Âtman

God appears in the form of S'rî Vishnu to uphold and protect the world. On the personal level, Lord Vishnu is the Âtman of every individual.

The Âtman is unique for every jiva because it is the memory of the jiva's accumulated karma. Hence we sometimes speak of "my Âtman" or "your Âtman." The process of entering onto the path of Brahman Consciousness begins with the Âtman, as does life itself and the gift of a human body in the first place. The Âtman is the personal version of Lord Vishnu that is gifted to every evolving being by Lord S'iva at the first instance of prajña-aprada to serve as the guiding light through the maze of mâya to eventually bring the jîva home to Unity or onto the path of Brahman Consciousness. As our guiding light, the Âtman is loving, passive and cooperative, never manipulative or dominating.

The Âtman is the planner and guardian of our lives - the creator of the Divine Blueprint for each of our lives which maximizes the balancing of our karmas along with providing for opportunities to gain greater knowledge and ultimately acquire the gift of Unity Consciousness and even Brahman Consciousness.

Therefore, the first and foremost goal of everyone's life should be to realize his or her Âtman. By realize we mean to make the presence of the Âtman completely real, as real as the presence of one's own life. The Âtman is a non-physical celestial being, some may call it the "guardian angel" and others "God." Hence, being a subtle being, the Âtman is not known to most individuals at all.

To realize the Âtman, one must first establish conscious, two-way communication. The Âtman is not to be prayed to only in times of adversity, but rather to be constantly communed with like one's most dear and trusted friend and guardian. Guidance received from the Âtman is most precious to life and will ultimately lead the individual into greater happiness and freedom. To establish this priceless communication is surprisingly simple when the proper technique is applied. In Âtmavedî, Part II there is a complete technique for anyone to use to immediately establish direct, two-way conscious communication with the Âtman. This technique includes chanting the Âtman Puja.

To assist you in learning to chant the Âtman Puja, we have provided a complete copy with english transliteration, the meaning of each sukta and an audio presentation.

As you begin to learn the Âtman Puja, at first you may move ahead swiftly for a few days, then you may find it very difficult to proceed. You may begin to feel extremely tired or bored, and may even experience pains in the body or head after just a few minutes. This is normal and symptomatic of the purification that is taking place in the mind and body from this practice. Your ability to persevere and continue with the process of learning to chant the Âtman Puja is part of the test of your sincerity so you must overcome these obstacles with your determination.

Purification is the process of causing ungrounded emotional energies to flee an environment that is not supportive of them. Any energy in our emotional or mental body that causes thoughts or emotions that are not appropriate or useful for the time is ungrounded. It is like a supposed team member that is not cooperating with the work of the team. When ungrounded energies are acting we experience unhappiness, discomfort, even illness and disease. A life free of ungrounded energies is blissful, perfectly healthy and supportive of the environment and everyone - this is a life in Brahman Consciousness. Chanting the Âtman Puja is the first step to such a life.