In Indian art, Purusha is depicted by Shiva in the form of a white, ashen corpse
with an erect penis. He is so internalized his body does not sense the world.
Prakriti appears as bloodthirsty Kali. Dark and naked with unbound hair, she is sexual
and violent simultaneously. She copulates with Shiva and by doing so, forces him to
acknowledge the outer world where Matter manifests in various forms. At the same
time, she seeks to draw out his energy, into her life-giving womb.
Thus the physical act of copulation signifies the fusing of inner and outer worlds –
of Spirit and Matter – thereby creating new life.
The marriage of Shiva and Kali transforms both of them. After they unite, Kali becomes Gauri – Nature that is fertile and nurturing. And corpse-like Shiva transforms into consciousness that is attentive. After this transformation, civilization offers the Goddess clothes, jewellery and fertility symbols because it wants to see her as the maternal Gauri and not bloodthirsty Kali.
Nature is thus domesticated for Mankind.