Soul definition spirituality atman inner self

Query: Why are we born... from where we come and after death where we go? Difference between Atman soul and Mann? If Atman soul is amar (immortal), why the need to take a destroyable body? Is Atman soul all powerful. Is anything more powerful than atman soul?

Vijay Kumar:
At that time of the Big Bang... the total Cosmos is but the size us of half a thumb ... everything we call and know as Brahmaand (the mighty Cosmos)! Something unbelievable from the point of view of a common man ... yet, it is a true fact of life explained in detail in the Bhagavad Gita also.

This size of the cosmos ... a cluster of pure energy ... the combined forces of all purified Atmans souls in the Brahmaand (Cosmos) ... is what we call God Almighty. The total sum of all purified Atmans souls at a given period of time remains constant and this we designate as the power of God Almighty.

Every atman soul is but a miniscule form of the bigger atman soul, the Parmatman ... God, the mighty Creator himself. Atman soul is but a part of the puzzle ... God Almighty being the whole puzzle. No clustering of thoughts ... everything is absolutely clear!

After the Big Bang has occurred ... all atmans souls get scattered all over the Cosmos ... their prime purpose being to get a body so that they can cleanse themselves of all the impurities. For this it has to pass through a chain of 8.4 million manifestations ... a total life span of about 96.4 million years. Every atman soul starts on its cosmic journey as an amoeba and subsequently as a mosquito, futther evoluting into a tree ... then an animal and finally into a human being.

That is all there is to life ... the small span of 70 years in the life of a human being is nothing compared to the total travel of 96.4 million years ... every atman the soul within has to travel in a cosmic life span.

When the body decays and the atman soul looks forward to a new body ... there are three stages it has to undergo ... the first stage being that atman the soul within immediately gets a new body ... if the manifestation occurs immediately then there is no Swarga Heaven or Naraka hell.... atman the soul within has to pass through. These stages are bypassed by atman the soul within.

The second and the third stage is when there are no suitable parents available for the atman soul to manifest (for any Atman soul to manifest ... it needs matching chromosomes of the parents). If for any reason parents with the matching chromosomes are not available then atman the soul within has to wait ... and the waiting is not in vain ... one either gets to live in Swarga Heaven or Naraka hell. Whether we get Heaven (Swarga) or hell (Naraka) is simply dependent upon theory of karma. As we sow shall we get!

If we have done pious deeds and have earned Punya Karma in result then we are likely to get Swarga Heaven as an interim a stage. If our deeds weigh us down and are full of sins then we are dumped into the Naraka hell ... the making is all ours ... God does not interfere at any stage ... why blame him all the time. It is the theory of mass Karma that USA suffered 9/11 episode. The doing of all the citizens of the USA resulted in their getting what was due to them since a long time. In present times of democracy one cannot forcibly rule the other ... might is not the order of the day. We suffer for our own doings ... none other can be blamed for our sufferings be they on an individual basis or a mass scale. God has made the system like that.

Every atman the soul within ... is always detached from the doings of the body ... yet, the sweet small inner voice which prompts us on the right path every now and then is the promptings of atman soul to the body to follow the right path all the time ... we need to practice patience to hear the sweet small inner voice. It is a lovely experience, which can be expressed only by those who experience it. People with higher Spiritual frame of mind are able to hear the voice more clearly than those at the lower level.

human beings who almost behave like animals are those ignorant beings who permanently suppress hearing the sweet small inner voice ... for them human values have no meaning. For them their atman the soul within is a dead thing. This results in their carrying out heinous crimes all the time ... never heeding to the advice of the Spiritual masters ... not that they do not want to but they have become so thick skinned that the sweet small inner voice stops prompting them permanently ... this is to say that the voice always prompts us but our ignorance prevents us from hearing it.

atman the soul within gets liberated from cycle of Birth and Death only after 8.4 million manifestations ... that is cosmic journey of 96.4 million years. The sacred Bhagavad Gita and various Upanishads corroborate this fact. This is what Bhagavad Gita is all about. Only after that can we say that one has become enlightened ... immortal (amar) forever. It is not that atman the soul within is liberated from day one ... but the sooner it liberates ... attains Moksha ... the journey gets completed.

Similarly as the iron within the iron ore cannot liberate itself without the help of the mining machinery ... similarly every Atman (has to pass through) a chain of manifestations for it to get purified. If we are two separate one KG of pure iron from a lump of hundred KG of iron ore then we need to remove 99 KG of impurities through the process of mining. Only after the impurities are removed can we term one KG of pure iron as a liberated Atman (a liberated soul) ... in other words ... the atman soul has become free of all liabilities and can be termed as having achieved the status of becoming immortal (amar).

All purified Atmans souls ... man gods like Lord Mahavira, Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed and even the likes of Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana all fall in the category of immortal souls ... those who in their lifetimes achieved Liberation forever from cycle of Birth and Death leading to their immortality (amaratva).

There is no shortcut path to immortality. In the form of a human being one cannot become immortal. Immortality means soul the atman within has liberated itself from the cycle of birth and that forever. While living these man gods were not immortal but the sooner they left their body they became immortal souls never to return back to cycle of Birth and Death.

There is no power in the Cosmos more powerful than God Almighty ... and as every atman soul is but a miniscule form of the bigger atman soul, the Parmatman ... all properties of Parmatman by default exist in every atman the soul within ... and does this mean the atman soul is all powerful in the Cosmos ... yes, there is nothing more powerful than the atman soul in the Cosmos only next to God.

atman the soul within is our true inner nature ... it always prompts us on the right path. No one can deny this absolute truth.

Mann (mind) of a human being has no relation whatsoever with atman the soul within ... take one thing for granted that no individual body has an independent mind ... bodies can only have an independent brain ... a receiving and transmitting station for all thoughts. Nothing less or more. When music is relayed from a broadcasting station then two or more persons can simultaneously switch on their transistors or radios and listen to the music.

Similarly, in the cosmic system ... all Jnana wisdom contained in the Cosmos can be invoked by anyone by practicing concentration of our thinking pattern. The thinking prowess every human being possesses has no limits ... we all invoke the thoughts being transmitted from the broadcasting station of the cosmos.... the Mind Plus or the Mind Minus ... if we invoke positive thoughts ... we invoke them from the reservoir of Mind Plus. All negative thoughts emanate from the reservoir of Mind Minus. Our brain only acts as the receiving or the transmitting station ... nothing more or less.

Facts are absolutely clear ... we have only to assimilate them in totality. Mind (whether plus or minus) is the total source of all Jnana wisdom contained in the Cosmos. It is only through practicing Neti and Shruti Jnana can we reach the source of all wisdom Jnana ... once we reach the source we don't need any textbooks to refer. I have never gone through the Bhagavad Gita in my life yet, having Realized God in 1993 ... whatever is contained in Bhagavad Gita is clear to me like ABCD ... it is as if I have written Bhagavad Gita in one of my earlier manifestations. I know it all ... I have reached the source of all wisdom ... there is nothing more for me to know in whole Cosmos (Brahmaand).

Having reached Mount Everest of my spiritual life I have nowhere else to go ... God forbid me to conduct any business after my Realization. I have but to impart whatever I have learnt by the grace of God before I leave this mortal frame. This is the only goal of my last manifestation. I can only attain Moksha Salvation in this life as I have reached the cosmic goal of my life ... the end of 8.4 millionth manifestation. Not necessarily I may have passed through the complete life cycle of 96.4 million years ... I might have cut short my journey in the present life.

This is possible and is explained thus- If I need to go to Bombay ... I can start my journey on foot and subsequently board a bus and finally a flight. Similarly we can cut short the Spiritual journey by having Satsanga and discourses with like-minded people of all Religions and Faiths. Being a Jain does not mean all other Religions and Faiths have no meaning for me. The source of all is the same ... the destination of all is the same. We may take any path but we shall all reach the same goal. God Almighty is only one for all Religions and Faiths. Man gods can be many yet God Almighty is only one.

The moment I Realized God I had to change my name from Vijay Kumar Jain to Vijay Kumar ... all Religions had become one for me ... it was just not possible for me to distinguish between various Religions and Faiths ... I had to lose my surname for I had become free forever. I cannot express in words the happiness (true Ananda) I experienced after Realization. Something that can ever be defined in words.

I had the strongest urge to meet God face-to-face within this life when I was 13 years of age ... it took me full 25 years to achieve the same ... no guilt as now I have the direct blessings of God all the time ... my life was destined like that. To talk to God all the time every moment of my life is something I truly cannot express in words ... one needs to experience the power of Self Realization to understand the inner meaning of what God and atman the soul within is all about.

Always there to clarify your queries (send your query),

Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 on Dharma. For more on dharma visit - dharma

Vijay Kumar explains concept of Atman in brief Audio (Eng) (3.1 MB) Audio Hindi (3 MB)
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Full text of query: as we all know energy is neither created nor destroyed. and it is assumed in our Religion that Atman soul is form of extense energy. then when we born, from where it come and after death where will it go? what should be the origin of Atman? and can we differentiate Atman soul and mann? or they are same? and if Atman soul is amar, what is the need to him to take help one destroyable body? Is Atman soul is superboss or anything is there more powerful than him? . R. K. back to soul definition spirituality hindu atman

Query: I am a truth seeker. Can I marry and simultaneously maintain state of Celibacy. I would like to dedicate my life to God and to serve the others.

Vijay Kumar:
There are so many things you desire to do at once ... before you take any decision ... you need to establish the goal of your life ... unless you establish what you really desire to do for the whole of your life ... decision-making may not be possible. Rather life would become dull without a firm objective.

The presence of an objective in life is a must ... we need to finalize the goal of life ... whether or not we have the capability to do so ... it is essential lest we may suffer at the hands of destiny later on in life.

Although practicing Celibacy is an essential ingredient in the path of spirituality ... but God permits sexual pleasures a maximum of two times in a month and that too during the prescribed days. Practicing Celibacy is essential because in a total life span of 96.4 million years of atman the soul within ... we have only this life to live ... we do not know what we shall be in the next life. Whatever goal we fix for ourselves ... if we truly desire to accomplish it within this life then we need to put all our energies behind one concentrated goal.

In the Spiritual domain ... sex and Celibacy play a vital role. We need to control our sensual desires ... only then can we preserve our virility. This cosmic power is necessary to awaken the kundalini in totality. It requires a continuous tapasya (Prayers in isolation) of 14 years in continuation (abstinence from sex) before we can catch the lift of our spiritual life. The normal route destined for all is via the staircase ... a total journey of 8.4 million manifestations.

If we desire to go higher up on the path of spirituality ... we can catch a lift ... God gives us a dose of virility every month ... 14 years are required before we are admitted for the queue to the lift ... The shortest path one can take before one realizes god ... attain the status of a man God ... become a Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus Christ or prophet Mohammed.

What we actually do if we indulge in sexual pleasures. We take the lift from the ground floor to the first floor ... and when we indulge in sensual pleasures ... we are again dropped back to the ground floor ... again the next month we take the lift ... owing to the energy dose given to us by God every month. Again we indulge in sensual pleasures ... this sequence continues forever. We remain wherever we are bound by our destiny.

If we are to take control of our destiny ... we need to stop the dropping down ... we need to go higher and higher ... this is possible only after total abstinence from sensual pleasures. 14 years is a long period for this to achieve ... yet there is no alternative ... Buddha practiced it, Mahavira also practiced it and so did Jesus Christ and prophet Mohammed. We cannot reduce the time span by even a single day.

S., if you feel that your commitments to the lady cannot be undone ... marry her and settle down in life ... do not excessively indulge in sexual pleasures ... sexuality is an essential ingredient only when progeny is required. You can have your children ... God willing and then reduce the frequency of sensual pleasures. This always can be controlled ... and subsequently after you find that your wife is taking proper care of the children ... you can continue on the absolute path of spirituality with a renewed vigor. In a lifetime of 70 to 80 years one can always find time to concentrate energies for a continued period of 14 years.

There are many examples in the society wherein people Realized God even after marriage ... Gautama Buddha being the first in the list ... in the recent past Ramakrishna Paramhansa was a married person and yet he Realized God. The consort of Ramakrishna Paramhansa Maa Sharda was never an obstruction in the path of Ramakrishna Paramhansa ... rather she saw to it she never ever was a hindrance for Ramakrishna Paramhansa in achieving his goal.

Four pursuing the path of spirituality the only essential requirement of a householder is that we need to burn out our Karma before the fruits of our Prayers be granted to us. The burning out of the Karma is possible by taking control of our senses initially ... there after we need to establish absolute control over the power of mind and reach the Nirvikalpa Samadhi stage. Once we reach this stage there is no looking back ... Self Realization is not far off ... the possibility of our realizing God within this life is ripe.

Practicing Spirituality is something very different from pursuing Spirituality. Swami Vivekananda practiced Spirituality while Ramakrishna Paramhansa pursued ultimate Spirituality as the goal of his life. Ramakrishna Paramhansa wanted to have a darshan of God within this life. He wanted it to be permanent feature. Comparatively, Swami Vivekananda also wanted to have a darshan of God but not forever ... he wanted to serve the society ... he wanted to be a mother Teresa. But, apart from being a mother Teresa ... he was a Spiritualist of the highest order ... something which mother Teresa was lacking.

Practicing pure Spirituality means that we desire the ultimate cosmic goal of life ... Self Realization! Self Realization is the stage when all dross having removed, our atman the soul within comes back to its original pristine pure form ... it liberates forever from cycle of Birth and Death. We reach the 8.4 millionth manifestation ... we can but achieve Moksha Salvation in this life. Having Realized God ... one can thus benefit the mankind by disseminating those pearls of wisdom which only one who has had a face-to-face dialogue with God Almighty impart.

We cannot expect one to preach before one has learnt the absolute truth ... the truth hidden in all the sacred Scriptures of all the Religions of the world. Truth is the same in all Religions ... but all have a different path to go. As many Human Beings ... as many chain of thoughts exist! Swami Vivekananda preached Spirituality even though he did not realize god within his lifetime ... but he was an Acharya of the highest order the world has ever seen in the recent times.

He practiced the practical path of spirituality ... he wanted to serve all sons and daughters of God and not the God alone. Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana ... both Realized God in their lifetime ... their teachings have no parallel in the history of mankind. The path of Self Realization is difficult yet not unachievable. If we fix the goal of life in the initial stages ... it may not be very difficult to achieve the same.

I have come across many people who emphasized on the fact that one is supposed to pursue Spirituality only after having entered the vanaprastha Ashram ... A stage... when one reaches the ripe age of 50 years. A stage... when one looks forward to serving his grandchildren ... Time passes by and one reaches the end part of his life. What of the vows one had taken when young ... what of practicing Spirituality after having crossed 50 years of age ... we remain a mere spectator in the field of Spirituality ... having gained nothing in this life we leave the mortal frame.

Never leave things to chance ... for the time may never come. What we can accomplish today ... it is not necessary that we shall be able to achieve the same results when we have grown in age. In the limited lifetime of 70 to 80 years ... one should strive for getting the most out of life. 95% people world-wide whether pursuing materialistic goals or the Spiritual path do not care to fix a goal in their life. It is not that they are at folly ... some people do not have the capacity to take decisions. Such people are required to take the guidance of a Guru and involve self in Satsanga with like-minded people.

Satsanga definitely helps us in making our resolves firmer. Once the goal has been established ... it is always not necessary to find the company of the Guru ... we might become dependent upon him ... introspection is an art which must be practiced by one and all. On the path of spirituality Neti is the best method for introspection in matters all Spiritual. In Neti, we try to find God by negating things we consider not as God ... not this, not this is the process how we proceed in Neti. Ramana Maharishi followed this path of inquiry to attain Self Realization. It is a very affirmative and result producing method In present times.

Swami Vivekananda is one example in the history of mankind who did not marry because he wanted to serve the society ... he was quite successful in that. Sage Jnanavalakya was a married hermit ... he gained Self Realization while living in the family. He had not one but two wives ... one was purely interested in materialistic wants and the other desired to serve the master ... when the right time arrived ... she compelled Sage Jnanavalakya to impart to her those pearls of wisdom based on which she could also Realize God. She finally succeeded in her attempts. Her name was Maitreyi. In the history of mankind only two ladies have Realized God ... one was Gargi and the other Maitreyi in whose names we have the Gargi and the Maitreyi colleges in the capital city of India, New Delhi.

S., always remember that you can take guidance from one and all on the path of spirituality ... but, the decision in all matters are to be taken by you alone. You can consult your elders ... you can also discuss openly with the lady concerned ... come to a conclusion which you feel is also prompted by the sweet small voice which comes from within, the voice of our atman the soul within. This voice never guides us on the wrong path!

May God bless you in your endeavors!

Always there to clarify your queries (send your query),

Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 on Dharma. For more on dharma visit - dharma

Full text of query: This is S. B...who is one of the truth seekers...out of my ignorance,i promissed one girl to marry her at any cost...but now due to my inner call i want to maintain perfect chastity through out my life...i would like to dedicate my life to God and to serve the others...now i am in great confusion regarding marry her...i dont want enjoy body pleasures .so what can be done by me.?please reply to my query...due to which i am struggling alot..please Sir..kindly help me...my life is going to depend on ur answer... back to soul seeker truth seeker

Query: Atman soul, soul, inner self... Are these only applicable to human beings?

Vijay Kumar:
Your query pertains to, "Regarding Atman soul, soul, inner self... Are these words only applicable to human beings?

Atman soul, soul... the inner self of a being and particularly in respect of a human being is the real absolute essence of life. It is atman the soul within... the true real inner self of us present within every human being that has for its purification taken a body.

Without a body... no atman the soul within... the true inner self of us can purify itself on its own. Similar as the metal within the metal ore cannot purify itself on its own. It needs a body... the requisite machinery for it to be separated from the impurities contained within the metal ore. Likewise, the atman soul present within every human body requires a body to work out its karma.

Karma is the process by which atman the soul within is able to remove the dross from within itself. Right from the first manifestation as an amoeba to the last manifestation as a human being... the effort of our atman the soul within is to regain its pristine glorious form... the absolute purified state of atman the soul within!

This absolute purified state of atman the soul within is stage of enlightenment beyond which the reason for manifesting a life (a body) again and again ceases to exist! As any human being reaches stage of enlightenment... it liberates itself for ever from cycle of Birth and Death. The cosmic life thus has come full circle!

As in Hinduism... the life cycle of manifestations in the life of an atman soul is a mind-boggling 8.4 million manifestations. Every Jiva (living being)... nay every human being passes these stages and bound by theory of karma... reaches stage of enlightenment in the end. There is no escape for any Atman soul from the cycle of manifestations.

The whole process... though seems to be complex is absolutely defined. From the beginning to the end... the path is well-defined in the foremost of all the sacred Scriptures existing our Mother Earth namely Bhagavad Gita. The doctrine of Bhagavad Gita put forward by Lord Krishna in the battle of Mahabharata between the Kauravas and the Pandavas is an exemplary document for those proceeding on the path of pure spirituality.

Every truthful seeker of spirituality must adhere to whatever has been a stated in Bhagavad Gita. Without following the dictates per se it is not only difficult but rather impossible for one to gain enlightenment within this life.

How meditation is required to be performed... the importance of practicing celibacy on the path of spirituality... having a firm spiritual goal to be achieved in this lifetime... the reasons for taking absolute control of senses and the mind... reaching the stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi... following the path of Neti as practiced and advocated by Maharishi Ramana are some of the pearls of wisdom included in the Bhagavad Gita.

Proceeding on the path of spirituality following any religion, cast or creed is immaterial... the end goal of all being reaching stage of enlightenment (self realization) and finally salvation moksha in Hinduism.

Whether you drink water... or Jala (in Hinduism) or Paani (as in Islamic tradition)... the purpose of all is drinking pure water. Reaching the end of the journey is the cosmic goal of life of every Jiva (living being).

Before manifesting the form of a human being... one has already passed through the stages of insect life, plant life and animal life. These are the stages in which the animal instinct is predominant. The power of discrimination... the power to think is not as much evolved as in human beings.

Devoid of the power of discrimination and thinking... the plant and animal life is limited to living a life as destined by God Almighty. It is only as a Human Being that we become the masters of our destiny. It is within the power of every human being to realize God within this life. Whether we choose the ultimate goal of our cosmic life as the goal in this life or not is totally dependent upon us.

Every form of life for that matter has an atman the soul within it! It is a different matter that only in human beings the option of recognizing this power... the existence of God and atman (the soul within us) exists.

As the Jiva evolves a step further in the stages of various manifestations... the power to recognize the system of God enhances... the complete realization occurring only in form of a human being!

For all practical purposes... the recognition of Atman soul, soul and inner self rests with the human form... all other elemental forms of life being only a precursor to the final show.

May God bless you!

Always there to clarify your queries (send your query),

Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 on Dharma. For more on dharma visit - dharma

Full text of query: I saw your site and i would like to clarify my doubts. Atman soul, soul, inner self and so many words are mentioned there. I could not understand. Are these things specially applicable only for humans? V. back to soul atman inner self

Query: Atman soul, soul, inner self... How come tigers know there is atman soul inner self?

Vijay Kumar:
Your query, "How come the tigers know that there is atman soul and inner self?"

Yes, it is true that although some forms of animals realize the presence of a higher power within their inner self... but that is a very faint feeling. The absence of power of discrimination and thinking in the animals... Leads them to a barbaric attitude!

In the life of an animal from beginning to the end... it is the survival of the fittest... a drive to live and carry on with life. They are least bothered or concerned with the atman soul and inner self. For them the presence of atman soul and inner self or the absence of atman soul and inner self does not carry any weightage.

Their sole purpose of life is to survive the rigors of life that exist both in the animal world and the kingdom of human beings. From morning till evening every animal is busy carrying out the routines for the day. Everything in the animal kingdom goes on and on as if preprogrammed.

The animal kingdom unable to understand why the human beings kill for pleasure is always on the run. Had the animals the power to discriminate... they would have found means to face the challenge put up by the mankind.

In absence of the power of discrimination and logistics... those in the lower level of animal kind live a solitary life. In the animal kingdom the freedom to mingle with the other species is very limited. Today one may be a friend and the other moment the terminator.

Everything in the animal kingdom is governed by hunger. When hungry... whatever little power of discrimination or logical thinking an animal may possess vanishes!

Animals do not practice compassion... it is just not within their means to practice compassion! Some forms of animal beings do practice compassion at times but it is very limited. Compassion at the most can be practiced by grass eating animals... the vegetarians in the flock! The meat eater judges all by the denominator of hunger present within.

On the path of evolution as bid by God, it is only when one reaches the stage of human beings that the significance of atman soul and inner self present within the body of all is recognized truthfully. Before manifesting the form of a human being... it is purely a life of indulgence. This indulgence can either be in eating, practicing sexuality or any other form of predatory excesses.

In the world of power of compassion and discrimination... animal remains an animal. It just cannot behave like a human being. Whatever best our scientists have tried to train and teach the animal form... we have had very limited results.

It is not within the power of a human being to change the course of destiny of the animal world. Every being on Mother Earth has got a purpose to live. Whether one recognizes this purpose in present life is not of concern to God Almighty... what we need to recognize is whether we desire to live the present life by choice.

In the animal kingdom such a choice rarely exists. For a human being it is purely a matter of personal choice and willingness to go the extra mile.

Why think of the past and brood over the matter whether animal beings know about atman soul and inner self... what matters is whether we as a human being can proceed on the path of pure spirituality within this life!

May God bless you!

Always there to clarify your queries (send your query),

Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 on Soul. For more on soul definition spirituality atman inner self visit - soul

Full text of query: I saw your site and i would like to clarify my doubts. Atman soul, soul, inner self and so many words are mentioned there. I could not understand. How come the tigers know that there is atman soul and inner self? V. back to atman soul and inner self