Ardha Nareeshwara Ashtakam

The name Ardhanarishvara means “the Lord who is half woman.“ It symbolizes that male and female principles are inseparable. The composite form conveys the unity of opposites (coniunctio oppositorum) in the universe. The male half of Ardhanarishvara stands for Purusha and female half is Prakriti. Purusha is the male principle and passive force of the universe, while Prakriti is the female active force; both are “constantly drawn to embrace and fuse with each other“. The union of Purusha (Shiva) and Prakriti