आत्मन्
Atman
(ātman)The individual self; the eternal soul within each being
Full Meaning
Ātman is the innermost self — not the body, not the mind, not the ego, but the unchanging witness behind all experience. In Advaita Vedānta, ātman is identical to Brahman (universal consciousness). The Upanishads repeat: tat tvam asi — "That thou art" — the individual self is the universal self. Recognising this is liberation (moksha).
Etymology
Root ān (to breathe) or from at (to move). The breath-soul, the self that moves through forms.
Usage in Sanskrit Texts
The Bhagavad Gita teaches that the ātman is eternal, never born and never dying: "Weapons cannot cut it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, wind cannot dry it." (2.23)
अयमात्मा ब्रह्म — This ātman is Brahman. (Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad 1.2)
Related Sanskrit Words
Learn Sanskrit — not just the words, but the language.
VedaLingo teaches Sanskrit from the alphabet up — free, 10 minutes a day.
Start Learning Free →