhis). In reality, there is only one Ātman appearing as many jīvas. Upon jnana, the jīva dissolves into Brahman.
Dvaita (Madhva)
Each jīva is eternally distinct and unique. There is a hierarchy among jīvas. Liberation is eternal bliss in communion with God, never identity.
Vishishtadvaita (Ramanuja)
The jīva is a real, eternal mode (prakara) of Brahman. It retains individuality even in liberation, eternally serving God.
Buddhism
There is no permanent jīva (anatman). What we call "soul" is a stream of consciousness (vijnana-santana) that continues but is not a fixed entity.
Related Terms
Ātman
आत्मन्
The true Self — the eternal, unchanging consciousness that is the innermost essence of all beings.
Karma
कर्म
The universal law of cause and effect — every action creates consequences that shape future experience.
Saṃsāra
संसार
The endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth — driven by karma and desire.
Mokṣa
मोक्ष
Liberation from the cycle of saṃsāra — the supreme goal of human life.
Īśvara
ईश्वर
The Lord — the personal, qualified aspect of the divine who governs the universe.