ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Atma Shatkam

Atma shatkam is a poem written in Sanskrit language by the great Indian philosopher Adi Shankara. This poem contains six verses that describe the true nature of the self or atma.

Think of the self or atma as your innermost essence or the true you. It is the part of you that never changes and is always there, regardless of your thoughts, emotions, or external circumstances.

In this poem, Adi Shankara talks about the atma as being pure, free, and infinite. He says that the atma is not the body, mind, senses, or intellect, but the witness of all these things.

Imagine you are watching a movie. You are not the characters in the movie, but you are aware of what is happening to them. Similarly, the atma is aware of what is happening in the body, mind, and senses.

Adi Shankara also says that the atma is beyond words, thoughts, and concepts. It cannot be described or understood through ordinary means, but only through direct experience or realization.

To summarize, atma shatkam is a beautiful poem that invites us to explore the nature of the self or atma. It reminds us that we are not just our bodies, minds, and emotions, but something much more profound and eternal.