Ardhanarishvara is "a goddess/god who is half woman" The goddess Shiva in a particular form, with feminine shape, clothing, and adornment on the left side and masculine features and dress on the right.
The image and depictions may be interpreted in a variety of ways.
- Shiva's capacity to transcend all duality is one of his divine qualities, and this half-woman, half-man picture represents his mastery over even the most fundamental human difference, sexual identity.
- This image symbolizes not only the radically different natures of these two divine principles, but also their inseparability in action, in the context of the esoteric ritual tradition known as tantra, which describes the universe as the result of the interaction between the divine principles of awareness (Shiva) and power (Shakti).
- The androgyne is a word used to describe the Ardhanarishvara; however, this phrase is misleading since the picture does not depict the loss of sexual traits associated with androgyny, but rather the complete development of both on their respective sides.
- It is important to note that this entity encapsulates the union of the fully formed female and male deities, Shiva and Shakthi, although the use of the term Ardha(half) may misinform otherwise.
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