Jiva

MIND, MATTER AND GOD : JIVA, JADA AND ISVARA
M.M.NINAN
of Christianity. One of the shrines within the Temple complex even have a large cross
which is made also with wood and worshipped.
This again supports my thesis "The emergence of Hinduism from Christianity". Without
the Christian and Kabbalistic background it is impossible to explain the iconographic
models within the Jagnnath concept of Puri.
This figure of Jagnath, which is celebrated as the Lord of the Universe, is really an
epitome of the theology, which is essentially the theology of Eastern Churches and that
of the Hebrew Kabala. It developed in India soon after the advent of Thomas. The
description of the figure can be summarized as follows:
In the beginning, God alone existed. We cannot attribute any quality to God, because
qualities are relative. Without the existence of another, we cannot define qualities. This
God – the beginning - is referred to as Nirguna Brahman (God without Qualities). This
is represented as the darkness. God who resides in darkness symbolized the God who
cannot be known. “Jehovah hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness” (1 King
8:12) “Jehovah spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of
the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice” (Deu. 5:22)
Then the fact remains that we have a creation and movement. Therefore, this Nirguna
Brahman put on a variation within himself. It is as though he differentiated himself to
parts thus creating a God with Properties and Qualities. This God is known as Saguna
Brahman (God with Properties). God is a person not a force. This is because creation
needs a purposeful act. The two open eyes represent this waking up process. This
God has expressed himself and hence can be known through creation and in intimacy.
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