Átmajiṋánamidaḿ Devi paraḿ mokśaekasádhanam;
Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.

You know, in Tantra Shástra there are two wings – one wing of Tantra is called ágama and the other wing is known as nigama. There are two interpretations of the term Tantra, that is, two derived meanings. One meaning is “Taḿ jádyát tárayet yastu sah Tantrah parikiirttitah”.

“Tan” means “dullness”, “lethargy” and “tra” means liberator. That which liberates you from spiritual dullness, spiritual lethargy is Tantra. Another interpretation of the term Tantra is – “Tan” is a root verb, a Saḿskrta root verb, it means “to expand”. “Tra” means liberator. The root verb “trae” + suffix “d́a” = “tra”. It means liberator; “trae” means to liberate. So Tantra means the science that helps you in all-round expansion, rather that helps you in liberation by your all-round expansion. Tantra is the way to expand. A little boy’s body always expands - daily, weekly, monthly. So, the body of a man up the age of 39 is called “Tanu”. In Saḿskrta tanu means “expanding”. And after 39 the body of a man is called shariira. Shariira means, that which wanes.

There are two wings of Tantra – one is ágama and the other nigama. Á – gaḿ + al = ágama and ni – gaḿ + al = nigama.

Ágatáḿ shivavaktrebhyah gataḿ ca girijáshrutao.
Mataḿ ca vásudevasya Tasmát Ágama ucyate.

Párvatii asked Shiva this question: “What is the minimum qualification for becoming a spiritual aspirant?”

Lord Shiva’s reply was that the minimum qualification is that he should have a human body. So, you know this minimum qualifications, this chance can be awaited by each and every human being because each and every human being has a human body. Lord Shiva says:

Átmajiṋánamidaḿ devi paraḿ mokśaekasádhanam

Whenever one acquires átmajiṋánam, that is, when one knows, one gets the chance to realize what one is, then what does happen? One gets moksa. And, for this purpose, that is, to know one self the minimum qualification is “sukrtaermánavo bhútvá”. Passing through so many animal lives in the phase of pratisaiṋcara, one acquires a human body and is eligible – one has acquired the minimum qualifications.

Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.

“Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá.” In the phase of pratisaiṋcara, passing through clashes and cohesions, one acquires the human frame, the human structure. “Sukrtaeh” means, in old language, passing through so many forms of so many animals and so many clashes and so many cohesions one gets the human form and that is when one becomes a spiritual aspirant and not before that. While one is in the body of an animal one cannot do any spiritual practice. After getting a human body, if one does not utilize that body in spiritual pursuits, one is surely a fool, because he is not utilizing his potentialities. He is not utilizing one’s potentialities.

When one becomes jiṋánii then one attains mokśa. Also, in the first portion it is said, “Átmajiṋánam” and in the last portion also it has been said “Jiṋánii cenmokśamápnuyát.”

“Átmajiṋánam is jiṋánam”. What is átmajiṋánam? What is self-knowledge? What is self-realization? You see, it is the natural wont of each and every living being to see others, not to see himself. That is, whenever one becomes a subjective entity, he takes others as objective counterpart, but never the self as objective counterpart. One’s subjectivity never merges with objectivity and that is the trouble. You want to know so many things but you never want to know yourself. Your “self” is your nearest entity but you never want to know yourself. That is the pity, that is the trouble. Átmajiṋánam means a stage of objectlessness. Seeing one’s own self within oneself and not guiding any cognitive or psychic faculty towards any objectivity. You have got so many psychic faculties. You have got so many cognitive faculties, too but you always try to goad your psychic and cognitive faculties to other objects. But, if you withdraw all your psychic and cognitive faculties and goad these faculties towards yourself and be at peace without coming in contact with any objective world that phase of your mind and spirit, that stance of [[non-]]relativity, is átmajiṋánam. It is the true jiṋánam because all other knowledges are contaminated by relativities. This jiṋánam, because of its non-dependence on any second objectivity is of absolute character and it is átmajiṋánam. For acquiring this átmajiṋánam one need not go through volumes of books. One should develop sincere urge to attain this átmajiṋánam and develop love for the Supreme. This is the sádhaná. And in this process, after self-realization, one attains salvation. This is the reply of Shiva. So this should be treated as ágama.