Ātmā as the True Self
Ātmā (Sanskrit: आत्मा — from an, 'to breathe, to live') is the individual conscious self — the soul — that persists through all the changes of body and mind, through birth and death, through waking, dream, and deep sleep. The great quest of all Vedāntic philosophy is to correctly understand the nature of the ātmā.
Ātmā in Viśiṣṭādvaita
Viśiṣṭādvaita's understanding of the ātmā is distinctive:
- The ātmā is eternal (nitya) — not created, not destroyed
- The ātmā is atomic (aṇu) in size — it is not all-pervasive like Brahman
- The ātmā is of the nature of consciousness (cit-svarūpa) — its essential being is awareness itself
- The ātmā is dependent (paratantra) — it exists within and for Brahman; it is Brahman's śarīra (body)
- The ātmā is śeṣa — its essential nature is to be for another, specifically for Śrīman Nārāyaṇa
- The ātmā is not the Lord — it is a real individual distinct from Brahman, though inseparably belonging to Him
The Ātmā's Two Confusions
Piḷḷai Lokācārya identifies the root of saṃsāra as two related confusions: (1) mistaking the body for the ātmā (deha-ātma-bhrama) and (2) mistaking oneself (ātmā) for one's own lord, independent of Brahman (sva-svāmitva-bhrama). Liberation begins with correcting both.
Ātmā and Kainkaryam
Once the ātmā recognizes its true nature — that it is not the body, not independent, but eternally the Lord's servant — the natural response is kainkaryam: service. This recognition, and the joy of service that follows, is what the Āzhvārs sing about constantly.