Ātmā
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Himanshu Bhatt & Jit Majumdar
- the self; the soul
- in philosophy, the most essential aspect of a living being that is considered identical to, and an individual expression of the Supreme Divinity or Absolute Truth, and shares all the former’s essential and intrinsic attributes such as indestructibility, unchangeability, blissfulness, consciousness, indivisibility, immortality, purity, omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence.
Aikatmyam[edit]
The soul is in an 'aikatmya' or interconnectivity with all.
'Aikatmyam' is the doctrine wherein Hindus identify with everything that exists in the universe.[1] It is the interconnectedness of all. Because of this, it means caretaking of the environment they live in to sustain all life - humans, animals, and plants.
In Atharva Veda, Book 12, it features the magnificent "Bhumi Sukta" (or "Prithvi Sukta")[2], which praises the Earth as a living, cosmic entity, detailing its creation, support of humanity, and the interconnectedness of earthly and celestial realms.[3]
| Hymn | Alias(es) | Scripture | Main Principle | Other Principle(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purush Sukta (10.90.1-16) |
Yajna Sukta | Rig Veda | Cosmic unity—describes all beings and the cosmos as emerging from one Cosmic Person (Purush) | |
| Prithvi Sukta (12.1.1-63) |
Bhumi Sukta | Atharva Veda | Earth is divine and living | Earth as the common mother of all beings |
| (6.29-6.30) | Bhagavad Gita | The practitioner (yogin) sees Self in all beings and all beings in Self, and that Self is God | ||
| (13.27-28) | Bhagavad Gita | Everything is seen as arising from one imperishable reality | (5.18, 6.29-30, 6.32, 9.4-5, 10.20, 13.27-28, 18.20) | |
| Shanti Parva (Chapters 188-239) |
Mahabharata | All beings are manifestations of one Self | Compassion arises from recognizing that unity, harming another is ultimately harming oneself | |
| Nirvana Prakarana | Yoga Vasistha | Universe is one consciousness | Apparent multiplicity is a manifestation within that [One] consciousness | |
| (3.7) | Brihadaranyaka Upanishad | This Upanishad repeatedly teaches that all existence is grounded in one Self | It also presents the Antaryāmin doctrine, where one indwelling reality permeates all beings and elements | |
| (6.16, 6.8.7) | Chapter 6 | Chandogya Upanishad | Teaches that the individual self and the ultimate reality are fundamentally one | Also uses analogies—such as rivers flowing into the sea—to illustrate underlying unity |
| (Verses 1, 6, 7) | Isha Upanishad | Seeing all beings in The Self | ||
| (3.11, 6.11) | Shvetashvatara Upanishad | One Divine Reality pervading everything—God hidden in all beings, the inner Self of all[2] | ||
| (2.11, 2.2.5) | Mundaka Upanishad | All beings originating from one source (uses metaphors like 'sparks emerging from fire' and 'spokes attached to the hub of a wheel') | ||
| (11.2.45) | Bhagavata Purana | The Divine dwells in all beings | Service to others is service to God, all life is interconnected through the Supreme |
Related articles[edit]
- Ātma-māyā
- Metaphysical Worldviews
- Cosmology
- Overview of Cosmology in the Scriptures
- Theology
- Brahmānda