Jiva, Iswar, Maya, Brahm and Parbrahm

Jiva
One who resides in the heart, is alone and subtle, is also all consciousness, is the knower, is pervading all over the body by means of His power and good knowledge and bares characteristics such as indivisible, invulnerability, and it eternality etc.

Individual unit having His own consciousness. Smaller than even an atom [has three different bodies gross or apparent, a subtle and the casual]. Jiva never dies, nor is it ever born. [due to its association with Maya that gets attached ion the mind and finally absorbed at the time of the final dissolution in the cover of Maya]. He resides in the heart and pervades in the whole body by knowledge. [weapons can't cut, fire cant burn; water cant drench and wind cant dry Him] He is eternal, indivisible, imperceptible, immortal etc. Jiva is bound by the actions. Jiva gets His body according to His accumulated action, good or bad. He leaves that body and assumes another one. Thus He moves from one body to another.

Shruti says that Atma is indivisible, imperceptible etc. Jiva has access to everything. Jiva is free eternally but functions are under orders from Lord and yet are bound by Maya. If He is devoted to Lord, it can be free from Worldly desires and illusory objects and by single minded devotion, being free can attain to the abode of Lord where he may enjoy the pleasures of serving the Lord (attain liberation).

There are three types of Jiva:

1. Bound
2. Liberated
3. Eternally liberated

Bound - There are those who are caught in the cycle of worldliness they are called "Buddha"

Liberated - Those who are due to their intense devotion to the Lord leave the body and reside in the abode of the Lord - they are called liberated - "Muktas"

Eternally Liberated - Those who are devotees of Parbrahm (highest reality), they attain Akshardham (imperishable abode of Lord) and serve the Lord on Par with him (attain the same status as that of Lord).

When soul in "bound" condition, He possessed of eight Gross qualities, they are:

• Word
• Touch
• Taste
• Smell
• Vision
• Power
• Knowledge
• Pleasure

Iswar
Just as Jiva is installed in the heart so does Ishwar resides in the heart of Jiva as the inner controller, is absolutely independent and is the judge supreme of all actions of all Jivas.

They have their own consciousness, through whom the creation, the substance, and destruction work of "jagat" (the universe) got done by Supreme Lord. Ishwars have three bodies Virat, Sutratma, and Avyakrut.

1. Virat - Ishwar nature is described seven loks above - Bhurlok; Bhuverlok; Swarglok; Maharlok; Janalok; Tapolok; and Satyalok.

Seven loks below the earth - Atal; Vital; Sutal; Talatal; Rasatal; Mahatal; and Patal. All these are located in the great body of Lord known as Virat which is the gross body in which they stand

2. Sutratma - (Sutra - thread) There is a subtle body of Iswar which is inform of the actions of intelligence and senses, which run across like a thread in all that he does.

3. Avyakrut - A casual body having access to every place in the universe in the form of motion. Ishwar occupies all the three and hence is pervading in his own body.

He moves everything and omniscient. He is the controller of the universe(Bhramand). He is the creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer. There and innumerable universes so there are innumerable Ishwars. Bhrama the creator, Vishnu the sustainor and Shiva(Mahesh) the destroyer are the Ishwars. As Jiva reside in the bodyand controls so does Ishwar resides in Jiva and controls him.

Ishwars talent and power is too much while that of Jivas are very little. The Ishwars are Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent for that Universe only.

Virat Purush; Aniruddha; Pradyumna; Sankrushna; Bhumapurush; Pradhanpurush etc. are Ishwars.

Maya
Maya is one which constitutes the three qualities Satva, Rajas, Tamas, is ignorance incarnate, is power of our Lord and is the cause of ego and personal attachment for body psyche and everything else relayed to it, on part of Jiva.

[Equiliobrium state of three qualities i.e. Satva, Rajas, Tamas is called Maya]. This Maya (Prakriti) develops these three qualities out of which the world is born. Since Prakriti gives rise to this wonderful world it is also known as Maya.

Because Prakriti is opposed to knowledge it is called Nescience (Avidhya). It is Eternal (Nitya and hence imperishable). Its name is Mulprakruti and is the power of Lord.

The evolution of 24 elements described in Vedas are the results of the three qualities of Maya - Satva, Rajas, Tamas.

Five sence organs:

• Nose
• Tongue
• Eyes
• Skin
• Ears

Five Gross organs:

• Mouth
• Hands
• Feet
• Sex Organ
• Excretal Organs

Five Principle Elements:

• Smell
• Taste
• Sight
• Sound
• Touch

Four Inner Instrument

• Mann - Mental
• Buddhi - Intellectual
• Chitt - Mind
• Ahankar - Ego

She is the field for Jivas to take birth and bodies according to their actions. She is the cause of evolutionary changes.

She is the cause of the sense of "I and mine" in the body and its relations; Maya is of gross darkness, intense desire and attachment. This Maya behaves by assuming two forms of consciousness and staticity and is a shadow of all states of ignorance. It's a Para Shakti (Supreme Power) of Shree Krushna. It causes the cycle of life and death of the Jiva and the fear among them. It also induces the sense of "mine and yours" in your body, as well as realisation of self. Maya is unborn. It is of the nature of Darkness, helps in creation and division of good and bad by nature. It is obstacle in concentration and devotion to the Lord. Those who follow the path of penance b y resorting to Japa and control of senses without devotion to Lord, are mostly defeated ion their objective by the power of Maya. Those who, by their total devotion to Lord, surrender to the Lord, this Maya cannot defeat them, but Maya still remains with Jiva because of his association with worldly objects leaving aside the Jiva.

Lord Krushna said in Gita that this, my Maya, is difficult to cross, but those who take Refuge in me alone succeed in crossing beyond it.

The whole world has come out of Maya (the cosmic illusion) that Maya is identical with Brahm, is the abode of Parbrahma.

Omnipotent - All powerful Supreme
Omnipresent - Present everywhere
Omniscient - Knowing everything

Brahm
Brahma has two forms, Sakar i.e. having divine perceptible form and Nirakar i.e. formless.

As Sakar form he is in constant service of Parbrahm Purushottam Narayan in His ultimate abode.

As Nirakar, it is divine abode of God known as Akshardham. It is the form of unimaginable man of divine light i.e. pure consciousness, which is called Chidakash or Brahma mahol. He is endless and everywhere. It sustains all the realised souls (muktas) with Parbrahma Parmatma, as well as the innumerate universes out of the divine abode of Akshardham.

Other characteristics of Brahm are Satya Swaroop i.e. the ever reality Gnan Swaroop i.e the form of profound knowledge. It is eternal, pure immortal, changless, limitless of all etc.

It has access to everything. It has form of a servant as the form of all pervading, abstract from (existing only in the mind, not concrete) which can only be seen through the eyes of knowledge.

It is infinite, indivisible, unchangeable, and hence indestructible. It is full of light and id the highest Brahmadham.

It is without limits, always without miseries, malice and attachment, it is neither weak or strong. There is neither day or night. It is full of condense light. It is beyond time and Maya (cosmic illusion)

Parbrahma
Parbrahma; Parmatma; Purushottam Narayan in grossed perceptible divine human form in the midst of divine effulgent light i.e. Akshardham, the ultimate divine abode