आत्मन Atman, (Sanskrit: “self,” “breath” “soul”)Atman is a Sanskrit word, defined in simple terms as an individual’s inner self, spirit or soul. Atman, in Hinduism, is considered as eternal, imperishable, beyond time, “not the same as body or mind or consciousness, but… something beyond which permeates all these”. Atman is the unchanging, eternal, innermost radiant Self that is unaffected by personality, unaffected by ego;  Atman is that which is ever-free, never-bound, the realized purpose, meaning, liberation. The concept of Atman as the true self is considered to be the first principle of Hindu philosophy, particularly according to the Vedanta tradition.