atman
आत्मन्
Self.
Technical Meaning
The self or soul. The Upanishads identify atman with Brahman; Buddhism's anatta doctrine denies precisely this self — the sharpest doctrinal divide among the Indian traditions.
More Sanskrit Terms
- bhakti — Devotion; participation; sharing.
- brahman — The expansive; the great.
- dharma — That which is upheld; order; duty.
- karma — Action; deed.
- maya — Illusion; measure; magic.
- moksha — Release; liberation.
- samsara — Wandering; the flowing-on.
Related Across the Site
- dharma Glossary Term — That which is upheld; order; duty.
- karma Glossary Term — Action; deed.
- moksha Glossary Term — Release; liberation.
- samsara Glossary Term — Wandering; the flowing-on.
- Sanskrit Language — The sacred language of Hinduism and a scriptural language of Buddhism and Jainism: Vedic first, then the classical language of Indian theology.
- St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology Library — An open-access, multi-author theological reference with advanced articles on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
- Gayatri Mantra Prayer or Creed — The most revered mantra of the Rig Veda, a meditation on the divine light that illumines the mind.
- Hinduism World View — Hinduism gathers many traditions around one conviction: the soul is bound to rebirth by karma, and liberation comes when it realizes its oneness with the divine.