Here is a simple, authentic Jain view on jeev (living beings) and compassion.

Types of jiv (based on senses)

• Ekendriya jiv (one-sensed): beings that have only the sense of touch.

- Subtypes include earth-bodied (prithvikaya), water-bodied (apkaya), fire-bodied (tejakaya), air-bodied (vayukaya), and plant-bodied (vanaspati-kaya).

• Dwendriya jiv (two-sensed): beings with touch and taste.
• Treindriya jiv (three-sensed): beings with touch, taste, and smell.
• Chaturindriya jiv (four-sensed): beings with touch, taste, smell, and sight.
• Panchendriya jiv (five-sensed): beings with touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. This includes humans, many animals, heavenly beings, hellish beings, etc.

These classifications are widely used in Jain teachings to describe the range of living souls (jiv) from simplest to most complex. You can read more about the sense-based classification and its sub-types in Jain sources that discuss the jiva-kanda and kendriya jeev.

Compassion in Jainism (ahimsa and related virtues)

• Ahimsa (non-violence) is the highest ethical principle for every jiva. It means sparing harm to all living beings, big or small, seen or unseen.
• Karuna (compassion) is the natural impulse to relieve the suffering of others.
• Maitri (friendliness or loving-kindness) is a kind, non-harmful attitude toward all beings.
• Mudita (sympathetic joy) and Upekkha (equanimity) are other attitudes that support compassionate living.
• In practice, Jains cultivate compassion through vows, prayers, and acts like careful food choices, mindful travel to avoid harm to small jiv, and regular remorse and self-purification (pratikraman).

If you want to dive deeper into how jivas are categorized and how compassion is taught in Jain texts, you can explore these JainKnowledge pages:

• Jiva and its senses (classification and types):
• Kendriya (sense-based) jiv list and categories:
• Nav tattva overview including jiva and its sub-types:

Note on traditions

• The basic framework—jiva with 1 to 5 senses, and the immobile (sthavara) vs mobile (trasa) jiva distinction—appears across Jain traditions (Digambara and Śvetāmbara) with the same core ideas, though texts and wording may differ slightly between traditions. The essential compassionate aim remains the same: reduce violence and purify the soul.