ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>J&#298VA</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="J*VA"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279J&#298VA or living being is not merely physical or material body (<i>deha</i>) . It is not even biological or vital breath (<i>pr&#257&#7751&#257</i>). Nor is it just a cluster of sense-impressions (<i>manas</i>), nor intellect (<i>buddh&#299</i>), nor ego (<i>aha&#7749k&#257ra</i>). The essence of <i>j&#299va</i> is something beyond all these. It is the Transcendent Self or <i>&#257tman</i>, which is the knower (<i>s&#257k&#7779&#299</i>), the seer (<i>drish&#7789&#257</i>) and pure consciousness (<i>chit</i>).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The composite whole of <i>chit</i> and <i>achit, drish&#7789&#257</i> and <i>drishya, kart&#257</i> and <i>kara&#7751a</i> is the total personality called <i>j&#299va</i>, the embodied self.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The constituents of <i>j&#299va</i>, according to Ved&#257nt, are (i) &#256tman or Self, (ii) <i>Avidy&#257</i> or ignorance enveloping the self, (iii) <i>Chid&#257bh&#257sa</i> or reflection of the Self in the Ego, (iv) <i>karama &#347ar&#299ra</i>, the causal body, (v) <i>li&#7749ga &#347ar&#299ra</i> constituting <i>pr&#257&#7751a</i> (vital airs), <i>man, aha&#7749k&#257ra</i> and <i>buddh&#299</i>, and (vi) gross physical body.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In <i>gurb&#257&#7751&#299, j&#299va</i> (also <i>j&#299a</i>) essentially stands for living being, an organism. <i>Jete j&#299a j&#299vahi lai s&#257h&#257</i>, all living beings live by breath (GG, 144), exemplifies this connotation. The same is also reflected in this line from <i>Ak&#257l Ustati, j&#299va jite jal me&#7749 thal me&#7749</i>, as many living beings as abide in water or on land.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The term <i>j&#299va</i> also stands for <i>&#257tm&#257</i> or <i>j&#299v&#257tm&#257</i> since that is presumed to be the source of life in any living being. Such lines as <i>&#299shvar j&#299va ek im j&#257nai</i> : thus reckon <i>&#298shvar</i> (God) and <i>j&#299va</i> as one <i> (Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth) </i> or <i>jiu eku aru sagal sar&#299r&#257</i>: consider it the same one <i>&#257tm&#257</i> in all different bodies (GG, 330).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The term has also been employed to connote <i>man</i> or <i>chit</i>, i.e. mind or consciousness, as in <i>j&#299a sa&#7749gi prabhu apun&#257 dhart&#257</i> : He fixes his mind on his Lord (GG, 384).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In brief, <i>j&#299va</i> in <i>gurb&#257&#7751&#299</i> stands for a living being or for any of the features -- life, consciousness, mind or soul <i> (j&#299v&#257tm&#257) </i> that are deemed to characterize a living being in general, more specifically man.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Avtar Singh, <i>Ethics of the Sikhs</i>. Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Sher Singh, <i>The Philosophy of Sikhism</i>. Lahore, 1944<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Jaswant Si&#7749gh Nek&#299<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>