Spreading the Message of Pure Love in the New World /1 - Prof. G Venkataraman

Concerning the Human Spirit / Soul and its relationship to God

Today, people readily accept the concept of the Soul but mistakenly believe that it is different in each of us. That is not true and it is the first thing we must learn from Swami’s teachings. This is an extremely important point and to appreciate it fully, we must please pay careful attention.

Swami often uses the Sanskrit word, Atma, which means the Universal Soul. This change of emphasis is important - when the word Spirit alone is used, then one may ask: Since each of us has a Spirit and since we are all different, does it mean that there are many Spirits? In turn, does this imply that there are different Souls, one for each person? Swami’s reply (effectively) is:

No, remember that what you call the Spirit is the Soul. There is only one Soul in all, and that Soul is nothing but God. In fact, all of you are nothing but God! It is simple really, since THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, WHO IS THE SAME FOR ALL! Atma is another name for God, and that is why I sometimes address you as the “embodiments of the Divine Atma.

This subtlety of meaning is all important - once we grasp this, we can be at one with our fellow man and with Mother Nature.

Uniqueness of the Atma

Frequently asked questions:

1. People are very different in their behaviour. At the same time, they are supposed to have the same Atma/ Soul. How is this possible?

2. If God resides in all, why is it that some people are so evil? How come there was a Hitler, and how come we have so many terrorists these days?

Answer:

Every human being is a composite of three different entities, namely, the gross body, the subtle mind and the eternal Atma.

Human Being = Body + Mind + Atma

Which of these three entities should a human being really identify himself or herself with?

Swami’s answers thus:   WHO AM I?

Am I the Body? I am not the Body; I am different from the Body.

Am I the Mind? No, I am not the Mind; the Mind is different from me.

I am not the Body, I am not the Mind; and then who am I?

I am the Atma!

The Atma which is essentially God present as the Indweller.