In
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
theology,
Paramatman or
Paramātmā is the Absolute
AtmanThe Ātman is a philosophical term used within Hinduism and Vedanta to identify the soul. It is one's true self beyond identification with the phenomenal reality of worldly existence.-Etymology:The word ātman is connected with the Indo-European root *ēt-men and is cognate with Old English "æþm",...
or Supreme Soul or Spirit (also known as
Supersoul or
Oversoul) in the
VedantaVedanta was originally a word used as a synonym for that part of the Veda known also as the Upanishads. The name is a sandhied form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedas"...
and
YogaYoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal toward which that school directs...
philosophies of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
.
Paramatman is one of the aspects of
BrahmanIn the Hindu religion, Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe. The nature of Brahman is described as transpersonal, personal and impersonal by different...
. Paramatman is situated in the heart of every individual
jivaIn Hinduism and Jainism, a jiva is a living being, or more specifically the immortal essence of a living being which survives physical death. It has a very similar usage to 'atma', but whereas atma refers to 'the cosmic self', 'jiva' is used to denote an individual 'living entity' or 'living...
in the
macrocosmMacrocosm and microcosm is an ancient Greek schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of the cosmos, from the largest scale all the way down to the smallest scale .-History:It may have begun with Democritus in the 5th century BCE or with Pythagoras and is a philosophical...
. The
UpanishadThe Upanishads are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings of Vedanta. They do not belong to any particular period of Sanskrit literature: the oldest, such as the Brhadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanishads, date to the late Brahmana period , while the latest were composed in...
s compare Atman and Paramatman to two birds sitting like friends on the branch of a tree (body).
In
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
theology,
Paramatman or
Paramātmā is the Absolute
AtmanThe Ātman is a philosophical term used within Hinduism and Vedanta to identify the soul. It is one's true self beyond identification with the phenomenal reality of worldly existence.-Etymology:The word ātman is connected with the Indo-European root *ēt-men and is cognate with Old English "æþm",...
or Supreme Soul or Spirit (also known as
Supersoul or
Oversoul) in the
VedantaVedanta was originally a word used as a synonym for that part of the Veda known also as the Upanishads. The name is a sandhied form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedas"...
and
YogaYoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal toward which that school directs...
philosophies of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
.
Paramatman is one of the aspects of
BrahmanIn the Hindu religion, Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe. The nature of Brahman is described as transpersonal, personal and impersonal by different...
. Paramatman is situated in the heart of every individual
jivaIn Hinduism and Jainism, a jiva is a living being, or more specifically the immortal essence of a living being which survives physical death. It has a very similar usage to 'atma', but whereas atma refers to 'the cosmic self', 'jiva' is used to denote an individual 'living entity' or 'living...
in the
macrocosmMacrocosm and microcosm is an ancient Greek schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of the cosmos, from the largest scale all the way down to the smallest scale .-History:It may have begun with Democritus in the 5th century BCE or with Pythagoras and is a philosophical...
. The
UpanishadThe Upanishads are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings of Vedanta. They do not belong to any particular period of Sanskrit literature: the oldest, such as the Brhadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanishads, date to the late Brahmana period , while the latest were composed in...
s compare Atman and Paramatman to two birds sitting like friends on the branch of a tree (body). The Atman eats its fruits (
karmaKarma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist philosophies..'Karma' is an Eastern religious concept in contradistinction to...
), and the Paramatman only observes the Atman as a witness (sākṣin) of His friend's actions.
Etymology
The word stem
paramātman (परमात्मन्, , its nominative singular being
paramātmā — परमात्मा, ) is formed from two words,
parama, meaning "supreme" or "highest", and
ātman, which means individual spirit or soul or self.
Description in Upanishads
The relationship between Paramātmā and
AtmanThe Ātman is a philosophical term used within Hinduism and Vedanta to identify the soul. It is one's true self beyond identification with the phenomenal reality of worldly existence.-Etymology:The word ātman is connected with the Indo-European root *ēt-men and is cognate with Old English "æþm",...
is likened to the indwelling God and the soul within one's heart like two birds on a tree.
Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the individual self and the immortal Self are perched on the branches of the selfsame tree. The former tastes of the sweet and bitter fruits of the tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes. (Mundaka UpanishadThe Upanishad is one of the older, "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. It is associated with the Atharvaveda. It figures as number 5 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads....
3.1.1)
They are two birds, close companions, clasping the same tree. Of the two, one eats sweet fruit; the other looks on without eating. On this same tree a person, sunk and grieving in slavery, is deluded, but upon observing the Lord happy and great, becomes free of sorrow. (Shvetashvatara UpanishadThe Shvetashvatara Upanishad is one of the older, "primary" Upanishads. It is associated with the Black Yajurveda. It figures as number 14 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads...
4.7)
The Supreme BeingThe term Supreme Being is often defined simply as "God", and it is used with this meaning by theologians of many religious faiths, including, but not limited to, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Deism. However, the term can also refer to more complex or philosophical interpretations of the divine...
that dwells in our heart is dearer to us than even our children, wealth and everything else. (Brihadaranyaka UpanishadThe Upanishad is one of the older, "primary" Upanishads. It is contained within the Shatapatha Brahmana, and its status as an independent Upanishad may be considered a secondary extraction of a portion of the Brahmana text. This makes it one of the old texts of the Upanishad corpus, dating to...
1.4.8)
Madhuvidyā of Brihad-Âranyaka further declares -
Paramātmā Sri Bhagavān is the sweetness in everything.
Advaita
In Advaita philosophy, individual souls are called Jīvātman, and the Highest Brahman is called Paramātman. The Jivatman and the Paramatman are known to be one and the same when the Jivatman attains the true knowledge of the Brahman (Skt.
Brahmajñāna) . In the context of Advaita, the word Paramatman is invariably used to refer to
Nirguna BrahmanNirguna Brahman, signifies in Hindu philosophy the Brahman that pervades the Universe, considered without form , as in the Advaita school or else as without material form, as in Dvaita schools of philosophy.-Advaita:According to Shankaracharya, the original teacher of advaita vedanta, the...
, with
IshvaraIshvara is a philosophical concept in Hinduism, meaning controller or the Supreme controller in a monotheistic sense or as an Ishta-deva of monistic thought....
and
BhagavanBhagavan, also written Bhagwan or Bhagawan, from the Sanskrit nt-stem literally means "possessing fortune, blessed, prosperous" , and hence "illustrious, divine, venerable, holy", etc.In some traditions of Hinduism it is used to indicate the Supreme Being or...
being terms used to refer to Brahman with qualities, or
Saguna BrahmanSaguna Brahman came from the Sanskrit "with qualities" and Brahman "The Absolute".-Advaita:...
.
Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan.
The word invariably conjures the concept of an infinite, non-corporeal God in a monotheistic sense, even though
BhagavanBhagavan, also written Bhagwan or Bhagawan, from the Sanskrit nt-stem literally means "possessing fortune, blessed, prosperous" , and hence "illustrious, divine, venerable, holy", etc.In some traditions of Hinduism it is used to indicate the Supreme Being or...
or
IshvaraIshvara is a philosophical concept in Hinduism, meaning controller or the Supreme controller in a monotheistic sense or as an Ishta-deva of monistic thought....
may be applied as epithets to many divine forms of God worshiped by Hindus.
Vaishnavism
Paramatman is beyond knowledge and ignorance, devoid of all material attributes (
upadhiUpadhi is a term in Hindu philosophy. An upadhi is external; in Hindu logic, it is an extra limitation or qualification on something. It can also be viewed as a disguise or vehicle for true reality, both defining something and limiting it. For example, the body of a man or animal is the upadhi...
). In Chapter 13 of the
Bhagavad GitaThe Bhagavad Gita is one of the most important Hindu scriptures. It is revered as a sacred scripture of Hinduism, and considered as one of the most important philosophical classics of the world. The Bhagavad Gita comprises 700 verses, and is a part of the Mahabharata...
, Paramatman is described as
VishnuVishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God...
residing in the hearts of all beings and in every atom of matter. He is the overseer and the permitter of their actions.
Paramatman is different from five elements (pancha mahabhutas), the
senseSenses are the physiological methods of perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology , and philosophy of perception...
s,
mindMind is the aspect of intellect and consciousness experienced as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination, including all unconscious cognitive processes. The term is often used to refer, by implication, to the thought processes of reason. Mind manifests itself...
, pradhana and
jivaIn Hinduism and Jainism, a jiva is a living being, or more specifically the immortal essence of a living being which survives physical death. It has a very similar usage to 'atma', but whereas atma refers to 'the cosmic self', 'jiva' is used to denote an individual 'living entity' or 'living...
.
aishnavism#The_Four_Vaishnava_sampradayas|Vaat attaining knowledge or Brahman and identification of Atman with Brahman as an intermediate stage of self-realization, and only
Bhakti Yoga can lead to the next step of Paramatman realization as the indwelling God, ultimately leading up to liberation (
MuktiMukti is a 1977 Bollywood drama film directed by Raj Tilak.-Cast:*Shashi Kapoor ... Kailash Sharma*Sanjeev Kumar ... Ratan*Vidya Sinha ... Seema*Deven Verma ... Tony*Master Bittoo ... Young Pinky *Bindiya Goswami ... Pinky...
) by God-realization.
Other Connotations
Some, like the sect of Brahma Kumaris, like to visualize Paramatman as a point of light . Paramatman is also referred to as "
the divine self" in modern literature. Compare with the Inuit deity Silla and
Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, philosopher, and poet, best remembered for leading the Transcendentalist movement of the early 19th century. His teachings directly influenced the growing New Thought movement of the mid 1800s...
's idea of the "
Over-soul-History:The essay includes the following passage:For Emerson the term denotes a supreme underlying unity which transcends duality or plurality, much in keeping with the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta...
".
External links
Category:Forms of Vishnu
Category:Sanskrit words and phrases
es:Paramātman
kn:ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ
pl:Paramatma
ru:Параматма