what is atma (soul) ?

Answer 1

that little spark in you that lets you know we reason and life with a higher purose

Answer 2

: The Self (or Atma) is also called soul or consciousness and is the source of life and the cosmic power behind the body-mind complex. Just as our body exists in space, similarly, our thoughts, in¬tellect, emotions, and psyche exist in the Self, the space of conscious¬ness. Self cannot be perceived by our physical senses because Self is beyond the domain of the senses. The senses were designed only to comprehend physical objects.

The word “Atma” has been also used in the “Gita” for the lower self (body, mind, and senses), psyche, intellect, soul, spirit, subtle senses, oneself, ego, heart, human beings, Eternal Being (Brahma), Absolute Truth, individual soul, and the supersoul or the supreme Self, depending on the context.

2.16 (Gita)
====
The invisible Self (Atma, Atman, the soul, spirit, the life-force) is eternal. The visible physical body is transitory, and it undergoes changes. The reality of these two is indeed certainly seen by the seer of the truth who knows that we are not this body, but the Atma.

The Self exists everywhere and at all times — past, present, and future. The human body and the universe both have a temporary existence, but appear permanent at first sight. Webster defines Atman or Atma as the 'World Soul' from which all souls derive and the Supreme Abode to which they return. Atma is also called ‘Jivatma’ or ‘Jiva’, which is the ultimate source of all individual selves. We have used the English words: Self, Spirit, spirit, soul, or individual soul interchangeably for different aspects of Atma.

Our physical body is subject to birth, growth, maturity, reproduction, decay, and death; whereas the Self is eternal, indestructible, pure, unique, all knower, substratum, unchangeable, self-luminous, the cause of all causes, all pervading, unaffectable, immutable, and inexplicable.

Answer 3

atma is the self - ones own self. Translated it is the soul.
It is your identity across time - or say across life and death.
As they say when you die your body dies but your atma wanders about and finds another body.
It is believed that we get the body of human being after living the life of 84 lakh (8.4 million) species. So precious is our life as a human being.
Then there is peratama - the god or the bigger atma which created all atmas and can percieve all that is happening to all the atmas. The peratma knows everything because he lives through us.

This is hindu philosophy and I cannot answer you what happens to atma when we clone a new organism from the body of another.

keep looking

Answer 4

This is surely not a one-liner topic. To simplify your life, only thing that I will provide is the view of multi-dimensional structure of one's existance as believed in Hindu scriptures to let you see where Atma belongs. There are following levels:
a) Physical body (called Deh-mayi sharira)
b) Energy body (called Pran-mayi sharira)
c) Mental body (called mano-mayi sharira)
d) Truth-aware body (called Gyana-mayi sharira)
e) Blissful body (called ananda-mayi sharira)

Soul is the is entity that has b), c) , d) and e) forms and transforms between these forms depending on elevation that one can get through yoga and meditation.

Answer 5

Spirit which is distinct from the body. It survives when the body is dead.