Acharya Prashant clarifies the distinction between 'Atma' (the Self) and 'Jivatma' (the individual soul) as discussed in the Bhagavad Gita. He begins by stating that most people are not clear that the Atma and Jivatma are entirely different. A common misconception is that the Atma, upon entering a living being (Jiva), becomes the Jivatma. Acharya Prashant refutes this, explaining that 'Jivatma' is what the Jiva considers to be its 'Atma' or 'I'. Therefore, Jivatma is simply another name for 'Ahamkar' (the ego) and is not the Atma in any sense. The Atma is described as unborn, undying, infinite, immovable, indestructible, and unthinkable. In contrast, the Jivatma is another name for the mind. A living being identifies with its mind, thinking, "Whatever arises in the mind is arising in me." For the Jiva, the mind is the 'I'. It is this Jivatma, the mind, that undergoes rebirth in various forms, not the Atma. The cycle of birth and death belongs to the Jivatma, which is essentially the ego. Addressing a shloka where Shri Krishna tells Arjun that they have had many births, which Arjun has forgotten but Krishna remembers, Acharya Prashant explains that Shri Krishna is not speaking as an individual but impersonally, as Brahman (the Absolute Reality) itself. Only the Truth can be called 'Sarvagya' (omniscient), not because it remembers every event, but because it is the very source from which everything emanates. He warns against misinterpreting spiritual texts with an ego-centric view, as the words of an enlightened one like Shri Krishna have a much deeper, impersonal dimension than those of an ordinary person. Acharya Prashant further elaborates that all births and deaths occur within 'Prakriti' (Nature), which is also called 'Maya' (illusion). The various beings are like waves in the ocean of Prakriti. The rising and falling of these waves is the cycle of birth and death. This process is of Prakriti, and it is impersonal. The individual's personal ego perishes with the body. The concept of rebirth should be understood in the context of daily life: every moment is a new birth. If one acts rightly in the present, the next moment (the next 'birth') will be better. This is the practical meaning of 'Nishkama Karma' (action without desire for its fruits) – to be so absorbed in the right action of the present that one does not worry about the future. He concludes by emphasizing that the gravest error is to mistake the Jivatma for the Atma. The English word 'soul' is a closer translation for 'Jivatma' or the mind, whereas 'Atma' is the true, universal Self (which can be denoted with a capital 'S'). The Atma is one and universal, not personal. The belief that 'my Atma' is different from 'your Atma' is a fundamental misunderstanding that has led to superstition and weakness. The personal story ends with the death of the body, but the impersonal ego-tendency ('Aham-vritti'), which is a part of Prakriti, continues its cycle.
