Question: What is atman?

Sri Chinmoy: In Sanskrit atman means the individual soul and Paramatman means the Self. Each individual human being has a soul. When the soul, through its own aspiration, realisation, revelation and manifestation, enters into the Cosmic Self, then it completes its journey on earth.

Everybody has atman. There are other members in the spiritual family: body, vital, mind and heart. These members, if they listen to the atman like obedient children, become conscious instruments of God. Right now we are unconscious instruments of God. The soul is always the conscious instrument of God and it is inspiring us, begging us to listen to God, the Inner Pilot. The soul is the eldest brother in the family. It says to the others, “Let us listen to the Father, to the Inner Pilot. If we listen to the Father, then we will become His conscious instruments and God’s full divine manifestation will be able to take place here on earth.”

If the members of a family listen to the eldest member, then that family is harmonious. Similarly, if the body, vital, mind and heart listen to the soul’s request, then the individual will make spiritual progress. If any member is unwilling to listen, then there is quarrelling, fighting and disharmony in the inner life of that particular person. All spiritual figures and sincere seekers of the infinite Truth feel that it is their bounden duty to listen to the soul, which is the conscious representative of God here on earth in each individual human being.