In Jainism, ekendriya jiva are:

• One‑sensed living beings
• They have only one sense: touch (sparsh-indriya)
• They are also called sthāvar jiva (immobile beings)

Types of ekendriya jiva

Jain texts describe five main kinds:

1. Prithvikaya – earth‑bodied beings

- Living beings in natural forms of earth - e.g. soil, clay, rocks, metals, minerals (when they have life)

1. Apkaya – water‑bodied beings

- Living beings in natural forms of water - e.g. dew, rain, drops, natural water etc.

1. Tejaskaya – fire‑bodied beings

- Living beings in fire/heat - e.g. flames, sparks etc.

1. Vayukaya – air‑bodied beings

- Living beings in air - e.g. in wind, breeze, gases etc.

1. Vanaspati‑kaya – plant‑bodied beings

- All plants, trees, grass, seeds, leaves, fruits etc. - They also have only touch sense.

Why are they important in Jain Dharma?

• All these are real living souls (jiv) in very simple form.
• Hurting them is also himsa (violence).
• So, Jains are taught to be careful even with:

- Earth (digging, crushing stones, etc.) - Water (wasting, polluting) - Fire (careless burning) - Air (smoke, pollution) - Plants (unnecessary cutting, wasting food)

In short: Any living being that has only the sense of touch – mainly earth, water, fire, air and plants – is called ekendriya jiva in Jainism.

You can read more about types of jiv and ekendriya beings here