Q. In the Bhagavad Gita we find the word “atma” used to denote the mind, body and soul and even senses, as defined in the Vedic Dictionary.
My question is: If the soul is an eternal, spiritual particle, why is it lumped in with these other subtle and gross material objects under the word “atma?”
Answer by Romapada Swami: Sanskrit is a rich and refined language, thus many Sanskrit words often denote multiple meanings. “Atma” is a word that refers to the “self”, and thus would naturally denote the spirit soul, which is actually the real self. However, since embodied living entities most commonly tend to identify the self with the body or mind, ‘atma’ refers to these coverings of the self as well.
This is something like how we might remark “There goes the President,” upon sighting the President’s car. The intended meaning becomes clear when one understands the context in which it is used.
