Lord Ardhanarishvara: Shiva and Shakti together

Lord Ardhanarishvara: Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati are one of the most celebrated and famous Gods in the Hindu pantheon. Shiva is known for his equality and neutral view as he sees everyone as equal and one.
Lord Shiva is also known for his love towards his consort, Mata Parvati. It is said that Shiva cannot live without Parvati as she is the source of energy for him.
This is why, Shiva and Shakti are sometimes shown in a very unique form known as Ardhanarishvara. Ardha in Sanskrit means Half. Nari means a woman and Isvara means God. So when we combine these three words, it becomes Ardhanarishvara.
Ardhanarishvara means a God with Half woman and Half man body. As I said that Lord Shiva is inseparable from Mata Parvati. This form of Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati shows a very unique point in the oneness of Male and Female powers.
In this blog post, I will tell you about Lord Ardhanarishvara and what is the reason behind showing Shiva and Shakti in this form.

Who is Lord Ardhanarishvara?

According to the scriptures, once a sage used to live named Bhringi. He was an ardent devotee of Shiva. But he didn’t worshipped any other god. He was so fond of Shiva, that he even refused to worship Mata Parvati.
He used to think that only Shiva is Supreme God and rest all are nothing. One day he went Kailash to worship and greet Lord Shiva, but Parvati was also present there.
He instantly refused that he will not worship Parvati. He said that he will only worship Shiva. It was then Shiva took the form of Ardhanarishvara.
Seeing this Sage Bhringi realized his mistake and sought forgiveness from Parvati. He understood that Shiva and Shakti are one and equal.

What does Ardhanarishvara represent?

Lord Ardhanarishvara represents the equality of Shiva and Shakti. As Shiva believes in equality, he sees everyone as one and equal.
This unique form represents that Man and Woman are equal and they should work with proper cooperation so that the world should progress.
If we talk in the spiritual perspective and metaphysical way, Shiva symbolizes Purusha and Parvati symbolizes Prakriti. Purusha is the supreme cosmic being and Prakriti symbolizes the nature. Purusha is also called as the supreme God.
This universe and it’s energies are known as Prakriti. So the form of Ardhanarishvara represents that Purusha and Prakriti are one and inseparable. It means that the Universe and the Supreme God are one and they cannot be separated.
The union of Male power and Female power gives rise to a new life as you see in the process of procreation.
Scroll to Top