Shrikanthardhasharirani (श्रीकण्ठार्धशरीरिणी, IAST: śrīkaṇṭhārdhaśarīriṇī) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who shares Śiva's divine body as its sacred half”. From śrīkaṇṭha (an honored name of Śiva, 'he of the auspicious throat'), ardha (half), and śarīriṇī (she who has a body), this name celebrates Lalitā as the left half of the Ardhanārīśvara form, inseparable from Śiva.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The Ardhanārīśvara vision — Śiva and Śakti as a single body, male on the right and female on the left — is one of Hinduism's most profound statements of non-duality. By naming Lalitā śrīkaṇṭhārdhaśarīriṇī, the stotra declares that she is not separate from Śiva but literally constitutes half of ultimate reality. Śrīkaṇṭha, meaning 'auspicious-throated one,' alludes to Śiva who held the cosmic poison in his throat; Lalitā as his other half thus shares in that supreme act of protection.

This epithet is beloved in Śākta-Śaiva philosophy where the union of Śiva and Śakti is the ground of all existence; it appears as a cherished name in South Indian devotional traditions. The compound is lengthy for a given name, so it is often used in worship rather than as a personal name; a child might lovingly be called Ardhasharirani or simply Shrikanthi.

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Scriptural source

Shrikanthardhasharirani appears in the Lalitha Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Lalitha.