jīvah
The person identified with the physical body; the individual.
In Vedanta
The individual — ātmā as though limited by the upādhi of avidyā and the subtle body. The jīva is not a separate entity from Brahman but Brahman appearing as limited due to identification with the body-mind. The relationship between jīva and Īśvara is resolved in the mahāvākya: just as the space in a pot (ghaṭākāśa) is not different from total space (mahākāśa), the jīva is not different from Brahman.