Self and self in the Gita

One of the most striking things about Bhagavad Gita is the clear demarcation between the Self (capital S) and the self. According to the glossary the 'Self is translated from the word Ātman which means "the innermost soul of every creature, which is divine." Sanskrit's use as a language for the divine and mystical experiences would explain why it would have specialized words to describe different parts of the spiritual mind, beyond the basic English 'self.'

The Ātman has nothing to do with the self in the conventional sense, and seems to be more like the equivalent of a soul. The self, a mental construct conducive to attachment to the world, is actually an obstruction to finding the Self/Ātman/soul. So interestingly the philosophy that the Gita puts forward is the opposite of an egoist philosophy that emphasizes the denial of the self in order to advance towards unity with God.