The barrier between God and us is malam (Cosmic Impurity). The tarnish that has settled upon the soul is malam. Because it is tarnished, the soul — which ought to function by accepting the governance of the Divine — becomes unable to manifest its own true, natural state. Only the soul's true nature can connect it with the Divine.

The tarnish that has settled upon the soul separates it from God. It is malam that obstructs the manifestation of the soul's true nature. Alternatively, it can be described as compressed particles of darkness, dirt, or tarnish. It is solely to break through these barriers and cleanse itself of this malam, that the soul takes birth in various forms as jeevan (living being). In its tarnished state, the Soul is called a Jeevan.