Hello HH, Greetings to you.
.... Wud be delighted for a reply, but only if time permits at your end. Hope am not being difficult in asking these things.
As a tenured professor it seems time is all I have left a lot of. I love to answer questions, it makes me feel important
Hope I don't turn out to be like the river side Reluctant Guru of R.K. Narayan
If creation does not entail creation of jeevathmas, and are considered beginingless, then would there be a conflict with science
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..so perhaps cud one consider 'jeevatmas' as souls having existed in other physical forms before (like say plants in the cretaceous period), and not necessarily always as human form --- wud such a concept be considered as a conflict with Visihtadvaitam?
First and foremost, proponents of Visishtadvaitam are unconcerned about science - their only concern is fidelity to Shashthras.
According to Vedanta, this universe has gone through countless maha pralayas and shrusti. Therefore, when a scientist talks about cretaceous period the Vedantin will say in this present shurshti.
Badda Jeevas may exist in an embodied form or not. During Mahapralaya (there are some smaller pralayas and none of these pralayas affect Sri vaikuntam in any way) all the badda jeevas are in suspended state.
Shrushti has two stages, samasthi struchti and vyaktha shrushti. Sriman Narayana takes care of the samasthi srushti at the end of which he creates Brahmma, which is like appointing a selected jeeva to be Brahmma. Then he teaches the four vedas to him and commands him go about with vyaktha srushti, namely, creating the worlds and bodies for jeevas, according to their karma.
These bodies can be a plant, a bacteria, a virus, or anything. In fact, anything that has a form and name has a jivathma. Rivers have jeevathma. Your dinner plate has a jeevathma. Yogurt pot has a jeevathmna - remember the story of Dhadhipandan who demanded moksham from Sri Krishna and wouldn't let go of his hands until his wish was granted.
This is why a human form is considered a great gift because you have an opportunity to perform saranagathi and get moksha.
Death for animate bodies is known. Death for inanimate objects with name and form is when they break or otherwise loose their form or function. Then the jeeva is released like the jeeva in a human body is released.
In advaitham too once free of karma, a soul in moksha becomes one with Iswara or like Iswara. Are there any subtle differences in the concept of 'Iswara' of Visihtadvaitam from the 'Iswara' of advaitham ?
There are major differences.
Per advaitam there is only one eternal, Iswara, as opposed to three in Visihtadvaitam, chetana, achetana, and Iswara.
The Ekathvam of Adaitins is quite extreme. Iswara is understood as pure consciousness, devoid of any qualities. There is nothing other than the consciousness. This is referred to as Nirguna Brahmam.
There is a corresponding Saguna Brahmam, like Brahmma, Vishnu, Sivan and other gods. All these are completely false like a dream or reflection. Moksham is through this jnana. Worship of saguna brahmman in all the various forms can help overcome the false reality.
Visishtadvatees claim Iswara is an ocean of auspicious qualities. Ramanuja says Iswara is कल्याण गुण गण महार्ण्वां
Visihtadvaitam says Jiva and Iswara are separate, but inseparable, like body and soul, that cannot be separate as long as you are alive. Likewise, Jiva and Iswara are inseparable, for ever.
In Sri vaikunta Jiva does not become the same as Iswara (note Sri RV sir), but becomes equal to him only in respect of omniscience and bliss.
Hope this clarifies at least a little.
Cheers!