Are Shiva/Shakti exactly the same as Purusha/Prakriti? Or are there philosophical and historical differences between the two pairs?
My understanding is that on the ultimate level there is only One, any duality is due to the modifications of the mind.
Shiva /Shakti and Purusha /Prakriti are refined and modified, emphasising different expressions of this one energy as it appears to manifest, neither can express the totality due to the limitations and inherant duality of language.
Shiva/Shakti and Purush/Prakriti are two sides of the same coin with the following difference .
Prakriti is Maya . Shakti is not Maya. Prakriti is TRIGUNATMAK ( three GUNAS…satva , rajas and tamas). Prakriti is material universe. Prakriti is JAAD. Shiva and Shakti are inseparable from each other. Purush is Jiva or individual soul. Shiva is Ishwar. Purush and Prakriti is concept of Sankhya . There are 24 elements of Prakriti and 25th is Purush . It lacks the element of Ishwar. In Yoga the 26th element is Ishwar in addition to 25 elemets of Sankhya.
They are both same, shiva and shakti = prakriti and purusha.
Prakriti and Purush concept is from the Sankhya school of Maharishi Kapil muni. Prakriti and Purush only difference with Shiva and Shakti is that Prakriti and Purush only have ultimate spiritual value but Shiva and Shakti also has ultimate spiritual value along with common relateable terms.
For eg, a women and a man cannot be termed Prakriti and Purush because Purusha is the size of ones thumb. except purusha everything is prakriti but in tantra Women are exclusively refered to as shakti while as a male tantric practisioner is Shiva,
This is a very interesting question, one that I wish I had a better answer to.
From what I know, Shiva is Purusha and Shakti is Prakriti, but both are really just Shiva.
HE - SHE
SHIVA - SHAKTI
HE can be without SHE
SHE needs HE (S’HE’) to be SHE.
(no relation to masculine/feminine whatosoever)