The Embodied Soul

In Sanskrit, the embodied soul — the soul lost in the dream of creation — is called Jiv-atma. Atma is the soul and Jiv is the state of embodiment — embodiment in and of Illusion.

God’s odyssey (odd- yssey) as Jiv-atma ends in Shiv-atma. Shiv-atma is the state of God’s Realization — Ehyeh asher ehyeh (Hebrew) — I Am That I Am — I Am What I Am.

What made me think of all this was an email conversation with a friend in which I recalled a beautiful statement from Upasani Maharaj. In this statement, Upasani defined the Jiv-atma as, “that pure celestial soul identified with the projections of the mind.”

“that pure celestial soul (God) (in the state of being) identified with the projections (impressions — sanskaras) of the mind."

“If the shoe fits, wear it,” is another old saying. Hopefully, if that shoe is not too comfortable, and consequently we begin to lose patience with its rubbing and pinching, we may, Inshalla! get the idea that perhaps we would be better off without it.