Jiva

Wikipedia:

In Hinduism and Jainism, a jiva (Sanskrit: जीव, jīva alternate spelling, jiwa) is a living being, or more specifically, the immortal essence of a living organism (human, animal, fish or plant etc.) which survives physical death. It has a very similar usage to atma, but whereas atma refers to "the cosmic self", jiva is used to denote an individual 'living entity' or 'living being' specifically. The terms Paramatma and jivatma are used to avoid confusion.

The word itself originates from the Sanskrit Jivás, with the root jīv- 'to breathe'. It has the same Indo-European root as the Latin word Vivus: "alive".

Definition

In the Bhagavad Gita, the jiva is described as immutable, eternal, numberless and indestructible. It is said not to be a product of the material world (Prakrti), but of a higher 'spiritual' nature. At the point of physical death the jiva takes a new physical body depending on the karma and the individual desires and necessities of the particular jiva in question.

Goals

Some Jain and Hindu scriptures describe the ultimate goal of the jiva as being one or more of the following (depending on the particular philosophical tradition):