What Does Kailash Really Mean?

Question

A word “Kailash” appeared earlier. What does Kailash mean?

Answer

The word Kailash is formed from kil and ās. In Sanskrit, kil means “certain” or “definite,” and ās means “to be” or “to exist.” So the meaning of Kailash is “that which certainly exists,” “that which definitely is.”

The Purāṇas say that Shiva resides in Kailash. Why?
Because we all know that Shiva refers to the consciousness that certainly exists—the eternal, unchanging reality. It can never cease; it is always there, eternal and timeless. To express this certainty, the Purāṇas use two words: Shiva and Kailash. Kailash means that which is always present, eternal, everlasting.

Just as earlier we read that Dasharatha lives in Ayodhya: Dasharatha means a pure and sacred mind, and Ayodhya also means a pure, sacred, steady mind. The use of both words emphasizes the meaning: a pure mind lives in a pure place.

Similarly here, Shiva means the consciousness that is eternal, and to reinforce this, they use the word Kailash—meaning the reality that is forever, eternal, and imperishable.