ArdhanarIshvarar अर्धनारीश्वर

ArdhanarIshvarar अर्धनारीश्वर

Ardha nari Ishvarar अर्ध नारी ईश्वर: half female God (Bhoga Murti भोग मूर्ती  ). The above Picture I have taken from Sukhumvit, Bangkok,

In the form of male and female, matted hair with moon, axe, smeared in red (Aruna अरुणा), wearing snakes and the skin of tiger, embracing the bull and with a bent leg, this the right half, and the left black in colour, hand holding a (lily) flower close to the chest, with a silk like lotus foot, wearing gold ornaments, salutations to the Half female God.

Sage Brhingi संत  भृंगी  is one of the ardent devotees of Lord Shiva भगवान् शिव. He used to worship only Lord Shiva and not Shakti शक्ति. Goddess Shakti शक्ति, being the power as the name indicates, pulled out the energy from Brhingi Maharishi's body. Now he was even unable to stand. He pleaded to God. God Shiva provided him with a stick. On its support he stood and still worshipped Lord Shiva भगवान् शिव alone. Goddess shakti शक्ति wanted to become an inseparable part of Lord Shiva's भगवान् शिव form. She observed the Kedhara maha vrata केदार महा व्रत austerity, which is now known as Deepavali दीपावली. Pleased with her austerity, Lord Shiva granted her the boon of being part of His form. So the Lord now appeared male on the right side and female on the left side and hence became ardhanarishvara अर्धनारीश्वर.

Significance of this form

This is one of the very important forms of God, Hindus worship. This is a much-hailed form in scriptures of various languages. Hindus do not say that the God is only male. God is male - female and neuter too! Since God is conceptually beyond sex, though gets referred as He/She many times, it is more appropriate to refer as it, especially at its intrinsic condition, as do many Hindu scriptures.

Philosophically, this form is quite associated with the Grace of God. Shiva शिव and Shakti शक्ति is one and the same Supreme. The formless God is called Parashiva पराशिव. On Its own free-will for the benefit of pashus पाशु (souls), which are drowned in pasha (bondage), it thinks to create the worlds. Its dynamism of creation thus springs out of it, which is called Shakti शक्ति. Now Shiva शिव and its power Shakti शक्ति create everything. This is the form of their togetherness that springs out of Lord Shiva भगवान् शिव. Because of this the form is associated with the grace of God. Shiva and Shakti शक्ति though the same may also act independently. They are associated like the person and the action of the person. They are one and the same like the ice and the water - one becomes the other. For this reason scriptures describe that Shakti शक्ति to Shiva शिव is a wife (they are together), mother (Shakti शक्ति becomes Shiva - so Shiva comes out of Shakti शक्ति) and daughter (Shiva become Shakti शक्ति). Poet Kalidasa कालिदास hails them as inseparable like the word and its meaning, the letter and pronunciation!!