In Indian mythology it is believed that Creation involved the splitting of the
androgynous Primal form – the Purusha. The split portion is identified as Prakriti;
and the two complement each other.
Purusha translates to ‘Man’ or Culture’ while Prakriti means ‘Nature’ or ‘Woman’.
These dual meaning words were further used to explain complex ideas. The
human male symbolizes the conscious Soul or Spirit, capable of choice. He is
the only organism that has the power to shed his seed at will. The human
female, on the other hand, symbolizes Nature or Matter, bound by the tides of
time. She sheds her seed involuntarily during menstruation and shows no shift
in form when aroused.
That Purusha and Prakriti exist after the Primal form splits itself implies that neither does Man create Woman and neither does Woman create Man. They come into existence simultaneously. Neither is autonomous and neither can exist independent of the other.