What is Paramatman?
Paramatman (Sanskrit: परमात्मन्) is the belief that there is a supreme being, or “self,” that pervades and animates all of creation. This supreme being is both immanent and transcendent, meaning that it both exists within and beyond the physical world. Paramatma is often described as being like a Cosmic Ocean of Consciousness. Just as the physical ocean is the source of all physical life, so Paramatma is the source of all consciousness and life. Just as the physical ocean is vast and infinite, so Paramatma is vast and infinite.
What is the Difference Between Atma and Paramatma?
Atma is the individual soul or self, while Paramatma is the supreme Soul or Self. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna reveals that both Atma and Paramatma are part of his divine nature.
Krishna explains that every living being has an Atma, which is a spark of his divine nature. The Atma is eternal and immortal, and it is the true Self of each individual. Paramatma, on the other hand, is the supreme soul that pervades all of creation. Just as the sun shines equally on all objects, regardless of whether they are good or bad, so too does the Paramatma shine equally on all beings.
The relationship between Atma and Paramatma is analogous to the relationship between a drop of water and the ocean. Just as a drop of water is part of the vast ocean, so too is the Atma part of the Paramatma. But just as a drop of water can become separated from the ocean, so too can the Atma become separated from the Paramatma. This separation is what we experience as human beings living in ignorance
