Western philosophers have searched hard for the elusive entity called consciousness, but nowhere has it been captured better than in the Siva Sutras. These Sutras describe the creative principle behind the universe and how it manifests in human consciousness. The origin of the Sutras is mysterious; legend has it that the sage Vasugupta discovered them engraved on a large stone tablet on Mount Kailas in Kasmir. Lord Siva, the creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe, guided Vasugupta to the tablet in a dream, and the Siva Sutras are regarded by some as divine revelation. The Siva Sutras are unquestionably demanding, containing as they do an exposition of spiritual philosophy in a most compact form. The reader who accepts the challenge will be richly rewarded.