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==Concept==
Maithuna entails male-female couples and their union in the physical, sexual sense as synonymous with [[kriya]] nishpatti (mature cleansing).<ref name=Devi>{{cite book |last=Devi |first=Kamala |title=The Eastern Way of Love |pages=19–27 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |year=1977 |isbn=0-671-22448-4}}</ref> Just as neither spirit nor matter by itself is effective but both working together bring harmony so is maithuna effective only then when the union is [[consecrated]]. The couple become for the time being divine: she is [[Shakti]] and he is [[Shiva]], and they confront ultimate reality and experiences [[Ānanda (Hindu philosophy)|bliss]] through union. The scriptures warn that unless this spiritual transformation occurs, the union is incomplete.<ref>{{cite book |last=Garrison |first=Omar |title=Tantra: the Yoga of Sex |publisher=Causeway Books |year=1964 |page=103 |isbn=0-88356-015-1}}</ref> However, some writers, sects and schools like [[Paramahansa Yogananda|Yogananda]] consider this to be a purely mental and symbolic act, without actual intercourse.<ref name=Devi/>
Yet it is possible to experience a form of maithuna not solely just through the physical union. The act can exist on a metaphysical plane with sexual energy penetration, in which the shakti and shakta transfer energy through their [[Three Bodies Doctrine#Sukshma sarira - subtle body|subtle bodies]] as well. It is when this transfer of energy occurs that the couple, incarnated as goddess and god via diminished [[Ahamkara|egos]], confronts ultimate reality and experiences bliss through sexual union of the subtle bodies.<ref name=Elia/>
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