Acharya Prashant clarifies the meanings of Jiva, Jivatma, and Paramatma. He begins by defining Jiva as the embodied being, the one with a body. Jivatma is the ego (Aham), and Paramatma is the Atma (the Self). He emphasizes that these words, which appear frequently, can be confusing, so it's important to understand them clearly. The word Paramatma, when used correctly, has only one meaning: Truth or Atma. He states the equation: Truth = Atma = Brahman. The term Paramatma is simply used to add emphasis to the Atma, meaning the Supreme Self. Whether one says Atma or Paramatma, the meaning refers to the Truth, the Atma itself. Further explaining the concepts, Acharya Prashant states that you are the Jiva. Your feeling of 'I' (Aham) is called Jivatma. The place where this feeling of 'I' is ready to dissolve or reach is called Atma. He elaborates that whoever considers themselves to be alive, who says "I am," is the Jiva. When the ego (Aham) says, "I am the body," it becomes the Jiva. The feeling of 'I' alone is the Jivatma. The ego (Aham) is a product of Prakriti (nature) and is always associated with the elements of Prakriti. The ego's real desire is to connect with the Atma or Paramatma, but it makes the mistake of forming relationships within its own family, Prakriti. This is an incestuous relationship. Acharya Prashant uses an analogy to explain the relationship between the ego and the Self. The game being played is Leela (divine play) from the perspective of the Atma and Maya (illusion) from the perspective of the ego. It's like a father (Paramatma) who leaves his young son (ego/Jiva) in a large garden (Prakriti/Maya) that the father himself has created. The father knows every part of the garden, but the son gets lost. The son, wanting his father, starts calling anything he finds—a donkey, a tree—his father. The Paramatma does not interfere in this Leela because it has already provided the means for the Jiva to find its way back. The power of intellect, discrimination, and memory are the tools given to the Jiva. It is now up to the Jiva to use these tools and choose to find the Paramatma. The death of the Jivatma is not a real death but the dissolution of an illusion, like darkness disappearing when a light is turned on. The Jivatma is a delusion that says "I am" but does not truly exist.
