Multiverse in Indian Cosmology: The Evolution of a Soul (Jiva) - Part (8/9)
A Jiva’s Evolutionary Journey Through Lokas and Brahmandas
In many discussions, the word “Soul” or “Atma” is used loosely. Strictly speaking, the Atma does not evolve. It is pure, unchanging essence — a spark of the cosmic Divine — already complete in itself.
What evolves is the Jiva part of it. The Jiva is consciousness identified with body, mind, and individuality. It is the living being moving through Lokas and lifetimes, gathering experience under the influence of karma and the three gunas.
Over many births, the Jiva refines itself. Through accumulated experience, discrimination, and spiritual insight, it begins to manifest higher qualities. This Jiva is what we often refer to as “Higher Self”.
Spiritual evolution is therefore a gradual unveiling of its true nature as Atma.
For this discussion, we will focus mainly on human birth on Earth, within Bhu-Loka.
Signs of Inner Evolution
Paramahansa Yogananda described eight subtle aspects of God: Light, Sound, Power, Peace, Calmness, Wisdom, Love, and Bliss. These are refined spiritual realities perceived through intuition at the Spiritual Eye. As the Jiva evolves, these qualities, which are its own true nature, begin to reveal themselves with increasing clarity.
These inner signs of evolution can be understood both experientially and structurally.
Sri Yukteswar taught that the soul is covered by veils known as Koshas. These coverings limit the Jiva’s ability to recognize its true nature. As the Jiva progresses, these Koshas gradually dissolve, allowing its inherent nature to shine forth.
The subject itself is vast and esoteric. Even a high-level understanding of these principles helps us grasp what spiritual evolution truly signifies.
For simplicity, we can observe two levels of signs that indicate a Jiva is progressing:
- Primary signs are inner clarity, expanded awareness, and deepening intuitive perception.
- Secondary outward signs include empathy, patience, devotion, surrender, love, and similar qualities.
Spiritual Powers and True Progress
Spiritual evolution can bring certain powers. These arise naturally from the astral and causal bodies.
Consider the physical body. When trained in a gym, muscles grow strong. But strength alone does not guarantee health or longevity unless it is developed through the right process.
In the same way, astral powers or spiritual abilities can be cultivated through improper means. Their development does not necessarily reflect spiritual maturity. These abilities may appear even in individuals who remain deeply attached to power, desire, name, and fame. When misused, such powers create further karmic consequences that must eventually be resolved.
True evolution is measured by freedom from desire, not by the display of abilities.
From Matter to Human Birth
Before the Jiva becomes human, it evolves gradually through various stages of manifestation.
Paramahansa Yogananda once stated that he remembered being a diamond, suggesting that consciousness passes even through mineral existence in early stages. This suggests that consciousness expresses itself even through apparently inert matter.
Sri Yukteswar described the first covering as the Annamaya Kosha, composed of material substance. When this covering is dense, it obscures the living awareness within matter.
As it becomes lighter, the Pranamaya Kosha, composed of life-force energy, begins to function. Life expresses itself through plants.
With further refinement, the Manomaya Kosha, the sheath of mental activity that processes sensory input and generates thoughts and emotions, becomes active. As this develops, mobility and emotional responses begin to appear in animal life.
There are many intermediate stages, but these are the major transitions for clarity.
Up to the animal stage, evolution is governed largely by Prakriti, nature. It is an automatic process.
Human Birth and the Awakening of Free Will
When the Jiva takes human birth, evolution requires conscious participation.
Initially, development is still strongly influenced by karma and the denseness of the Koshas. But now the Vijnanamaya Kosha slowly begins to express itself. Intelligence, discrimination, and deliberate choice emerge. The human being moves beyond pure survival instinct.
Free will strengthens as the Jiva evolves.
Movement Between Lokas
Each Loka operates within a specific vibrational bandwidth. The composition of the three Gunas within a Loka determines its dharmic atmosphere.
In Lokas where Tamas predominates, the true nature of the Jiva is heavily veiled. As a result, the beings there tend to make choices that move them away from Dharma.
In Lokas where Sattva is predominant, the Jivas have greater clarity about their true nature. Their decisions and actions therefore align more naturally with Dharma.
A human Jiva moves through different Lokas according to its karmic vibration, which in turn determines its guna composition.
Normally a human Jiva, moves between:
Bhu-Loka (where physical Earth is located)
Bhuvar-Loka (astral realm)
However, if it accumulates intense adharmic karma through its actions on Earth, it may descend into lower Lokas, in accordance with the nature of those actions.
In physical manifestation, the Jiva resides in Bhu-Loka. After death, it transitions to Bhuvar-Loka.
Ordinarily, the Jiva remains unconscious in the astral world because the pranic vibration there is too intense for its astral body to sustain awareness.
If a person has meditated during life, the increased life-force allows the Jiva to remain conscious in Bhuvar-Loka for a period. When that accumulated prana is exhausted, unconsciousness returns until the next suitable birth.
Highly advanced meditators may remain fully conscious in Bhuvar-Loka. If sufficient life-force has been gathered, they may ascend temporarily to Swarga-Loka. This additional life-force is equated to energy gathered through “good karma” or karma in sync with dharma. When it is exhausted, the jiva returns to the next lower loka.
This can be compared to an electron moving between energy bands around a nucleus. When energy increases, it rises to a higher band. When energy decreases, it falls back.
Beyond Earthly Birth – Lokas & Koshas
At a certain stage, experience through the Annamaya Kosha becomes complete. Physical birth on Earth then becomes optional.
From that point onward, growth continues primarily through subtler realms, moving from Bhuvar-Loka to Swarga-Loka and beyond. As the Jiva evolves, its inner coverings, the Koshas, express themselves with increasing clarity.
The Koshas are the instruments through which specific ranges of experience are gathered:
Annamaya Kosha – Governs survival-based, material, and desire-oriented experiences. It relates to physical existence and identification with the body.
Pranamaya Kosha – Governs energy-based consciousness and life-force experiences. It expresses vitality, movement, and the flow of prana.
Manomaya Kosha – Governs emotional and sensory experiences. It processes feelings, reactions, and mental impressions.
Vijnanamaya Kosha – Initially expresses as intelligence, discrimination, and discernment. When fully matured, it becomes a channel for higher insight and cosmic wisdom.
Anandamaya Kosha – When fully expressed, the Jiva experiences ever-new divine bliss and profound inner fulfillment.
As evolution continues beyond earthly birth, the grosser Koshas cease to dominate. In Swarga-Loka, the Pranamaya and Manomaya Koshas are highly developed. Refined desires may still remain, but when these are transcended and the astral desire body is no longer required, the Jiva progresses to Mahar-Loka, the realm of Rishis and sages.
From Mahar-Loka onward, the emphasis shifts increasingly toward deeper knowledge of divine creation and its mystery. The subtler Koshas open progressively, each revealing higher dimensions of understanding.
In this way, the Jiva moves between Lokas as its Koshas become increasingly refined. In between these transitions, the Jiva often takes birth on Earth, using the greater friction of earthly life to accelerate its growth and evolution.
Step by step, the Jiva continues to deepen its understanding of the Brahmanda. When complete knowledge dawns and individuality dissolves into Brahman, liberation is attained. In that state, the being abides in Sat-Chitta-Ananda, Ever Existing, Ever Conscious, Ever New Bliss. At this stage, the Anandamaya Kosha fully opens.
When a Jiva reaches this final stage, it becomes a fully liberated being. Such a being who consciously returns to Earth to uplift others is known as an Avatara. Paramhansa Yogananda was a fully liberated soul who had completely merged into Cosmic Consciousness. He returned to Earth as an Avatara to revive and popularize Kriya Yoga throughout the world.
When asked what it feels like to inhabit a human body, Paramahansa Yogananda replied that it feels like wearing a very warm overcoat in summer.
This is the journey, not of the Atma, which is ever perfect, but of the Jiva gradually realizing that perfection.
In Conclusion
Karma may be understood as vibrational density shaped by guna composition. The evolution of a Jiva depends on how it refines its inner vibration toward a more sattvic composition. It is not a matter of being morally “good” or “bad,” but of alignment and refinement.
Consider the making of steel. Its composition and tempering process determine its quality, its strength, and its resistance to corrosion. In the same way, a Jiva’s evolution depends on its guna composition and its capacity to sustain increasingly higher sattvic qualities. As this refinement deepens, the Jiva comes into greater harmony with its true nature.
In the next article, I will explore how a Kriya Yogi evolves in a faster and safer way.
Paramhansa Yogananda said “Kriya Yoga is airplane route to Self-Realization”
We will understand why it is such a powerful direct way to self-realization.
Amrita Ghosh
YogiEvolve
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