Editing Ātman (Hinduism) (section)

====''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad''====
The ''[[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]'' (800-600 BCE<ref name=olivelleintro>[[Patrick Olivelle]] (2014), The Early Upanishads, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0195124354}}, page 12-13</ref>) describes ''Atman'' as that in which everything exists, which is of the highest value, which permeates everything, which is the essence of all, bliss and beyond description.<ref>Raju, Poolla Tirupati. Structural Depths of Indian Thought. SUNY Series in Philosophy. P. 26. {{ISBN|0-88706-139-7}}.</ref> In hymn 4.4.5, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad describes ''Atman'' as ''Brahman'', and associates it with everything one is, everything one can be, one's free will, one's desire, what one does, what one doesn't do, the good in oneself, the bad in oneself.
{{blockquote|That ''Atman'' (self, soul) is indeed Brahman. It [Ātman] is also identified with the intellect, the Manas (mind), and the vital breath, with the eyes and ears, with earth, water, air, and ākāśa (sky), with fire and with what is other than fire, with desire and the absence of desire, with anger and the absence of anger, with righteousness and unrighteousness, with everything — it is identified, as is well known, with this (what is perceived) and with that (what is inferred).

As it [Ātman] does and acts, so it becomes: by doing good it becomes good, and by doing evil it becomes evil. It becomes virtuous through good acts, and vicious through evil acts. Others, however, say, "The self is identified with desire alone. What it desires, so it resolves; what it resolves, so is its deed; and what deed it does, so it reaps.|Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.5, 9th century BCE<ref>Sanskrit Original: [http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/brinew-proofed.html?lang=sa बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्] मन्त्र ५ [IV.iv.5], Sanskrit Documents;<br />'''Translation 1''': [https://archive.org/stream/Brihadaranyaka.Upanishad.Shankara.Bhashya.by.Swami.Madhavananda#page/n739/mode/2up Brihadāranyaka Upanishad 4.4.5]  Madhavananda (Translator), page 712;<br />'''Translation 2''': [https://archive.org/stream/The_Brihad_aranyaka_upanishad_Sankarabhashya_English/The_brihad_aranyaka_upanishad-SankarabhashyaEnglishforChapter1Only-1849#page/n243/mode/2up Brihadāranyaka Upanishad 4.4.5]  Eduard Roer (Translator), page 235</ref>}}

This theme of ''Ātman'', that the essence and Self of every person and being is the same as Brahman, is extensively repeated in Brihadāranyaka Upanishad. The Upanishad asserts that this knowledge of "I am Brahman", and that there is no difference between "I" and "you", or "I" and "him" is a source of liberation, and not even gods can prevail over such a liberated man. For example, in hymn 1.4.10,<ref name=bu1410/>
{{blockquote|
Brahman was this before; therefore it knew even the Ātma (soul, himself). I am Brahman, therefore it became all. And whoever among the gods had this enlightenment, also became That. It is the same with the sages, the same with men. Whoever knows the self as "I am Brahman," becomes all this universe. Even the gods cannot prevail against him, for he becomes their Ātma. Now, if a man worships another god, thinking: "He is one and I am another," he does not know. He is like an animal to the gods. As many animals serve a man, so does each man serve the gods. Even if one animal is taken away, it causes anguish; how much more so when many are taken away? Therefore it is not pleasing to the gods that men should know this.
|Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10<ref name=bu1410>Sanskrit Original: [http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/brinew-proofed.html?lang=sa बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्], Sanskrit Documents;<br />'''Translation 1''': [https://archive.org/stream/The_Brihad_aranyaka_upanishad_Sankarabhashya_English/The_brihad_aranyaka_upanishad-SankarabhashyaEnglishforChapter1Only-1849#page/n107/mode/2up Brihadāranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]  Eduard Roer (Translator), pages 101-120, Quote: "For he becomes the soul of them." (page 114);<br />'''Translation 2''': [https://archive.org/stream/Brihadaranyaka.Upanishad.Shankara.Bhashya.by.Swami.Madhavananda#page/n173/mode/2up Brihadāranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]  Madhavananda (Translator), page 146;</ref>}}