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PURUSHA

I

n Hindu philosophy,

Purusha

is the soul or eternal

spirit, and is conceived as a masculine entity. Over

time,

Purusha

came to represent “culture,” as

something that could flourish through the taming of

Prakriti

. The Hindu Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva

– represents the concept of

Purusha

as the creator,

preserver and destroyer respectively.

PRAKRITI

P

rakriti

is the basic matter that constitutes the

universe, contained within time and space.

Over time,

Prakriti

came to signify “nature,”

represented as a female entity to complement

Purusha

.

In Hindu philosophy, “nature” is often represented as the

Goddess – the all powerful feminine supreme force, or

Shakti.