Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 30
Śiva’s Freedom from Bondage and His Cosmic Support (शिवस्य अबन्धत्वं तथा सर्वाधिष्ठानत्वम्)
सर्वं तिसृभिरेवेदं मात्राभिर्निखिलं त्रिधा । अभिधाय शिवात्मानं बोधयत्यर्धमात्रया
sarvaṃ tisṛbhirevedaṃ mātrābhirnikhilaṃ tridhā | abhidhāya śivātmānaṃ bodhayatyardhamātrayā
Tout ceci—l’univers entier dans sa triple division—est exprimé par les trois mātrās (de Oṃ). Mais par la demi-mātrā, on est éveillé à la réalisation que Śiva est le Soi même : le Seigneur transcendant au-delà de la triade, dispensateur de la connaissance libératrice.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā teaching to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Mantra: sarvaṃ tisṛbhirevedaṃ mātrābhirnikhilaṃ tridhā | abhidhāya śivātmānaṃ bodhayatyardhamātrayā
Type: gayatri
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that the manifest threefold cosmos is symbolized by the three mātrās of Oṃ (A-U-M), while the half-mātrā—silent transcendence—reveals Shiva as the innermost Self and the liberator beyond all categories.
The three mātrās can be contemplated as Saguna expression (name, form, and cosmic functions), while the half-mātrā points to Shiva’s Nirguna reality—like the Linga, which signifies the formless Absolute while still being worshiped through a sacred form.
Japa and dhyāna on Oṃ: chant A-U-M distinctly, then rest attention in the ensuing silence (ardha-mātrā). This aligns well with Shaiva practice alongside Panchākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and inner stillness aimed at moksha.