Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 617: Shri Atma (ōṃ ātmanē namaḥ)

The Goddess Divine Mother is the ‘Self’ in all beings. 

The Divine Mother is in Atma (soul) form in all universal beings.  When we say to provide food for the Atma, it becomes Annamaya; when we say Atma had disappeared, it means Brahmamaya; when we say Atma is confused or is suffering, it means manomaya. When humans can understand things as they are, we say that Atma is fully informed, meaning in vidyamaya; when we say Atma is happy, it represents Anandhamaya. In general, Atma pervades countless billions of universal beings. This interpretation is that all souls are in the Divine Mother’s form. 

Atma refers to jivaatma or soul. In Lord Shiva’s eight forms Atma is the eighth form. Atma will get whatever it desires and enjoy it, meaning Atma is the Divine Mother. Atma can mean body, mind, Brahman, actions, boldness, firmness, nature, and intelligence; the Divine Mother is in all these forms. 

The Self (Atman) in each jiva (soul) or jivatma is the same as the Supreme Self (Paramatman). As Adi Sankaracarya makes it clear, “Jiva is not different or distinct from Brahman.” 

Linga Purana says, “Just as sparks in fire, all the jivas exists. Shiva, who is the Supreme Self.” According to Shiva Purana, “The Supreme eight bodies of Shiva are called Atman, it pervades all the earlier other seven, hence Shiva is the Universe.” And Vaisishta says,” The bodies of embodied souls are from the Divine Mother and all the embodied souls are part of Shiva (through their unison between Lord Shiva and the Divine Mother).

                 The Divine Mother is the ‘Self’ in all universal beings.                  

C N Nachiappun

Singapore, 03 October 2021.

References:

1.     The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.     Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.     The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Sithbavandar