WHAT IS ATMAN ( SOUL) ??

If Brahman is the First Cause?? What is Atman :: Atman is the cause of world:: All this universe in essence is That:: That is the Truth ::

|| गौणश्चेन्नात्मशब्दात् || ब्रह्मसूत्र (१,१.६ )

|| Gaunaschet na Atmasabdat || Brahma Sutra ( 1.1.6)


The words Atman(Soul) are being applied to the cause of the world in the scriptures. Therefore the words seeing or thinking cannot be used in a secondary sense for the cause of the world

If it be said that (the word 'seeing' or thinking) is used in a secondary sense, (we say) not so, because of the word Atman being applied to the cause of the world.


The scriptures use the terms Atman(Soul) for the cause of the world for e.g. "All this universe in essence is That; That is the Truth; That is Atman(Soul)". Atman is referred to as the intelligent principle while rules over the body and supports the Prana. Therefore the intelligent Atman cannot form the nature of the non-intelligent Pradhana(matter).

You say that the term 'Sat' denotes the non-intelligent Pradhana or Prakriti and that 'thinking' is attributed to it in a secondary or figurative sense only as it is to fire and water. You may argue that inert things are sometimes described as living beings. Therefore Pradhana can well be accepted as the efficient cause of the world. This cannot stand. This is certainly untenable. Why so? Because of the terms 'Atman' (soul) being applied subsequently in the Sruti to that which is the cause of the world vide the Sruti.

The Sat, the First Cause, refers to the intelligent principle, the Jiva as its Self. By the term Jiva we must understand the intelligent principle which rules over the body and supports the Prana. How could such a principle be the self of the non-intelligent Pradhana? By Self or Atman we understand a being's own nature. Therefore it is quite obvious that the intelligent Jiva cannot form the nature of the non-intelligent Pradhana. The thinking on the part of the fire and water is to be understood as dependent on their being ruled over by the Sat. Hence it is unnecessary to assume a figurative sense of the word 'thinking'.

Now the Sankhya comes with a new objection. He says that the word 'Atman' (Self) may be applied to the Pradhana, although it is non-intelligent, on account of its being figuratively used in the sense of 'that which serves all purposes of another', as for example, a king uses the word 'self' to some servant who carries out his wishes 'Govinda is my (other) self'. Similarly it applies to Pradhana also because the Pradhana works for the enjoyment and the final salvation of the soul and serves the soul just in the same manner as the minister serves his king. Or else the word Atman (Self) may refer to non-intelligent things, as well as to intelligent beings, as for instance, in expressions like Bhutatma (the Self of the elements), Indriyatma (the Self of the senses) just as the one word 'light' (Jyoti) denotes a certain sacrifice (the Jyotistoma) as well as a flame. Therefore the word Self (Atman) can be used with reference to the Pradhana also