I recall the depiction of Aatma in the mythological TV soaps such as Shri Krishna, Om Namah Sivay and others that I watched in my childhood. The way they showed it, has been my conception of Aatma forever. A flickering light residing inside the body and leaving only after death or in the state of deep 'samadhis' in case of 'Sadhus'. It was a mysterious thing that has relevance for religion and like most of the things in the religion - it was to be prayed, respected and adored. It wasn't a disturbing idea. None of those things shown in the soaps were. Because I never cared about the logic. No one cared about the logic.
Recently when I went through some chapters of Kathopanishad, I found it again. The mysterious Aatma. There were similarities and differences in those conceptions. Similar because it was still mysterious. So mysterious that when Nachiketa asks the most wise person dealing in serious stuffs like life, death and the metaphysical, Yamraj, he tries to persuade him not to ask the question. Yamraj tells him to ask for any material or physical thing instead. This knowledge is not for the feeble minded, he says. But these arguments strengthen the resolve of Nachiketa.
Now, it is different from the concept of Aatma in the soaps because in this book there seems to be an inherent logic behind the concept of Aatma, however difficult to understand it might be. I know that I couldn't grasp all the things written in the text. But there are some beautiful ideas in this book such as 'Etadvai Tat" and 'The idea of self'. So even when Yamraj's explanation of Aatma is incomprehensible for me currently, I am convinced that it has some beautiful idea behind it.
Further reference to this mystery, and the one that is central to this post, comes from Shrimad Bhagwat Gita. The most relevant sloka is "नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः, न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः" meaning it can't be destroyed by any weapon, fire, water or air. Whatever little I can muster in my thinking capacity, I think that this refers to 'The central idea of self'. This central idea about yourself, what you think you are is your Aatma. No one can destroy your idea about yourself. It may be that you haven't thought about this, you might not know it but if you consciously think about it, you might find something central and irreplaceable about yourself. And I think that that central idea is your Aatma.
This central idea is not to be confused with all the different ideas one gets all the time, mostly influenced by some other idea. Though I think that every single original idea was an Aatma, pure and divine, which is travelling through generations and can never die. Thus we have bits of Aatma of everyone whose ideas we are familiar with; some strong, some not so strong. And along with our own bit we are destined to resound throughout ages, however insignificantly. At least the last part seems reassuring.
Recently when I went through some chapters of Kathopanishad, I found it again. The mysterious Aatma. There were similarities and differences in those conceptions. Similar because it was still mysterious. So mysterious that when Nachiketa asks the most wise person dealing in serious stuffs like life, death and the metaphysical, Yamraj, he tries to persuade him not to ask the question. Yamraj tells him to ask for any material or physical thing instead. This knowledge is not for the feeble minded, he says. But these arguments strengthen the resolve of Nachiketa.
Now, it is different from the concept of Aatma in the soaps because in this book there seems to be an inherent logic behind the concept of Aatma, however difficult to understand it might be. I know that I couldn't grasp all the things written in the text. But there are some beautiful ideas in this book such as 'Etadvai Tat" and 'The idea of self'. So even when Yamraj's explanation of Aatma is incomprehensible for me currently, I am convinced that it has some beautiful idea behind it.
Further reference to this mystery, and the one that is central to this post, comes from Shrimad Bhagwat Gita. The most relevant sloka is "नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः, न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः" meaning it can't be destroyed by any weapon, fire, water or air. Whatever little I can muster in my thinking capacity, I think that this refers to 'The central idea of self'. This central idea about yourself, what you think you are is your Aatma. No one can destroy your idea about yourself. It may be that you haven't thought about this, you might not know it but if you consciously think about it, you might find something central and irreplaceable about yourself. And I think that that central idea is your Aatma.
This central idea is not to be confused with all the different ideas one gets all the time, mostly influenced by some other idea. Though I think that every single original idea was an Aatma, pure and divine, which is travelling through generations and can never die. Thus we have bits of Aatma of everyone whose ideas we are familiar with; some strong, some not so strong. And along with our own bit we are destined to resound throughout ages, however insignificantly. At least the last part seems reassuring.
