The most fundamental of Hindu deities, is the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - popular deities include Ganesha, Krishna, Hanuman and goddesses like Lakshmi, Durga,Saraswati.
Shiva, Shankar, Dakshineshwar so many names describe Shiva.Each of these names highlights an aspect of Shiva, as Shiva is never just one. Here are some legends that deal with the creation of the cosmos and Shiva in his many manifestations.
Ardhanaranari
When nothing existed neither time nor space nor the earth or gods or heavens. Brahma, the creator, slept peacefully within his golden lotus, the hiranyagarbha. he had not yet created the world.
Brahma awoke to begin his work of creating the universe. He first created the prajapatis (fathers of all creatures) and told them to go forth and multiply. He had no answer when they asked him how. A divine voice said: "You have created the fathers but not the mothers?" With that message was created the image of the cosmic human being who contained the whole world within itself. It was Ardhanaranari - its left half was a woman while its right half was a man.
Brahma realised he had produced only one half of creation in the prajapatis. He had totally ignored the feminine side and thus he created the first woman- Ushas.
