Definition
Ātman is the true Self — the innermost essence of a being, distinct from the body, mind, intellect, and ego. It is pure consciousness (caitanya), eternal (nitya), unborn (aja), and immortal (amrita). The Upanishads declare that the Ātman is identical with Brahman — "Tat tvam asi" (Thou art That). This identity (abheda) is the central insight of Advaita Vedanta. The Ātman is not the empirical self (jivatman) that reincarnates, but the transcendental Self that is always already free. Realizing the Ātman — knowing "I am not the body, not the mind, not the ego, but pure awareness" — is the goal of spiritual practice. The Gita teaches that the Ātman cannot be cut, burned, wet, or dried (2.23) — it is indestructible.
Etymology
From the root an (अन्), "to breathe," or at (अत्), "to move constantly." Ātman originally meant "breath" or "life-principle" in early Vedic texts, then evolved to mean the inner Self, the conscious principle.
Key Texts
Related Verses
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācinnāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
The Self is never born and never dies. Unborn, eternal, ever-existing, it is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.
Bhagavad Gita 2.20नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः
nainaṃ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṃ dahati pāvakaḥ
Weapons cannot cut the Self, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, wind cannot dry it.
Bhagavad Gita 2.23तत्त्वमसि
tat tvam asi
That thou art — the Self within you is identical with the Supreme Reality.
Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7आत्मनि एव आत्मनः तुष्टिः
ātmani eva ātmanaḥ tuṣṭiḥ
Satisfaction is to be found in the Self alone — the Self is the supreme delight.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.12Interpretations Across Traditions
Advaita Vedanta
Ātman is identical with Brahman. "Tat tvam asi." The individual self (jiva) is Ātman appearing limited due to ignorance (avidya). Realization of this identity is moksha.
Vishishtadvaita (Ramanuja)
Ātman is real and distinct from Brahman, but inseparably related as attribute to substance. The Ātman is a mode (prakara) of Brahman, not identical.
Dvaita (Madhva)
Ātman and Brahman (God) are eternally distinct. The Ātman is dependent on God and can never become God. Liberation is eternal communion, not identity.
Buddhism
The doctrine of anatman (no-self) — there is no permanent, unchanging Self. What we call "self" is a temporary aggregate of five skandhas. This is a fundamental disagreement with Hindu thought.
Related Terms
Brahman
ब्रह्मन्
The Absolute — the infinite, formless, eternal reality that is the ground and substance of all existence.
Jīva
जीव
The individual soul — the conscious entity that transmigrates through bodies until liberation.
Mokṣa
मोक्ष
Liberation from the cycle of saṃsāra — the supreme goal of human life.
Saṃsāra
संसार
The endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth — driven by karma and desire.