JEEVATMA
Almost all school of thoughts ( religion, cult etc.) accept every human being as combination of what is seen and what is motivating that "seen " . In Vedic school of thoughts what is seen is called as body ot "Deh" and what is motivating the body is called as " Dehi " ( something that resides in body or Deh) . Together and inseparable they amount to be identified as individual and who is addressed in relation of something . Be it a name or family ot caste or Nationality or temperament or position and so on.
It is some what easy to understand what is seen and address as small, big, strong, weak, fair , dark. Still an amount of surprise is always there like small over powering big . Why ? Because the size and strength need not necessarily be in same order. The size is more external while strength comes from within. So every thing is not just what the eyes meet. It has to be sensed. The Vedic theory refers to inner invisible body as ANTAKARAN CHATUSHTYAM because it consists of four parts or folds, namely the mind or MAN, the intellect ot BUDHHI , the CHITTA or consciousness and the ego or AHANKAR . All simply co-exist together but move from subtle to subtler in the order they are mentioned. This inner invisible body is referred to as ( SUKSHMA DEH or subtle body which forms part of Gross or visible body ( STHOOL DEH ) . The gross body is endowed with five Organs of action KARMENDRIYA) and five sensory organs ( GYANENDRIYA)., Together they constitute to be WHOLE body
The DEHI or the inhabitant is explained by the concept of Five vils or (PANCH KOSH ) moving from Gross to subtle. The innermost is supposed to be residing inside but independent of it. This concept is well expailned in (MANDUKOPANISHAD) with example of two birds on one branch, oine busy eating fruir and other just watching it as independent spectator. But the presence of the first is dependent on the existance of the second. The moment it flies off, the first bird is dead.
The body Gross or subtle by itself does not do anything till it is prompted to do something. It is just an instrument. The instrument does not decide what to do but the operator using them decides what to do. THIS OPERATOR IS THE JEEVATMA WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. This operator has two things at his disposal. On one hand it has two sets of organs of sense and action and on the other hand is the resolution to do some thing ( SANKALP SHAKTI ). The resolutions are supposed to be borne out and as a result of desires ( VASNA) acquired over cycle of past births. They are divided into two parts. What is assigned to the safe deposit vault is called as (SANCHIT) and what is assigned for this particular birth is (PRARABDHA) . One may ask what kind of desire prompted to take the very first birth before acquiring the first desires in very first birth ? An answer is provided by Vedik philosophy thta ir was ADI SANKALP of not the individual but the total consciousness assigned to BRAHMA OR PARMATMA , PARAM PURUSH . It is framed as the one and only till now but resolve to be mulultiple or ( EKOHAM BAHUSYAM ) It gives rise to complex world of evolution from single cell creature to giant mammals and our own human species. We suppose that the evolution stops after travellong through rig morale of multiple evolving species creature and acquiring human form of BODY. The physical evolution stops here . At least for now till a super human is created to out smart us. Till this stage only a limited option is given for just consuming and thereby diminishing the VASNA . With human birth a choice is made available to individual.
The choice of following natural instincts or elevating oneself. The first is termed as PRAKRUTI and other a PURUSHARTH. But even as human many of us are content to live with natural instincts rather than elevating one self. The option is dropped if not used and a human biody is regressed again into primitive species .
Our aim therefore ought to elevate ourselves and get free of the VASNA and avoid further cycle of birth and rebirths.
