The Jivas or Souls according to Jainism

Unlike the atman of the Upanishads which is considered to be infinite, without form, without qualities and without blemish, the Jiva or the soul of Jainism has variable dimensions and liable to change.

According to Jainism, a jiva is capable of changing its dimensions, expanding and contracting, depending upon the circumstances and the nature of karma it has indulged in. It remains small, when it is in the womb, ready to take birth.

After the birth, it grows as the body grows and envelops the latter from all sides. In a mature adult it is not the size of a thumb, but bigger that his body. At the time of death, it contracts and becomes a tiny seed to start its journey all over again.

According to Jainism, the jivas are infinite in number and exist in the universe eternally. No one created them or none can destroy them. Their number also remains the same through out, though they may move from one plane of existence to another and also assume different forms in different things, depending upon their level of evolution and previous activity.

In the scriptures of Jainism we come across the following categories of jivas.

1. Nirtya Siddhas- the ever perfect souls.

2. Mukta- the liberated souls who would never take birth again.

3. Baddha: the bonded souls, who are bound to this world, undergo repeated births and deaths and are subject to continuous inflow of karmic material into their bodies.

Having been freed form all notions of association with matter and bondage, the mukta jivas enjoy unlimited consciousness, infinite knowledge, infinite perception, infinite power and infinite joy.

The ordinary jivas suffer from ignorance and illusion. They remain enmeshed in the matter till they are liberated. Besides in their ordinary state they are never free from the inflow of karma into their bodies.

According to Jainism, karma is not a mere effect of some action, but a kind of subtle matter or flowing energy that enters the body of a jiva and imparts to it varying degrees of grossness, making the liberation of the jiva increasingly difficult.