Is the jīva’s bondage real?
The root cause of suffering is the jīva’s identification with the body. Is this identification …
jīva-tattva
The ātmā is not like a drop to Bhagavān’s ocean
Some offer the analogy that the jīva is related to Bhagavān in the same way …
Misconceptions about the ātmā
That the ātmā is distinct from the body is accepted in most Indian schools of …
The jīva’s doership is real and not illusory – Part II
We continue our discussion of Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s commentary on the Brahma sutras. As mentioned in …
The jīva’s doership is real and not illusory – Part I
One of the pramāṇas propped up by some to support the novel concept that the …
Q/A: How can Kṛṣṇa be the cause of anādi creation, when anādi means without cause?
I received a long reply from a proponent of the jiva-choice theory- but I did …
anādi means beginningless, which means without a preceding cause
The word ‘anādi’ is a simple word. Yet, in recent decades, much confusion has surrounded …
The solution to the problem of ahaṅkāra
We examined the concept of ahaṅkāra in an earlier post. We saw how ahaṅkāra …
Why the jīva is considered part of taṭastha śakti
The Paramātmā Sandarbha goes into great depth into the properties of the jīva. This knowledge …
Which definition of jnāna applies to the ātmā?
The word jnāna has the common meaning of ‘knowledge’. However, in Sanskrit usage, the word …
An analysis of deep sleep
As the ātman is situated in its own self during deep sleep and nothing else, …
Attitudes toward free will on the jñāna, karma and bhakti mārgas
We have seen that the pure ātman does not have free will, simply because desire …