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The second definition of Kuṇḍalinī is the energy and consciousness, or the consciousness and nature. This is said to be Śiva and Śakti. Regarding Śiva: Śiva means consciousness—not a physical form, but the entire consciousness dwelling in the universe. It exists in Nirguṇa (formless) form, in nature, and in all creatures. That consciousness is Śiva. Furthermore, Śiva means liberation. It is the consciousness that is free, bound to nothing, and can liberate others. Thus, Śiva means liberation. Śiva means the truth, the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth is God alone, and God is that pure consciousness. Gurujī often said in satsaṅg, "‘I am the pure consciousness’ is wisdom. ‘I am the body’ is ignorance." The pure consciousness is above our bodily consciousness. To have knowledge of that pure consciousness is pure wisdom. We are searching for that consciousness, or for the knowledge of it. Currently, our consciousness is not pure; it is mixed with many qualities and has borders—subconscious, unconscious, and conscious. That pure consciousness is the ultimate truth. And Śiva means beauty. Regardless of how Śiva is depicted in pictures, he is always seen as beautiful. Just as Gaṇeśa is always drawn as very beautiful. From divinity, spirituality, and God, beauty is always radiating. As your inner consciousness, your inner self, your Antaḥkaraṇa, begins to become clean, beauty appears. Thus: Satyam, Śivam, Sundaram. Satyam is the truth. Śiva is the truth. Śivam is the liberator, Śiva—the self, the ātmā. Sundaram is the beauty. Therefore, Śiva means the liberator and destroyer of all negative energy. Śiva means beauty. Śiva means the truth. Śiva means that pure consciousness, and so Śiva is the first person in the universe. No one created Him; He created all. The first being is Śiva, called Svayaṃbhu. He manifested Himself, without father, without mother, without material support; that is Svayaṃbhu Śiva. That consciousness, that Śiva, resides in all of us. There is no duality; it is equally present in female or male bodies. We should not make that discrimination or duality. In the astral form, in spirituality, in the supreme reality, there is no masculine and no feminine. That exists only here, in the anatomical differences we perceive. These spiritual principles, this spiritual energy, are equally present in male and female bodies. Sometimes people say something different just to make the subject interesting, to add more spices to the food, such as claiming females have chakra locations on different parts of the body. The Śiva principle is within us, in everyone. Its primary residence, the abode of Svayaṃbhu Śiva, is in the Himalayas, at Mount Kailāśa. That is the holy chair, the holy throne of Lord Śiva. In our body, that Mount Kailāśa is at the top of the head, called the Brahmrandhra, the door to Brahman. There resides the pure Svayambhū Śiva, that pure consciousness. Satyam Śivam Sundaram can only be experienced there. But our bodily consciousness is far away from there, and therefore we cannot experience it. We are distanced from it through our karma, our destiny. Now, the ability, the energy that can bring about unity, has a great distance to cover. This energy is the feminine principle, Śakti. It is also that energy which dwells in the entire universe. That Śakti resides in our body as well: Paraśakti, Mahāśakti, Śakti—whatever you call it. It is more involved in our destiny and our karmas. This Śakti is longing to be free. It can only be freed when Śakti merges into the pure consciousness. Śakti merges into Śiva. That is liberation. When Śiva and Śakti are in unity, when union takes place, that state is above the three things: past, present, and future. Those three become one: knowledge, number, and object. That is the time realized as self-realization, the realization that "I am the pure consciousness," or Ātmā. --- Recording location: Slovenia, Kranj, Weekend seminar