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As to the number of souls, the Vedāntins believe that there is but one Ultimate Entity, one sentient principle, Brahman, which is all-pervading. They claim to have the support of the scriptures. But the Jainas say that if the same soul were present in all bodies, it would have the same characteristics, which is not what we find. Every individual has his own pleasure, etc.. There are innumerably more miserable souls than there are happy ones in the universe. If they were all one, there would be nothing like happiness or pleasure for any one. But we do find one person happy as against others who are unhappy. This clearly shows that the souls are infinite in number. +
The souls are also not all-pervading (vibhu). The characteristics of the soul are found only within the expanse different manifestations or parts of God (Bhāskara, Rāmānuja, Nimbārku, Vallabha, Srikantha, and others) or as different from but as dependent on God (Madhva), or as inseparable from God (Vijñānabhikṣu). God though recognised in the Yoga system has no special significance in his relation with the souls. Nyaya " Vaiseșika recognises God as the creator of the world, in accordance with the karman of souls. In Vedānta, excepting the philosophy of Sankara, neither the souls nor God can be regarded as kūțastha-nitya or absolutely changing. Of course, in all the systems except the Buddhist, the souls are eternal entities. Sankara would agree from the point of view of lower knowledge, for from the esoteric point of view the souls are unreal and so there is no question of their being eternal or not.
+ The Upanişads recognise Brahman as the Absolute Principle and regard the inanimate world and soul as manifestations or modifications of the ultimate which is both immanent and transcendent. All the Vedāntic philosophers are of this view, except Sankara who interprets the Upanişads to mean that there is but one non-dual, absolute principle, and all else is unreal. All the systems of philosophy recognise an infinite number of souls. Even the Vijñānavādins recognise an infinite number of streams of consciousness.
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