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Paramatma means

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 3

Ātmā means the individual soul, and Paramātmā means the individual Supersoul; both ātmā and Paramātmā are individual persons.
SB 3.15.45, Purport:

By meditation one can understand that God is seated within one's heart. Even if one does not know it, God is seated within the heart of everyone. Not only is He seated in the heart of the human being, but He is also within the hearts of cats and dogs. Bhagavad-gītā certifies this fact by the declaration of the Lord, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61). The īśvara, the supreme controller of the world, is seated in the heart of everyone. Not only is He in everyone's heart, but He is also present within the atom. No place is vacant or devoid of the presence of the Lord. That is the statement of Īśopaniṣad. God is present everywhere, and His right of proprietorship applies to everything. The feature of the Lord by which He is present everywhere is called Paramātmā. Ātmā means the individual soul, and Paramātmā means the individual Supersoul; both ātmā and Paramātmā are individual persons. The difference between ātmā and Paramātmā is that the ātmā, or the soul, is present only in a particular body, whereas the Paramātmā is present everywhere. In this connection, the example of the sun is very nice. An individual person may be situated in one place, but the sun, even though a similar individual entity, is present on the head of every individual person. In Bhagavad-gītā this is explained. Therefore even though the qualities of all entities, including the Lord, are equal, the Supersoul is different from the individual soul by quantitative power of expansion. The Lord, or the Supersoul, can expand Himself into millions of different forms, whereas the individual soul cannot do so.

Paramātmā means the Supersoul, who is sitting by the side of the conditioned soul just to sanction his activities.
SB 3.26.18, Purport:

Here it is stated that within the heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides as the Supersoul. This situation is also explained in Bhagavad-gītā: the Supersoul rests beside the individual soul and acts as a witness. This is also confirmed elsewhere in the Vedic literature: two birds are sitting on the same tree of the body; one is witnessing, and the other is eating the fruits of the tree. This puruṣa, or Paramātmā, who resides within the body of the individual soul, is described in Bhagavad-gītā (13.23) as the upadraṣṭā, witness, and the anumantā, sanctioning authority. The conditioned soul engages in the happiness and distress of the particular body given him by the arrangement of the external energy of the Supreme Lord. But the supreme living being, or the Paramātmā, is different from the conditioned soul. He is described in Bhagavad-gītā as maheśvara, or the Supreme Lord. He is Paramātmā, not jīvātmā. Paramātmā means the Supersoul, who is sitting by the side of the conditioned soul just to sanction his activities. The conditioned soul comes to this material world in order to lord it over material nature. Since one cannot do anything without the sanction of the Supreme Lord, He lives with the jīva soul as witness and sanction-giver. He is also bhoktā; He gives maintenance and sustenance to the conditioned soul.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Brahman means impersonal Absolute Truth, and Paramātmā means Supersoul, and Bhagavān means the Supreme Personality of God. That Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 4.34 -- New York, August 14, 1966:

Of course, transcendental knowledge, as we have discussed already, they are viewed in different, three different angles of vision: the knowledge of Brahmavāda, or impersonal, impersonal Absolute Truth, and the knowledge of Paramātmā, the localized Supersoul, and the knowledge of Bhagavān, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are different stages of development of knowledge. But the first beginning knowledge is that we must understand that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul, and my aim of life should be how to get out of this material entanglement." That is knowledge. That is the beginning of knowledge.

And that knowledge, when developed gradually... The first, first stage of knowledge is impersonal Brahman realization, and the next stage is the Supersoul realization, and the last stage is realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we have got this information, that the tattva, that the Absolute Truth is realized in three visions: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). Brahman means impersonal Absolute Truth, and Paramātmā means Supersoul, and Bhagavān means the Supreme Personality of God. That Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa.

Paramātmā means Supersoul.
Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966:

Paramātmā means Supersoul. We have several times told you that Paramātmā is with me. The same thing. Paramātmā is sitting with me in the heart. I, the soul, the atomic spark, spirit spark, that is also in this heart, and side by side, in the similar smallest way, the Supreme Lord is also with me. Paramātmā samāhitaḥ. This paramātmā samāhitaḥ is the yoga. Now, Kṛṣṇa will gradually come, Paramātmā. The yoga system is, meditation means to control all the senses and concentrate the mind to focus on the Paramātmā. That is the whole yoga system. So here it is hinted, paramātmā samāhitaḥ, "completely absorbed in the Paramātmā."

Paramātmā means the Supersoul who is situated within everyone's heart.
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

The Absolute Truth is the ultimate truth, tattva. Tattva means Absolute Truth. So those who are aware of the Absolute Truth, they say that Absolute Truth is one, but He's realized in three angle of vision, namely, Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Those who are trying to speculate and understand the Absolute Truth, they can realize up to impersonal Brahman. So generally, speculators means big, big philosophers. They can understand that impersonal Brahman. These impersonalists are generally known as jñānīs. Jñānīs means the wise men or persons who are very much aware of everything. So they can understand the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. But there are other class who are called yogis. The yogis can understand the Paramātmā feature of the Absolute Truth. Paramātmā means the Supersoul who is situated within everyone's heart. And the personal feature of the Lord is realized by the bhaktas, or the devotees.

Paramātmā means He is present everywhere.
Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Vrndavana, April 17, 1975:

And brahmeti paramātmeti. When you understand Paramātmā... Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Paramātmā means ātmā and Paramātmā. There are two different souls. One is... Paramātmā means He is present everywhere. That is Paramātmā. The Māyāvādīs say there is no difference between ātmā and Paramātmā, but that is not the fact. Ātmā means present within this body. I am ātmā; you are ātmā. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, in this body. I am ātmā, you are ātmā, but I am not Paramātmā. Paramātmā is different thing. Paramātmā is Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, situated in everyone's heart. So that is guhyataram. First of all, to understand brahma-jñāna, or self-realization, that is very confidential. That is not ordinary knowledge. It is above ordinary knowledge. Therefore it is said guhya. Guhya means very confidential.

General Lectures

Paramātmā means cit, cid-āṁśa.
Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 23, 1977:

The brahmānu-bhūti is simply negation of this material world. Brahmā satya jagan mithyā. But brahmānu-bhūti is not final. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So simply understanding of our eternity-ahaṁ brahmāsmi—is not sufficient. So that is only appreciation of the eternity portion. And then, if one further makes progress, he... Paramātmā. Paramātmā means cit, cid-āṁśa. And lastly, unless we come to the shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, there is no ānanda. And every one of us-ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). God is also ānandamaya. We, being part and parcel of God, we are also seeking after ānanda. So you cannot get permanent ānanda either by Brahman realization or Paramātmā realization. Unless you come to God realization, Personality of Godhead, there is no ānanda.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Then you have to accept Paramātmā and ātmā different.
Room Conversation -- August 25, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: If you have got the potency to become Paramātmā, then how you became ātmā?

Indian man: The potential to come near to Paramātmā.

Prabhupāda: Near, that is one thing. You are near to me. That means we are not equal. You are a separate person, I am a separate person.

Indian man: But even what has been told by him, he is Veda, Vedāntī, anybody, he doesn't come to ātmā is going to Paramātmā. He never says that. That mathematic equation...

Indian man (2): They say that the ātmā has forgotten. They say that ātmā has come into the clutches of the māyā. When you get rid of the māyā you become Paramātmā.

Indian man: That is not... You don't become Paramātmā. You become Paramātmā means that... You don't understand Paramātmā. Paramātmā is the Supreme, Supreme soul. How can you become...

Prabhupāda: Then you have to accept Paramātmā and ātmā different.

Indian man: Different, that is true.

Page Title:Paramatma means
Compiler:Rishab, Kanupriya
Created:22 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=2, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=5, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:8