Ahaṅkāra
अहङ्कारपुंल्लिङ्ग (masculino) · अहम् (aham — eu) + कार (kāra — fazedor)
ahaṅkāra
Mind and Psychology
AI translationEgo; the I-maker; identification with body-mind
Ahaṅkāra is the psychic function that creates the identification 'I am this' — I am this body, I am this mind, I am this social role. It is one of the four functions of the antaḥkaraṇa (along with manas, buddhi, citta). It is not ātman — it is an instrument of ātman which, used under avidyā, generates the illusion of the individual ego. The practice of Vedānta does not destroy ahaṅkāra; it reveals that the true 'I' (ātman) is beyond it, witnessing it as any other content.
Occurrence in the corpus
॥ ३ ॥ 【भाष्यम्】 श्रोतारं प्ररोचनेन अभिमुखीकृ त्याह भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव अहङ्कार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा
|| 3 || 【bhāṣyam】 śrotāraṃ prarocanena abhimukhīkṛ tyāha bhūmirāpo'nalo vāyuḥ khaṃ mano buddhireva ahaṅkāra itīyaṃ me bhinnā prakṛtiraṣṭadhā
— Bhagavad Gītā Bhāṣya →Using this in academic work? Get formal citation
Vishva Vidya (2026). Ahaṅkāra (अहङ्कार). Vishva Vidya — Vedanta. https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/ahankara
Vishva Vidya. "Ahaṅkāra (अहङ्कार)." Vishva Vidya — Vedanta, January 1, 2026, https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/ahankara.
Vishva Vidya. "Ahaṅkāra (अहङ्कार)." Vishva Vidya — Vedanta, January 1, 2026. https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/ahankara.
Related terms
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