Hindu concept
Atmanआत्मन्
ātman — the true self — the eternal soul within
In short
Atman is the true self — the innermost, unchanging consciousness within each being, distinct from the body, mind, and personality. It is held to be eternal and deathless. A central teaching of the Upanishads is that this inner self is, in essence, one with Brahman, the ultimate reality.
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What it means
Atman is not the body, the passing thoughts, or the sense of personality, but the witnessing awareness beneath them all — the 'I' that remains while everything else changes. The Bhagavad Gita describes it as neither born nor dying, untouched by the weapons, fire, water, and wind that destroy the body.
The great insight of the Upanishads is the identity of atman and Brahman — summed up in sayings such as Tat Tvam Asi ('That thou art') and Aham Brahmasmi ('I am Brahman'). To truly know the self, in this view, is to know the ground of all reality, and that knowledge is itself liberating.
A verse on Atman
“na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin”
Bhagavad Gita 2.20 · Chapter 2, Sankhya YogaThe soul is never born and never dies; eternal and ageless, it is not slain when the body is slain.
Spoken by Krishna to the warrior Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra — the Gita sits within the Mahabharata's Bhishma Parva — as Arjuna, overcome with grief and unwilling to fight his own kin, laid down his bow before the war.
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About Atman
What is atman in Hinduism?
Atman is the true self — the eternal, unchanging consciousness within each being, distinct from body and mind. It is held to be deathless, and in the Upanishads one in essence with Brahman, the ultimate reality.
What is the difference between atman and Brahman?
Atman is the self within; Brahman is the ultimate reality underlying everything. The Upanishads teach that they are, in essence, one — the self is not separate from the ground of all being.
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