Acharya Prashant addresses the question of what the 'Atma' (Soul) is and why it is said to be beyond actions like coming, going, seeing, or hearing. He begins by stating that while the word 'Atma' has many modern interpretations, its true, fundamental meaning should be sought from its source, the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads. The sages of the Upanishads embarked on an inquiry into the nature of the self, the 'I', because they understood that to know anything, one must first know the knower. This 'I' is the most important thing in anyone's life, as everything else derives its value from its relationship to the self. The sages' method of inquiry was one of negation. They examined their body and mind and concluded that they could not be the true self, as both are subject to constant change and impermanence. Through this process of elimination, they did not find a hidden, concrete identity within but rather realized that the true self, or Atma, is that which is entirely distinct from 'Prakriti' (nature or the material world). Prakriti encompasses everything that can be perceived by the senses or conceived by the mind. The sages described this Atma as pure consciousness ('Bodha'), complete ('Purna'), and void ('Shunya'). It is the freedom from all limiting information and concepts, an infinite, empty space of pure understanding. Acharya Prashant further elaborates that the sages equated this inner truth, the Atma, with the ultimate truth of the universe, Brahman, leading to the great sayings like "Ayam Atma Brahma" (This Atma is Brahman) and "Aham Brahmasmi" (I am Brahman). He clarifies that 'Aham Brahmasmi' is true only for the purified ego. The Atma, being beyond Prakriti, is also beyond the world's constructs of space and time. Therefore, it cannot come or go, as all places exist within the world, from which the Atma is separate. It is infinite and all-encompassing, leaving no space for another to exist, hence it cannot speak or hear. The idea of multiple 'Atmas' is a delusion; the Atma is one and universal. He distinguishes Atma from 'Jivatma' (the individual soul), explaining that 'Jivatma' as used in scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita refers to the ego—what the living being mistakenly identifies as its soul. He also refutes popular misconceptions about rebirth, stating that it is Prakriti that undergoes a continuous cycle of creation and dissolution, like waves in an ocean. An individual life-form (Jiva) is like a single wave; it has one life and does not get reborn. The idea of a soul transmigrating is a misunderstanding. The purpose of spirituality and the concept of Atma is to provide a trustworthy, eternal truth to which the suffering ego can turn for liberation from the transient and painful nature of the material world.