Page:Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Purānic.djvu/352

 and in the other a spoon used for stirring rice when it is being boiled. Siva, as a mendicant, is receiving alms from her. She is the guardian deity of many Hindus, who have a proverb to the effect that a sincere disciple of this deity will never want rice. It is in connection with this form of Durgā, that the “Linga

Purāna" gives a legend explaining an image called Ardhanārishwara, which represents Siva and Durgā