Atman Theory of Hinduism

Atman Theory of Hinduism

Atman in Hinduism is that core of life in absence of which the existence of the body itself gets negated. Atman in Hinduism stands for our eternal soul which resides in the heart within the body. For that matter... every single living being... be it the form of an insect, plant or an animal... the presence of atman is a confirmed fact.

The word “Atman” is translated into English as “soul” or “self.” Yet Atman in Hinduism has a much richer meaning than our standard western concept of soul. For example, Atman is understood as divine and equivalent to Brahman, God the ultimate reality. In other words, not only does every being have and eternal soul, but that eternal soul IS GOD. Each person's Atman is the same, and each is identical with Brahman. Therefore Atman could also be translated, “Universal Soul,” “Eternal Soul,” or “All-Soul.” The Katha Upanishad speaks at length about the nature of Atman, how one might attain to it and thereby attain to Brahman. Attainment to Atman is dependent on the control of those aspects of the person that are transitory and not eternal like Atman; these include the body, the mind, the intellect and the senses. The parable of the chariot in the Katha Upanishad illustrates the nature of Atman by means of an allegory. According to this parable, the way to Brahman is through Atman; the way to Atman is through control of the body, the senses, the mind, and the intellect. Each of these aspects of the person, including Atman itself, is likened to some part of the chariot.

The Upanishads are ancient Hindu scriptures which record the foundation of Hindu thought. They are the final part of the Vedas, the part that is concerned with pure knowledge. The word 'veda' means knowledge; and the Upanishads are sometimes described as 'vendanta', which means the culmination of knowledge. The Vedas start out as mythical and ritual texts. They tell stories about various gods; and they prescribe rituals for making use of the gods' devine powers, to attain prosperity and other objectives in the world. Upanishdas leave all cosmology and all applied knowledge and their basic concern is philosophy.

The Upanishads speak of a universal spirit (Brahman) and an individual soul, (Atman) and at times assert the identity of both. Brahman is the ultimate, both transcendent and immanent, the absolute infinite ...