Shloka 24
सृष्टिवर्णनम्
Cosmogony and the Roles of the Trimūrti
सृज्यमानाः प्रजाश्चैव नावर्द्धन्त यदा तदा । द्विधा कृत्वात्मनो देहं स्त्री चैव पुरुषोऽभवत्
sṛjyamānāḥ prajāścaiva nāvarddhanta yadā tadā | dvidhā kṛtvātmano dehaṃ strī caiva puruṣo'bhavat
But when the beings being created did not increase, then he divided his own body into two, and thus became both woman and man.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana’s account, within the Uma-saṃhitā philosophical-creation context)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Ardhanārīśvara
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: creative
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: Restoration of fertility/proliferation through polar differentiation (male/female) within the creator’s body
FAQs
It explains that worldly proliferation begins through the appearance of duality (male and female), while Shaiva Siddhanta points beyond this to the higher truth: Pati (Shiva) remains the transcendent Lord who empowers creation through Shakti yet is not limited by bodily division.
The Linga symbolizes Shiva as the formless-transcendent (nirguṇa) reality that nevertheless manifests powerfully as the source of forms (saguṇa). The division into man and woman reflects manifest nature, while Linga-worship draws the devotee back to the unifying principle beyond all opposites.
Meditate on the unity of Śiva-Śakti while chanting the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” recognizing that all dualities arise in creation but are reconciled in Shiva-consciousness; offer worship to the Linga with bhakti to transcend binding differentiation (pāśa).