The Concept & Significance Of Ardhanarishvara

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Have you ever heard of the God who is half man and half woman? The deity is popularly known as the 'ardhanarishvara' meaning lord who is half woman. You must be wondering as to what it implies? Is God a man or a woman? Let us find out about the concept of Ardhanarishvara.

Ardhanarishvara is an androgynous deity composed of Shiva and his consort Shakti, representing the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies. According to many scriptures, everything in this universe originates from Ardhanarishvara and goes back into Ardhanarishvara after completion of its lifetime. This view is supported by a lot of arguments.

The Samkhya texts state that there are two distinct fundamental eternal entities: the Purusha and the Prakriti. The Prakriti has three qualities: sattva (purity or preservation), rajas (creation) and tamas (darkness or destruction). When the equilibrium between these qualities gets broken, the act of creation starts. Rajas quality leads to creation.

Therefore, Purusha and Prakriti cannot exist independent of each other. They must exist together and in harmony in order to create. The Devi Bhagwat Purana says that Purusha (Shiva, in material form) worshipped and meditated on Adishakti for thousands of years, using the beej mantra "Kleem".

Image Courtesy: Anant Shivaji Desai, Ravi Varma Press

She then incarnated in front of him in the form of Sidhidatri, from the left half of Lord Shiva. The same purana mentions Parvati, the Goddess of power and beauty, which is considered her Sagun Swaroop (human form). That is to say Parvati is seen as the truest material form of the Goddess, possessing the three qualities (sattva, rajas, or tamas).

From the union of Purusha and Prakriti, emerged all other Gods and Goddesses. Lord Vishnu, thus became the preserver of creation. From the navel of Vishnu emerged Brahma who took a few elements of Prakriti to create life and so He became the creator. Shiva took the role of destroyer to facilitate new creation. Thus, the holy trinity came into existence.

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The Shiva Purana describes that the creator, Brahma created all male beings, the Prajapatis, and told them to regenerate, which they were unable to do. Confronted with the slow pace of creation, Brahma was perplexed and asked Shiva for help. To enlighten Brahma of his folly, Shiva appeared before him as Ardhanarishvara. Brahma prayed to the female half of Shiva to give him a female energy to continue creation. The Goddess agreed and created various female powers from Her body, thereby allowing creation to progress.

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Coming back to the significance of Ardhanarishvara, the ardhnarishvara personifies the dissolution of sectarian strains and the adoption of a more holistic, all embracing worldview. Ardhanarishvara signifies "totality that lies beyond duality", that God is beyond the classification of male and female. It unifies all the dichotomies of Universe. It represents two conflicting ways of life which are needed for life to be created. Therefore, none can exist without the other.

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Across cultures, hermaphrodite figures like Ardhanarishvara have traditionally been associated with fertility and abundant growth. In this form, Shiva in His eternal embrace with Prakriti represents the eternal reproductive power of Nature, whom He regenerates after she loses her fertility.

It also answers the question as to why a wife must always sit at the left hand side of her husband. The wife traditionally sits to the left of the husband and is often called vamangi or the left-sided one. The left side is the location of the heart and is associated with feminine characteristics like intuition and creativity, while the right is associated with the brain and masculine traits - logic, valour and systematic thought.