Jivatma, Atma, Paramatma
Soul, Self, God
We distinguish:
JIVATMA – individual being, living entity, individual soul;
ATMA – the divine spark in the individual soul;
PARAMATMA – The Supreme Self, God.
Jivatma is individual, while Atma and Paramatma are universal.
PARAMÁTMÁ is the Supreme Principle, whatever we call it: God, Supreme Self, Divine Self, Love, Truth, Reality.
ATMA is a ray of God that exists as God's light in every being. It is a part of the paramatma and therefore of the same essence with it. Atma harbors within itself all the qualities of the paramatma, just as a seed concentrates within itself all the qualities of a tree.
JIVATMA the individual soul, is the reflection of the Atma in a particular being, it is a "wave" that has spilled out of the ocean of being. The jjitma travels from one incarnation to another and after a long evolution and many experiences in the cycle of rebirth it returns again to the completeness of the atma. The individual soul, manifested in the form of a concrete individual, forgets its identity with the Divine Essence and mistakenly identifies itself with the attributes of its body, with feelings, thoughts, etc. Yoga reveals this error and clarifies the true reality.
But for what reason did the individual separate from God? It was caused by the principle of ego - ahankara. Ego here means the will to live, the desire for self-expression, the effort to manifest in the sense of "I want to exist". Ahankara is the seed that hides the multiplicity of beings and beings. However, multifacetedness and diversity refer only to external manifestation, consciousness and intellect are expressed in them. The essence beneath the surface is the same, it is one - atma.
Just as the water in the clouds is only apparently different from the water in the ocean, the individual is only apparently different from God. The essence has not split, it has not doubled, only the external form and properties differ. The individual follows the path determined by the cosmic law, as the life journeys of all living creatures are subject to this. The meaning and goal of life is the development of consciousness, the ultimate and supreme expression of which is the union of the jjitma with the Divine Self. The influence of individual consciousness into cosmic consciousness is called enlightenment.
Enlightenment is a state in which even the tiniest corner of consciousness is not obscured.
Atma cannot be explained or described. At most, we can compare them to light and space. The space cannot be cut up, burned or destroyed in any other way. Space remains space, even if we divide it with walls and fences. Different sections and precincts will then be formed in it, possibly distinguished by individual equipment and decoration, but as soon as the fences are removed, a real, indivisible, indestructible space will appear again.
The individual, composed of body, mind, intellect, qualities and experiences, can be compared to those fenced sections in space. The body dies, the section disintegrates, but the atma remains unchanged. Our real Self is unborn, unchanging and immortal. Atma is the "king" and the cosmic forces are gathered around him like courtiers. When the atma-king leaves the body-palace, his courtiers also disperse.
Indian philosophical systems, especially yoga philosophy, explore the problem of human identity. They ask, "Who am I" and seek an answer to this fundamental question.
Examine yourself: Are you a body? are you a ghost Are you a thought, qualities, feelings? Or are you something else? The further you continue your questions, the closer you get to the finer and finer aspects and elements. You will finally come to the realization that you cannot identify with either the tattvas or the three basic gunas, and you will find that you are:
SAT - true
CHIT – consciousness
ANANDA – joy, bliss
Sat-chit-ananda is that essence of the Divine Self that resides within us, it is the essence of the eternal, limitless and unchanging Atma.
Atma is the only and true reality. Everything else is false. Atma is the TRIKALADARSHI – the one who sees and knows the “three times”: past, present and future. He is CHAITANYA – the conscious witness of all happenings.
