Descent and Ascent of the jiva

The 'jivatman' is the embodied soul. Atman is a speck of stellar dust particle that comes as quanta from radiation from stars, distant or near. This has energy that can diversify into numerous states and enter into and operate creating and sustaining various types of living and non-living beings. One such operating system is the physical entity called the 'jivatman'.

  In scientific studies, these energy particles are studied in detail by physicists and they have analyzed the subatomic particles down to the tiniest 'ion' and discovered the ionic charges as positive and negative ones!So far none has ever discovered the energy particle that operates as the life-force, ('prana shakti') in the living beings.Nobody knows how it enters a physical entity in gaseous, liquid, or solid state. Now we have a paraphernalia of elements like hydrogen, oxygen.carbon, and their compounds in permutation and combination, and a variety of living and nonliving beings made out of them.

   However,Vedanta is very clear about all these. The Sankhyans present 26 principles, whereas, the Shaivagama present 36 principles as under:

The first principle (tattva) is Parabrahman or Parameshvara.

All that is found in the physical world are the manifests forms of Shiva or Lakshmi-Narayanatattva.

The next principle is 'purusha, the seed of creation. This is variously described as the 'Father in Heavens' or Supreme Lord and we will simply take it as the 'Hiranya garbha' the 'olden egg', may be the Sun from which emanate all the planets and their satellites, including the earth and its life forms.In fact,Sunis the  mother of all planets and the Earth is the mother of all living beings (jiva rashi) and each one of us have a physical mother and a father as the male and female principle. This is just like a box within a box!.

Before. coming to the living beings as jivatman, we can trace our birth to the 26 or 36 principles as given below:

The Narayana and Lakshmi principle of the Vaishnava and the Shiva and Shive principle of Shaivagama Shastra.

Mahat comes first as pure Consciousness followed by the three gunas- rajas, tamas and sattva; these are followed by the buddhi, prana and manas.Then come the 5 elements (pancha mahabhuta)- Space(akasha), Air (vayu), Fire (agni), Water (jal), and Earth (soil (pruthivi); The anglicised version is different from the samskruta version here.These five elements have their respective tanmatra or subtler aspects such as sparsha, shabdha, rupa, rasa and gandha respectively; there arise the five sense organs -skin, ear, eyes, nose and tongue to experience the elements by man. Thus, all the resources required for creation emanate from Lakshmi or Shive (Parvati- Sarsavati, durga, whatever one may wish to name it!).

   Shiva is endowed with the power of- creation, sustenance, dissolution, grace and ability to appear and disappear in whatever form and wherever he likes!

  In the Vaishnava principle, everything, all powers such as aishvarya, jnyana, shakti, bala, virya, tejas required for creation is exercised by Lakshmi on behalf of Narayana, Her beloved and She is sovereign.  Thus, the living beings (jiva rashi) enjoy or suffer at the mercy of Devi, the divine mother; however, the sufferings are the making of the jivas, and not attributed to the Mother, since She is benevolent, kind and supportive to Her children.The ego, neglect of the mother is the cause of sufferings of the jivas.Mother's grace is always there to all those who seek it!
  The Divine Mother assists the jiva in the ascent back to its pure and pristine state. Devi as Yogamaye (Kundalini) will help it to discard what all is acquired by the jiva and takes it to its pure state of 'Light'.