atman

[ aht-muhn ]

nounHinduism.
  1. the principle of life.

  2. the individual self, known after enlightenment to be identical with Brahman.

  1. (initial capital letter) the World Soul, from which all individual souls derive, and to which they return as the supreme goal of existence.

Origin of atman

1
First recorded in 1775–85, atman is from the Sanskrit word ātman breath, self
  • Also at·ma [aht-muh]. /ˈɑt mə/.

Words Nearby atman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use atman in a sentence

  • One of the key ingredients of Tantra is the discovery of atman, or true self.

    The Tantric Sex in Avatar | Asra Q. Nomani | March 4, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • atman, or Spirit, is held to be an eternal principle, from which the Selves or Souls are differentiated.

    Reincarnation and the Law of Karma | William Walker Atkinson
  • Remember Vivekananda's use of the atman: it is indeed not a scientific use, for we can make no particular deductions from it.

    Pragmatism | William James
  • He already knew to feel atman in the depths of his being, indestructible, one with the universe.

    Siddhartha | Herman Hesse
  • atman means "breathing;" paramatman "the highest breathing."

  • This one essence or Self (atman) permeates the whole Universe.

    Indian Myth and Legend | Donald Alexander Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for atman

atman

/ (ˈaːtmən) /


nounHinduism
  1. the personal soul or self; the thinking principle as manifested in consciousness

  2. Brahman considered as the Universal Soul, the great Self or Person that dwells in the entire created order

Origin of atman

1
from Sanskrit ātman breath; compare Old High German ātum breath

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012