Answer

In Jain Dharma, life did not “originate” at one single point in time. Jainism teaches that the universe is anādi — beginningless — and so are jīvas — souls/living beings.

So, according to Jain philosophy:

• Life was never created by anyone.
• Souls have always existed.
• The universe has no first beginning and no final end.
• Living beings take different births because of karma.

Explanation

Jainism says there are two broad realities:

• Jīva — living soul/consciousness
• Ajīva — non-living substances like matter, space, time, motion, and rest

A soul is eternal. It is not born for the first time and it never gets destroyed. But due to karma, the soul keeps taking birth in different forms such as:

• humans
• animals
• plants
• heavenly beings
• hellish beings
• one-sensed living beings like earth-bodied, water-bodied, fire-bodied, air-bodied beings

Birth and death belong to the body, not to the soul. The soul only changes its body according to its karmas.

Spiritual Understanding

Jain Dharma does not focus on finding a first moment of life. Instead, it teaches us to understand:

• Why the soul is trapped in birth and death
• How karma binds the soul
• How right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct lead to liberation

The purpose of life is not merely to know where life began, but to free the soul from karma and attain moksha.

Takeaway

According to Jain Dharma, life is beginningless. Souls have always existed, and through karma they move through different births until they attain liberation.