Ātman — The Most Misunderstood Concept

Original Marathi blog post — https://medium.com/@hrishikeshalshi/b358949a4b1c

This one’s for broader reach! Thanks to a friend, Anita Krishnani, for the suggestion.

What is Ātman? Ātman means “स्वतः” (svataḥ) or “Self.”

But what exactly is the Self?

Ātman, or Self, is not any fixed entity. It is simply that which you keep at the center of your life. Whatever you identify as “I”, that is your Ātman.

If you identify the body as “I” (aham dehāsmi — “I am this body”), then your body becomes your Ātman (your Self).

Adhyātma comes from adhi (higher) + ātma (Self). It means rising from the lower self (“aham dehāsmi” — I am body) to the higher Self (“ahaṁ brahmāsmi” — I am Brahman). It is the journey from the saguṇa (with form, attributes) to the nirguṇa (formless, beyond attributes). Adhyātma is the very core of dharma.

Merely reading or hearing “ahaṁ brahmāsmi” is not enough. One has to live it.

Living with “I am the body”

To live with the feeling “I am the body” means to make most of life’s decisions with the body at the center.

Example: Someone who identifies with “I am beautiful / handsome” makes almost every choice from this center — worrying about looks, tanning in the sun, weight gain, and so on.

Most of us operate from this “I am the body” state:

• My (body’s) future
• My children, my wife, my husband
• My house, my wealth, my reputation

Rising Beyond Body-Identification

When human consciousness (chetanā) evolves, this deha-bhāva (body-identification) diminishes.

That’s why people can give up everything — family, future, even their very lives — for their country. How is it possible? Because their consciousness has risen, and the hold of body-identification has weakened.

This is why Vinayak Damodar Savarkar said:

“देहाकडून देवाकडे जातांना मध्ये देश लागतो.” (“On the journey from body to God, one inevitably passes through the nation, and we owe a debt to it.”)

देहाकडून (from the body) = aham dehāsmi

देवाकडे (toward God) = ahaṁ brahmāsmi

मध्ये देश लागतो (in between lies the nation) = as consciousness expands, the individual (vyashti) begins to give importance to the collective (samashti — nation, society).

At higher stages, consciousness grows into Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (“the world is one family”) or even “Jo je vāñchīl to te lāho” (let everyone attain whatever they truly wish).

The Nuance of Centeredness

But here lies a subtlety: merely reducing body-identification is not enough. The center must also be right.

Ajmal Kasab too gave his “all,” but his center was wrong. True centeredness must arise from sat–asat viveka buddhi — the discriminating intelligence that knows truth from falsehood — not from blind fanaticism.

👉 Additional Reading: If you could teach only one thing to your child, what would that be?

Who is Krishna?

Krishna is not merely the dark-complexioned son of Devaki, adorned with a peacock feather, who lived in Dvāpara Yuga.

If you think Krishna as his body, then what to expect from you?

Krishna is that consciousness which places the collective / larger good above the personal / individual good, which uplifts all, and which is rooted only in truth. Whoever develops such consciousness is Krishna.

If you keep your body at the center, your body is your Ātman. Savarkar lived with nation at the center — for him, Bharat was his Ātman. Shivaji and Sambhaji lived with Swarajya at the center — Swarajya was their Ātman. Krishna lived with Truth at the center. Truth itself is Dharma, Truth itself is Shiva. Satyam Shivam Sundaram (Truth is Shiva, and Shiva is beauty). Truth was Krishna’s Ātman.

Thus Krishna is not his embodied, historical form but his formless essence — the Bhagavad Gita itself.

A Thought Experiment: Who is Shivaji?

Is Shivaji merely his body?

What is Swarajya? Just geography — Konkan, Pune, Maharashtra?

Or is Swarajya the values Shivaji stood for? To equate Swarajya with a region is like equating Shivaji only with his physical body.

Whoever lives by Swarajya’s values, that person is Shivaji! Wherever those values are practiced, that place is Swarajya! Whether in Konkan, Pune, Delhi, America, or even on another planet.

There is a moment in Chhava whose words thunder across time:

Watch 👉 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGPhFHTKnvc/

Values are nirguṇa (formless, beyond attributes), while geography is saguṇa (with form). In ignorance, people equate Swarajya with land. With knowledge, one realizes Swarajya is values — and Shivaji is the one who upholds those values.

Thus Maharaj “returns” again and again, manifesting through those who live his values. This is rebirth.

The Gita’s Timeless Words

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत । अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्‌ ॥ 4.7॥

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्‌ । धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥ 4.8 ॥

Krishna declares:

“Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, someone will raise their consciousness to protect the good from evil. Know that someone to be me.”

Hrishikesh Alshi 1st Sept 2025

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