The ātmā of the mano-maya person is the same as that of the prāṇa-maya, which is the vijñāna-maya, or the soul. Our self has many layers, including the gross body, the vital air, the mind, material intelligence, and the false ego, but all of this is sustained by the soul. However, not everyone sees himself as the soul, therefore this is a level of understanding that we need to reach at some point in our lives. It’s generally not something we are born with.
The next stage is the vijñāna-maya, the stage where spiritual consciousness finally becomes prominent and one starts seeing himself as a soul. This vijñāna-maya stage of consciousness is described as having a human form (just like Krsna has a form, the soul also has an original form, none of them are formless). This form is composed of śraddhā (faith), ṛtam (proper conduct), satyam (eternity, or truth), and yoga (connection with the Lord). These are characteristics of the soul, and one who reaches the stage of vijñāna-maya develops these qualities.
The last stage of evolution, the ānanda-maya stage, is where one realizes his eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord and attains the platform of eternal spiritual bliss. Both the Supreme Brahman and the fragmental spirit soul are blissful by nature. Both are spiritual, by nature full of knowledge, eternity, and bliss. The difference is that the Supreme Brahman never falls into illusion, while the infinitesimal jiva sometimes does. However, when a jiva recovers his original consciousness, his life of spiritual enjoyment is revived. Thus, the ānanda-maya stage is reached when one comes in contact with the ānanda-maya Person.
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