Paramártha is that by which the worldly afflictions are alleviated completely and the effort to attain this Paramártha is Sádhaná. Where the Átman is free from all objects, that is, free from all types of afflictions, it is called Paramátman. As long as the aspirant maintains dualistic feelings, then he or she will say that sádhaná is the process whereby Átman and Paramátman are unified.
Are Átman and Paramátman two independent entities? No, it is not so. Jiivátman, which is bound by its saḿskáras, moves about in the universal waves subject to the changes of birth and death. It does not attain the supreme bliss of its original form. However, it becomes Paramátman the moment it eliminates all its saḿskáras through sádhaná and the efforts of the indwelling unit mind. No difference remains between Átman and Paramátman except that caused by the saḿskáras.
Dvá suparńá sayujá sakháyá samánaḿ brkśaḿ pariśasvajáte
Tayoranyah pippalaḿ svádvattyanashnannanyo bhicákashiiti
Two pretty and identical birds are dwelling in a single tree. One of them tastes the delicious fruit of the tree and the other witnesses it. This is a wonderful Vedic allusion. Here, the bird tasting the fruit is alluded to as the Jiivátman, and the bird which is only witnessing is alluded to as Paramátman. The underlying meaning is that the unit soul is the entity which enjoys all the fruits and Paramátman is the witnessing entity to all the actions and reactions in the world. Jiivátman is under the influence of Prakrti, it is Máyádhiina or controlled by Máyá, whereas Paramátman, in whatever form He may manifest Himself is Máyádhiisha or Controller of Máyá.
Paramátman is the only Supreme Entity. Sat and Satya are equivalent words. Satya is that which is unchangeable. Every finite object is transmuted by the influence of time, space and person, that is, it suffers from consequences, but Satya does not undergo changes in accordance with changes in time, place and person. There are different kinds of customs and rituals peculiar to different climates. On account of the changes in the climates none of these can truly be called Satya. An incident which one day appears as a reality and is considered true, may on the following day be found to be incorrect and far from the truth. Thus it is found that what appeared to a person’s mind as a fact in the past is unreal in the present and what appeared, as unreal in the past assumes a real aspect in the present. Hence none of these worldly realities or unrealities are permanent truths. A single fruit is known in a particular place as a sweet fruit, while the same fruit in another land is a sour fruit due to changes in the soil. A particular object appears to the general public as white, but to the jaundice patient it appears yellow. None of the objects of the universe can be a permanent reality on account of their dependence on time, space and person. Brahma alone is the eternal reality beyond the influence of Prakrti, that is beyond the mind. His abode is certainly above the bounds of time, place and person.
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