Ardhanariswara

He' Paarvathee Hrudhayavallaba Chandramoule'
Boodhaathiba Pramadhanaadha Girisavaasa |
He' Vaamadhe'va bhavarudhra Pinaakapaane'
Samsaaradh:ukkaka Hanaath Jadheesa Raksha ||

The concept of the Hindu Trinity, establishing Brahma as the creator, Vishnu as the preserver and Siva as the destroyer was taught to the simple peasants by the Rishis.

Shiva is sometimes depicted as fiercefull god with terrifying weapons and frightening face. In fact Shiva is not at all firecefull or frightening and this fact can be understood while we have an in-depth study of Vedas and Upanishads. Shiva is very merciful and loving in nature. He always gives his devotees whatever is asked for. He is the one who gave immense powers to Ravana, Surapadma, Tharasura and many more assuras. He is muscular while fighting with evils and that is why he is called the Destroyer of evils. He is feminine while gracing his devotees with love and that is why he is called Thaummanavar. He is the male and He is the female. He is the Shiva and he is the Sakthi. Without Shiva there is no Sakthi and without Sakthi there is no Shiva. The Shivaskathi Concept is enshrined in Ardanareeswar where we can see our mother in the left and our father in the right. An iconographical and textual depiction of Siva, which epitomizes this dynamic most powerfully, is through the figure of Ardhanareeswara.

Ardhanareeswara´s iconographical embodiment of paradox and the meeting of dualities-embodied sonically as well as visually-mirrors a similar paradox and synthesis embodied by individual men and women. The male hormone Testosterone in women and the female hormone Estrogen in men testify to the fact that characteristics of both sexes are present in each one of us. The production of these in our bodies keeps our personalities and our bodies in balance. The differences are brought together in the beautifully conceived anthropomorphic form of Ardhanareeswara. The form encompasses every thing from action to inaction, eternal rest to endless activity, the terrible and the benign. The Devi depicted on the left half of the deity, is the power of god by which creation, protection, and destruction of the universe is accomplished. The philosophy of the Ardhanareeswara places the genders on equal terms without question.