God And Gender In Hinduism
In Hinduism there are diverse approaches to the understanding of God and gender.
While many Hindus focus upon impersonal Absolute, Brahman which is of neuter gender grammatically, there are prominent Hindu traditions that conceive God as both female and male. The Shakta tradition conceives of a female Goddess which is held as the source of the male form of God. Other schools of thought like the Samkhya, view the creation of the cosmos as the result of the play of two radically distinct principles: the feminine matter (Prakriti) and the masculine spirit (Purusha). Prakriti is the primordial matter which is present before the cosmos becomes manifest. Prakriti is seen as being "...the power of nature, both animate and inanimate. As such, nature is seen as dynamic energy" (Rae, 1994). Prakriti is originally passive, immobile and pure potentiality by nature . Only through her contact with the kinetic Purusha she unfolds into the diverse forms before us. The idea of Prakriti/Purusha leads to the concept of the Divine Consort. Almost every deva of the Hindu pantheon has a feminine consort (devi).
Read more about God And Gender In Hinduism: Smarta and Advaita, Shiva and Vishnu, Shakti, Radha Krishna, Ardhangini: The Cornerstone of Relationships
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