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The most distinguishing characteristic of this category is the possession of consciousness (cetanā) and this enables the jiva to get both the indeterminate and the determinate types of knowledge (darśana and jñāna).
JAINISM
The term jiva does not refer to the human soul alone. It refers to the principle of consciousness in general. Consciousness is discernible in four different states of existence (gati) according to Jainism. The different levels of consciousness representing the various states of existence are that of the animals,3 the humans, the infernal beings and the celestial beings. The svastikā sign which we constantly see in the Jaina books and in the Jaina temples signifies the four different states of existence of the jiva :
Manuşya
Devatā
Jain Education International
Näraki
Tiryañc
Leaving the Naraki stage out of account for the moment it may be pointed out that the other stages represent the progressive steps through which the jīva passes before attaining perfection. These various stages of the jiva's evolution are referred to as the 'modes' or paryayas. In every one of these stages the jiva undergoes real changes, though its identity itself is not lost. The changes are seen in the facts of birth, growth and death.
Due to its association with karma the jiva gets bound and is caught up in the cycle of birth and death. Association with karma is considered to be a mark of impurity and hence the jiva in the state of bondage is referred to as impure (aśuddha). With the attainment
3 That the term 'animal' did not exclude the plan t-level is evident from the definition of animal as "those beings which remain in the celestial, the infernal and the 'human world"". That we find in the Tattvärtha-Sūtra (IV. 28). This definition of animal and of the concept of consciousness offers us an insight into the seemingly rigorous doctrine of ahimsa which excludes injury even to plants and seeds that we find in Jainism.
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