Jīvātma

Jīvātma is a Sanskrit term for the immortal essence of a living organism (human, animal, fish or plant etc.) which survives physical death. It has a similar usage to Atman, but whereas ātman refers to "the cosmic self", jīva is used to denote an individual 'living entity' or 'living being' specifically. The terms Paramātma and jīvātma are used to avoid confusion.

In Theosophical literature

T. Subba Row, an early Theosophist and occultist belonging to the Advaita Vedanta philosophy says:

The term Jîvâtma is generally applied by our philosophers to the seventh principle when it is distinguished from Paramâtma or Parabrahman.

However, in the Mahatma Letters jīvātma is sometimes used as a synonym of prāṇa. H. P. Blavatsky, in a note published in the August 1883 issue of The Theosophist (Vol. IV, No. 11, p. 282) explains the reason for this use:

Jiva or Prana (Life principle). The word “Jivatma,” used only by the Buddhists, who make no difference between manifested and unmanifested Life outside of Esotericism, was through oversight erroneously used in Fragment No. I, and since then rectified. Jivatma is the 7th principle with the Vedantees and the Theosophists have agreed to use it but in the latter sense.