Prabhupāda: You have asked what is the nature of ātmā. The ātmā's nature is that he is eternal. He never dies. Never takes birth. He is already existing. Just like you were a child, you were a baby. The body is no longer existing. Your childhood body is no longer existing, but you know that you were a child. You remember your childhood days. Therefore, you are different from the body. The body has passed away, but you remember that you had a body like that. Therefore you exist. You know that you'll become an old man. So this body will not exist. Another body you will get, old age body. Therefore you will exist; the body will change. Now try to understand this fact first of all, and if you cannot understand, ask question.
Kim Cornish: The ātman, is there one to each person, or there is only one ātman for all people?
Prabhupāda: You are ātmā, I am ātmā; we are not one. You are individual, I am individual. I don't agree with you, you don't agree with me. So how one?
Kim Cornish: I beg your pardon?
Prabhupāda: How it is one?
Amogha: He says that you are individual and he is individual, so how can they be one?
Kim Cornish: How can they be one? I see. Yeah. I was wondering how the ātman is associated with each individual. Is it the . . . it's not right to say the person is the ātman?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Kim Cornish: The person is the ātman. And to each person there is one ātman associated.
Prabhupāda: You are a person and I am a person. You are changing body and I am changing body.
Kim Cornish: And through all the changes there is the ātman that continues.
Prabhupāda: Who is here first of all? You are a person, I am a person. You are hearing, I am speaking. We are two persons. So why you say one?
Kim Cornish: Well, there are two bodies. Two bodies.
Prabhupāda: Yes, two bodies, just like two dress. You are differently dressed, I am differently dressed, but that does not mean that we are one. We are one as ātmā. Just like you are Australian, I am Indian, but as human being we are one. But as Australian, as Indian, we are different. Therefore we are one and different at the same time.