Ahaṃkāra is the principle of individuation: the function that says “I” and “mine”. In Sāṃkhya it arises from the intellect and gives rise to the mind, the senses and the elements. In Vedānta it is part of the inner instrument, and the false identification it creates between the self and its instruments is the root of bondage.
Ahaṃkāra
“I-maker”: the sense of ego that appropriates experience as “mine” and the body and mind as “I”.
Also: Ahamkara, ego