Jeev (जीव)

Jeev (जीव | jīva) means one who is alive and gives life.

The individual soul is conscious. When the Jeev resides in a body, the otherwise inert body appears alive because of its presence. In the same way, although the mind and intellect are made of inert Maya, they function as though they are conscious because they are energized by the Jeev.

Jeev as the Individual Soul

The Jeev is: eternal, divine and conscious.

The Jeev is distinct from the body, mind, intellect, and God.

The body is material and inert, while the Jeev is divine and conscious.

The mind and intellect are also inert instruments. Just as electricity enables a bulb to illuminate, the Jeev enables the mind and intellect to function as though they are conscious.

The Jeev is also distinct from God. The Jeev is dependent, while God is independent.

Jeev as a Name of God

The Vedas also use the word Jeev to refer to Shri Krishna because He is the source of consciousness for all conscious beings. He gives consciousness to every individual soul as well as to His own divine expansions, such as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shankar.

Also referred to as

Atma, Jeevatma

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Every conscious living entity is called jeev (जीव; jīva ). The other names of jeev is atma (आत्मा ; ātmā ), spirit, inner self, soul etc. This is also written as jiva. The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word jeev means life. So, the one which is always alive and infuses

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