In Indian languages we often use the terms like ATMA AND JIV. And many a times we use them as synonyms. But are they same or different. I am not sure if someone has tried to answer this question . In English we have may be 2 different words - SOUL AND LIFE . But then when LIFE goes out of body one is dead and same with when SOUL leaves body we are dead.
The ATMAN or ATMA is the pure consciousness -or it's reflection ABHAS CHAITANYA . It is eternal and is not suppose to be limited by 3 limitations - DESH-KAL- VASTU. -Location- Time -Identity. Contrast to that we have JIV OR JIVATMA . The JIV is same reflected consciousness - the ABHAS CHAITANYA, which falsely identifies with the physical and astral or subtle bodies and also causal body. The example that may explain this would be that of the SUN. If we have a mirror and we see the reflection of the Sun in the mirror, the reflection is not the real Sun , but it has the qualities of the original SUN . It had light and heat -same as the SUN in the sky. But it is reflection or ABHAS. The reflected Sun will be gone if we take away the mirror. But if we remove mirror , nothing happens to original Sun in the sky. The ATMA is like reflected Sun -It has the power of making us talk and think and act and do good or bad actions. If there is no reflection - there is no light or heat - same way if there is no reflected Consciousness there is no mind that can think or act etc. If we have more than 1 mirrors , the Sun will be reflected in every one of the mirrors and they all will have light and heat . The same way reflected consciousness in different bodies will have same effects . The JIV is REFELCETED CONSCIOUSNESS PLUS PHYSICAL AND ASTRAL AND CAUSAL BODIES. The JIV is confused ATMA which thinks it is limited to specific life.
So when one dies the physical body is gone. In the example of mirror -the frame of the mirror is gone . But the glass with i't coating - that made it a mirror is still there and so the reflection is still there . So the JIV is there with the Astral body -may be compared to glass in the mirror and the Causal body -may be compared to coating on the glass that makes a glass in to mirror. This unit is continued from one life to other.
So the ATMA IS REFLECTION OF UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS WHILE JIV IS ATMAN CONFINED TO A UNIT OF PHYSICAL-ASTRAL- CAUSAL BODY DUE TO IGNORANCE OR MAYA .
