ardhanarishvara means the half feminine form of ishvara (Shiva) this form is a combined form of Shiva and Shakti. It is the union of Shiva and shakti and expresses their oneness.This is one of the most important forms of Shiva described in the shaivagamas, puranas, and mantra shastrasacharya Adishankara bhagavadpada composes this hymn to praise this particular form of Shiva. Worshiping this form is equivalent to worshiping Shiva and Shakti together.The kind acharya attaches two mantras in the ending verse of each shloka. The two mantras are the Shiva panchakshari (namah shivaya) and shakti panchakshari (namah shivayai) The hymn is an octet comprised of eight shlokas and one other shloka describing the benefits of reciting this hymn.In ardhanarishvara form of Shiva, one half is feminine and other half is masculine, hence acharya Adishankara bhagavadpada uses words denoting feminine gender for the feminine half and the words denoting masculine gender...