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not created at any time. All the souls are equal as regards their intrinic nature. Every Jiva is potentially divine but its divinity is obscured and obstructed because of its association with karmas. When the Karmas are removed, the soul will shine in all its glory and attain Godhood. The following characteristics of Jiva are to be noted. It has life, consciousness upayoga (perception and knowledge), is potent, performs actions, is affected by their results, is conditioned by its own body, is incorporeal and is ordinarily found with karma.
1. Jiva lives with four pranas Indriya (5 senses) Bala (3 forces of body, speech and mind), Ayuh (duration of life) and Uchvasa (respiration).
2. It has consciousness i. e. the ordinary finite consciousness which is associated with will and emotion viz. acting and enjoynig.
3. Upayoga is the manifestation of chetana in the act of understanding. Jnana and Darshana (knowledge and perception) are the two kinds of Upayoga.
4. It has the capacity to assume different states of existences in the mundane world. Every Jiva is the architect of his own life.
5. It is the doer of its own karmas.
