The Five Characteristics of Atman

The Five Characteristics of Atman

by Swami Sivananda

Mind operates in a mysterious manner in dream. It creates, fabricates many fantastic, romantic pictures, scenery, events, etc. Sometimes you dream that you are dead and that your dear relatives and parents are weeping by your side. The most wonderful thing is that, even when you are dead, you see and hear them weeping. Does this not clearly prove that life really persists even after seeming death? Does this not clearly indicate that the soul is immortal? Think well and cogitate. You will clearly understand that immortality is an inherent attribute of the soul or Atman. The dream phenomenon establishes the Sat aspect of the Atman.

If you tell a man that he will die within a year, he becomes indignant at once, because he somehow feels that he will live for ever though he knows that this physical sheath will be thrown away like a cast off slough. Your very desire for continued living clearly proves that your real nature is immortality. This is the Sat aspect of Atman. People build bungalows and mansions with the hope that they can live for ever in this physical plane or phenomenal universe. Though the intellect is clouded by the influence of Avidya or Maya, yet the idea of immortality of the soul, however hazy it may be, is ingrained in the mind of everybody. During calm moments this feeling gets intensified, when the intellect becomes clear and pure.

A growing child asks the mother daily: Mamma, what is this? What is that? There is a great curiosity in the child to know things. This is a clear proof that knowledge but not ignorance is the real nature or inherent attribute of the soul or Atman. If you say to any man: You are a fool he gets enraged at once. Why? Because, he feels somehow or other that essentially he is a mass of intelligence. Even a fool thinks that he is a very wise, because in essence he is an embodiment of wisdom, he is identical with the Supreme Self. So the inherent, innate feeling: I am a wise man arises in his heart. This is the Chit aspect of the Atman.

Faces are different. Faculties and capacities are different, in different persons. Colours are different. Sounds are different. Gait and mode of thinking are different. Opinions and views are different. But one thing is common in all persons. That common thing is that everybody wants eternal happiness (Nitya Sukha). This is the Ananda aspect of the soul or Atman. This is a clear proof that bliss (not pain) is the real nature or inherent attribute of the soul.

A remarkable incident occurred a few years ago. A French girl suffered from a dangerous disease. She was in an unconscious state for weeks. Doctors declared the case to be absolutely hopeless. Somehow or other she was pulled round miraculously through the grace of the Lord. She knew only French. A strange thing occurred now. She entirely forgot her mother-tongue, but she suddenly developed wonderful proficiency in a dozen languages which she never knew before. This was reported in the leading newspapers. This caused a good deal of sensation and curiosity in the readers. At once some leading psychologists, philosophers, doctors and scientists began to investigate into the matter thoroughly. They were fully convinced that the whole report was true, accurate and correct. They said that the only explanation of the phenomenon was that perfect knowledge of all things is stored up in a mysterious manner within our brain but locked in special doors which can be opened only by particular keys. They further remarked that we could open some of the doors by using the right key the key of discipline and training and that we are not able to open the other doors on account of ignorance or lack of training and discipline or non-using the right key. They further added that in the case of the French girl the door French got mechanically shut and the doors for dozen other strange languages got simultaneously opened. Here there is an occult proof of the doctrine of Vedanta that the Soul or Atman is a storehouse of all knowledge or an embodiment of wisdom.

Everybody wants independence. He has a burning desire for freedom. The very thought of dependence is painful and irksome. He wants to have suzerainty. He wants to rule over others. He does not like to be guided by the wishes of others. On the contrary, he wishes that others should follow his wishes. This clearly proves that independence and suzerainty also are the inherent attributes of the immortal Atman.

The Five Characteristics of Atman – Pure Self, Eternal Awareness, and Inner Freedom

The Five Characteristics of Atman help the seeker understand the true nature of the self according to Vedanta. Atman is not the body, mind, senses, intellect, ego, name, form, caste, status, or personality. It is the inner self, the pure consciousness that illumines all experiences. Because of ignorance, a person identifies with temporary coverings and suffers. By understanding the characteristics of Atman, this wrong identification becomes weak.

The first characteristic of Atman is existence. Atman is not something that appears for a short time and then disappears. The body is born, grows, changes, becomes old, and dies. Thoughts arise and vanish. Emotions come and go. But the sense of being, the basic awareness “I am,” remains present through all experiences. This existence is not dependent on any particular condition. It is the foundation of all experience.

The second characteristic is consciousness. Atman is pure awareness. It is because of Atman that the body is known, the mind is known, thoughts are known, and the world is known. The eyes can see only because consciousness illumines seeing. The ears can hear only because consciousness illumines hearing. The mind can think only because consciousness illumines thought. Atman is not an object of knowledge; it is the light of all knowledge.

The Five Characteristics of Atman also include bliss. This bliss is not ordinary pleasure that depends on objects, relationships, success, or sense enjoyment. Such pleasure comes and goes. The bliss of Atman is inner fullness, peace, and completeness. In moments when desire becomes quiet, the mind reflects a little of this inner happiness. The seeker wrongly thinks happiness came from the object, but Vedanta teaches that real happiness belongs to the self.

The fourth characteristic is eternity. Atman is beyond time. Time affects the body, mind, and world, but it does not affect the witnessing consciousness. Childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age are known as changing stages. The witness of these stages remains the same. Atman is not created at birth and is not destroyed at death. It is unborn, deathless, and ever present.

The fifth characteristic is purity. Atman is untouched by the defects of the body and mind. The body may be healthy or sick. The mind may be calm or disturbed. Thoughts may be noble or impure. Emotions may be pleasant or painful. But the witnessing consciousness is not stained by what it illumines. Just as the sun shines on pure and impure places without becoming affected, Atman remains ever pure.

The Five Characteristics of Atman are not meant for intellectual discussion alone. They are meant for deep contemplation. A seeker should reflect, “If I am existence itself, why should I fear non-existence? If I am consciousness itself, why should I identify with changing thoughts? If I am bliss itself, why should I run endlessly after temporary pleasure? If I am eternal, why should I be terrified by change? If I am pure, why should I be bound by passing mental conditions?”

Atman is also described as the witness. The body is seen, so it cannot be the seer. Thoughts are known, so they cannot be the knower. Emotions are observed, so they cannot be the observer. Even the ego that says “I am doing” is known. Therefore, the true self must be different from all known objects. It is the silent witness of waking, dream, and deep sleep.

Understanding these characteristics helps remove fear. Fear comes from identification with the limited. If one thinks, “I am only the body,” then disease, aging, and death become terrifying. If one thinks, “I am only the mind,” then every thought and emotion becomes a personal crisis. But when the seeker recognizes Atman as eternal consciousness, fear gradually becomes weak.

The Five Characteristics of Atman also help in meditation. Sit quietly and observe the body. It changes. Observe the breath. It moves. Observe the mind. It fluctuates. Observe the intellect. It judges and decides. Observe the ego. It claims ownership. Then ask, “Who knows all this?” That knower is not changing like the objects known. Meditation on this truth leads the mind inward.

Vedanta often uses illustrations to explain Atman. Space appears to be limited by a pot, but space itself is never truly divided. In the same way, consciousness appears limited by the body and mind, but Atman is never truly bound. The sun may be reflected in many pots of water, yet the sun remains one. Similarly, one consciousness appears through many minds, but its essence remains unchanged.

The realization of Atman requires purity of mind. A restless mind filled with anger, greed, jealousy, pride, and desire cannot easily understand this subtle truth. Truthfulness, self-control, compassion, devotion, moderation, selfless service, and meditation prepare the mind. When the mind becomes pure, the characteristics of Atman are not merely believed; they are recognized.

The knowledge of Atman also transforms daily life. When success comes, the seeker remains humble. When failure comes, they remain steady. When praise comes, they do not become intoxicated. When blame comes, they do not collapse. The remembrance of the self gives balance because the seeker no longer depends completely on changing circumstances for identity and peace.

Atman is not far away. It is the nearest reality, the very self of the seeker. It cannot be reached as an external object because it is the one who knows all reaching, seeking, thinking, and experiencing. Spiritual practice does not create Atman; it removes ignorance. When ignorance is removed, the self shines as it always was.

In the end, The Five Characteristics of Atman reveal the glory of the true self. Atman is existence, consciousness, bliss, eternal, and pure. It is the witness of body, mind, senses, ego, waking, dream, and deep sleep. By reflecting on these characteristics, practicing discrimination, purifying the mind, and meditating deeply, the seeker rises beyond false identification. This knowledge brings peace, fearlessness, detachment, and liberation.

Atman is Sat-Chit-Ananda