What is the jiva soul and from where does this consciousness originate?
pradumnya swami
WHAT IS THE JIVA SOUL?
It is clear when Srila Prabhupada refers to our "Old" consciousness he meant that we were with Lord Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan (the Kingdom of God) in our imperishable devotional eternal atma-vigraha (atma means self, vigraha means bodily form)) Spiritual (devotional) body that our present roaming projected consciousness (jiva-soul or life-force) has now forgotten.
Srila Prabhupada says that we cannot argue about it, therefore, as Prabhupada's disciples, we have to accept his final words: -
"Because he falls down from 'brahma-sayujya' (another name for the Impersonal
inactive motionless Brahmajoyti), he thinks that may be his origin; but he does not remember that before that even he was with Krishna. Formerly we were with Krishna in His Lila or sport" (Lecture in Australia 1972)
Srila Prabhupada can and does say that the living entity (atma-vigraha) never actually falls from the spiritual world however the forgetful consciousness of the living entity (The projected jiva-soul-consciousness) can.
Paramahamsa: So we can come to the Spiritual World and return?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.
Paramahamsa: Fall down?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. As soon as we try, "Oh, this material world is very nice," "Yes," Krishna says, "yes, you go." Just like nobody is interested in Krishna consciousness. Do you think everyone is interested? So. They want to enjoy this material world. Otherwise what is the meaning of free will? Every living entity has got a little free will. And Krishna is so kind, He gives him opportunity, "All right, you enjoy like this." Just like some of our students, Krishna conscious, sometimes go away, again come back. It is free will, not stereotyped. Just like one goes to the prison house, not that government welcomes, "Come on. We have got prison house. Come here, come here." He goes out of his free will; again comes out, again goes. Like that.
(Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course--May 13, 1973, Los Angeles) emphases added
In the Srimad Bhagavatam it says:
'Learned transcendentalists (Krishna Consciousness devotees) who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan. (SB 1.2.11)
So there are only three categories in the Absolute Truth.
1. Bhagavan: -Lord Krishna's original nature, Form, Personality, Individuality and identity.
2. Paramatma: -His expansion that accompanies all atma-vigraha's even in their sleeping slumber when their sub-conscious thoughts are projected into the impermanent dream state that is the material universe.
3. Brahman: - His living energy. Obviously we fit into the category of His energy, Brahman. We are the individual energies personified as our atma-vigraha original body and consciousness and the projected jiva-soul sub-consciousness is an extension of that atma-vigraha body when ones consciousness is not absorbed in always thinking of Krishna. Lord Krishna is the energetic and maintainer and Master of the personified energies (atma-vigraha's)
It must be made clear there are different varieties of Brahman, including impersonal Brahman.
All 'so called' individual jiva-sparks, (which are the projected jiva-soul-sub-consciousnesses originating from one atma-vigraha's SIDDHA-SVARUPA full conscious body) existing in the Brahmajoyti, are actually the minute dreamless extended projected sub-conscious THOUGHTLESS THOUGHTS 'TRANSMITTING' from ones full-conscious real self and perpetual bodily form in Goloka-Vrindavan.
The Brahmajoyti encompasses everything real (eternal Krishna Consciousness) and unreal (impermanent dream-state)
Reality only exists in Krishna's Goloka-Vrindavan and the Vaikuntha Vishnu Kingdoms.
The origin of the jiva-soul (life force projected consciousness) and how one falls from the Personal Active Kingdom of God (in a projected dreaming consciousness), to the impermanent material world, where one's dreaming consciousness creates an unlimited variety of temporary bodily ethereal (heavenly) and biological (earthly) forms, that includes all the various species of biological shapes or vessels, as well as a further projected dream-state illusionary escape into inactivity, known as the Impersonal motionless Brahmajoyti, light, Nirvana or Void, will all be fully all explained in this thesis.
Those who seek the shelter of the Impersonal inactive Brahmajoyti, have long, long ago denied the existence of a Personal God who is the creator and maintainer of all, as well as their own original bodily form, personality, identity and individuality (atma-vigraha). They therefore eventually take shelter of the Brahmajoyti because they have long ago forgotten their real Spiritual bodily ('full conscious') relationship with Krishna and after doing so, had originally projected their forgetful dreaming consciousness to the material universe.
It is only after exhausting their attempts to enjoy independently and actively in their mental thought creations or dreams (known as the unreal or impermanent material universe) they seek shelter of the Impersonal dreamless, inactive non-spiritual Brahmajoyti, that is also only a temporary illusionary dream-state resting place.
In other words, they deny (forget) the existence of their eternal bodily character and form known in Sanskrit as their original and only existent self or 'atma-vigraha' body.
Without any knowledge of God (Krishna), as well as knowledge of our own real eternal individual bodily Spiritual form, we are still all eternally connected to our perpetual body in Gods Kingdom, even while we are dreaming in the material universe.
Unfortunately we have absolutely no knowledge that the various ethereal bodies (heavenly) biological bodies (earthly) and identities we have created in the material temporary world is actually a dream-state formed and projected by ones slumbering forgetful or 'day-dreaming' atma-vigraha body in the Kingdom of God. The forgetful consciousness of the atma-vigraha bodies reverberates sub-conscious thoughts that project the dream state material universe. Such thoughts or dreams are echoed or illuminates from ones real only perpetual body (atma-vigraha).
Even though the sub-conscious is dreaming of many temporary bodily forms in the material universe, ones projected consciousness is always eternally connected to its atma-vigraha source because that is who one really is
Unaware of our original eternal body, we are caught up in a 'thought-generated material dream world' that can progress to a thoughtless dreamless-state in the Brahmajoyti, which is also a temporary dream as already explained.
It is due to forgetfulness the living entities (atma-vigraha's) think each impermanent body their projected sub-conscious-jiva-soul possess, is who they really are, and the all in all. Unfortunately they go on to further 'imagine', after becoming frustrated of existing in this impermanent way for many, many births and deaths, to pursue an inactive state of consciousness in the Brahmajoyti, that is also known as the Nirvana, clear light or Void. Unfortunately their deluded forgetful consciousness 'visualizes' (creates in their mind) an ending to their existence, which is just another dream-state of the projected-jiva-soul-consciousness. Such a conscious flight of the imagination or dreamless dream is also temporary.
Eventually, after many, many births and deaths we come to realize the ethereal vessel within the material universe containing the atma-vigraha's projected-jiva-soul-consciousness, as well as that consciousnesses extended biological body, is governed by the strict uniform laws of reward and punishment (Karma )
In the material temporary universe they learn every 'dreaming' action has and exact and opposite reaction (karma), its not some free-for-fall, we are responsible even in our dreaming projections from this absolute level of consciousness.
All individual life (the projected-jiva-soul-consciousness originating from ones perpetual atma-vigraha body in the Kingdom of God) is organized. Krishna has allowed the dream universe to exist through His expansion of Maha Vishnu whose dreams ARE the dreams of all the individual atma-vigraha's who choose to have 'non-Krishna Conscious' dreams.
We, in our projected dream state consciousness, experience the phenomena of birth, old age, diseased and finally death, when our temporary dreamed-up bodily vessel is no longer fit enough to possess our dreaming projected-jiva-soul-consciousness, our consciousness transmigrates to another biological bodily form that also awaits the same fate of decay.
The material universal dream is a complicated imaginary universe that has different laws governing different levels of consciousness, from the heavenly material ethereal universe to the middle biological planetary systems where our earth planet exists and finally the hellish planets – the reactions of Karma can be so severe that it leaves the trapped projected-jiva-soul-consciousness with very little room to move freely.
Just like in a jail, one can do what ever they want but are restricted by the rules of the jail – remember it was their actions that put them in jail in the first place. All this will be fully explained in further chapters.