Acharya Prashant responds to the question, "What is the Atma (Self)?" He begins by explaining how we know we exist, which is through an inner entity that says, "I am." This inner entity, which experiences feelings and thoughts, is the mind. There is an inner world, the sky of consciousness (Chidakash), just as there is an outer world. At the center of this inner world is the 'I'. The inner world is called the mind. While we may be physically in one place, our minds are in different places, traveling hundreds of kilometers. At the core of this inner world is the 'I', which is an incompleteness constantly seeking fulfillment. This incompleteness's only self-interest is to be completed by someone or something. All our thoughts and feelings are driven by this self-interest. The speaker defines the mind as impure because it is centered on this 'I-feeling' (Main-bhav). Impurity is not a physical contamination but anything that is harmful to oneself. The mind is impure because it is filled with thoughts, feelings, and tendencies that are ultimately harmful. The Atma, or the Self, is the purification of the mind and the nullification of this 'I' or ego. The pure 'I' is the Atma. The ego is what considers itself incomplete and attaches itself to the world for identity and completion, much like a newborn identifies with its body. The Atma is when the 'I' no longer needs to connect with anything for its identity and becomes a mere, unattached witness. The Atma is described by negating the attributes of the ego and the mind. Since our habits bind us, the Atma is described by negating them. For instance, we have a habit of having a home (niketan), so the Atma is called 'aniket' (homeless). We are bound by our bodies, so the Atma is 'achal' (immovable). We are bound by senses, so the Atma is 'agochar' (imperceptible). We are bound by qualities (gunas), so the Atma is 'nirgun' (without qualities). We are bound by flaws (dosha), so the Atma is 'nirdosh' (flawless). We live in imagination, so the Atma is 'kalpanateet' (beyond imagination). We live in thoughts, so the Atma is 'nirvichar' (thoughtless). We live in time (kaal), so the Atma is 'akaal' (timeless). We live in duality (dvaita), so the Atma is 'advaita' (non-dual). We are attached (moha), so the Atma is 'nirmoha' (unattached). We have possessiveness (mamta), so the Atma is 'nirmam' (without possessiveness). We are born and die, so the Atma is 'ajat' (unborn) and 'amar' (immortal). We are always chasing goals (lakshya), so the Atma is 'alakshya' (without a goal). The purpose of these negative descriptions is to help us realize that our attachments to the world are the cause of our suffering. The speaker explains the human condition as being that of an animal with two unique features: the desire for liberation and intelligence. However, humans often misuse their intelligence to express their animalistic nature more cleverly and destructively. The fundamental challenge spirituality addresses is suffering (dukh). He clarifies that 'Atma' is not the same as the concept of 'soul'; 'soul' is a mental construct, whereas Atma is the mind's ultimate thirst and its very end. He dismisses superstitious beliefs about spirits possessing bodies as psychological phenomena rooted in social suppression, which have no connection to true spirituality.