What's the origin of man and woman? Was it the Big Bang that led to an inexplicable chemical reaction? Or was it the many phases of evolution that transformed a single cell organism into two different beings? Hindu ideologies, being one of the ancient studies of life & nature, depicts nature as God & formulates various theories that justify the creation of humankind. Following this ideology, Ardhanarishwar, one of the major forms of Lord Shiva, is considered to be the propagator of human life on earth.
The Hindu ideology otherwise known as the Sanātana Dharma is the oldest religious belief in the history of mankind. It is often wrongly conceived that the rules & guidelines of this belief are based on mythological stories. However, the Sanātana Dharma follows the natural and eternal way of living.
As per this belief, human life on earth is believed to be created by the unification of two celestial beings; Purusha & Prakriti. Here, Purusha is referred to as the cosmic energy of life & matter which is the reason behind all creations & destructions whereas Prakriti denotes Nature.
The story of Ardhanarishwar can be found in pauranik & vedic texts. The term ‘Ardhanarishwar’ is created by combining ‘ardha’, ‘nari’, ‘ishwar’ where Ardha means half, Nari means the female form i.e Prakriti or Shakti & Ishwar means Purusha or Shiva. Shiva is considered to be born from the pure energy form of fire that needs no fuel. Hence, He represents the energy that creates life on earth through the confluence with Shakti. Shakti on the other hand represents the nature around us, on which we’re dependent for our survival.
Prakriti evolves in response to Purusha, and its internal elements change further, leading to the formation of the Pancha Maha Bhutas, or the Five Great Elements. The physical universe we are familiar with comprises primarily the Pancha Maha Bhutas, namely, Akasha (Ether or Space), Vayu (Air), Agni (Fire), Jala (Water) and Prithvi (Earth).
The iconography of Ardhanarishwar can be found in most Shiva temples in India. Vaital Deul in Ekamra Kshetra also displays this creative architectural element on its temple wall.
Do you know any other theory behind Ardhanarishwar? Let us know in the comment section below.
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