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Ātman (Ātmā) is not exactly the same as what is commonly called the “soul.”
- In Christian thought, the soul is the incorporeal essence of a human being. At death, God determines the soul’s eternal fate—reward or punishment. The idea that “soul = God” is considered blasphemous in most Abrahamic traditions. Furthermore, only humans are said to have souls.
- In Hindu thought, Ātman is the divine Self—eternal, unchanging, and identical with Brahman (the Ultimate Reality). The Divine manifests in all living beings as Ātman, not only in humans but also in animals and all forms of life.
The Bhagavad Gita (2:22 or 2:20) explains that the Ātman moves from one body to another, discarding the old and taking on the new, just as we change clothes. The body is temporary, while the Ātman is permanent and in command.
Unlike the Christian soul, which can be corrupted by sin or the devil, the Ātman in Hinduism is never tainted. It remains pure and divine, beyond birth and death.
Other reading material: Rajiv Malhotra, Academic Hinduphobia, 2016 (p. 49)
Relevant videos:
Contributor: Dilip Amin
Location of this post (16f): https://www.hinduspeakers.org/ufaqs/is-atman-the-same-as-soul/
Category:
16. Soul/Atman