Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 3
प्रणवविभागः—वेदस्वरूपत्वं लिङ्गे च प्रतिष्ठा
The Division of Oṃ, Its Vedic Forms, and Its Placement in the Liṅga
तदा विभक्तमभवच्चतुर्धैकं तदक्षरम् । अ उ मेति त्रिमात्राभिः परस्ताच्चार्धमात्रया
tadā vibhaktamabhavaccaturdhaikaṃ tadakṣaram | a u meti trimātrābhiḥ parastāccārdhamātrayā
そのとき、唯一の不滅の音節は四つに分かれた。三つの量（マー トラー）として「A・U・M」となり、さらにそれらを超えて、音を超越する半量（アルダマー トラー）となった。これは「オーム」の後の沈黙において悟られる、至上の主（パティ）シヴァを指し示す。
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā teaching to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a specific Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse teaches Praṇava (Oṃ) analysis—A-U-M plus ardhamātrā (silence)—as the revelatory key to realizing Śiva beyond sound.
Significance: Contemplation of the ardhamātrā (the silence after Oṃ) is presented as a direct contemplative approach to Pati (Śiva) beyond vāc (speech), supporting inner pilgrimage (antar-yātrā).
Mantra: oṃ (praṇava) understood as A-U-M + ardhamātrā (amātra/śānta)
Type: gayatri
Role: teaching
FAQs
It explains Oṁ (praṇava) as the imperishable sound-form divided into A-U-M, culminating in the ardhamātrā—symbolizing the transcendence of all vibration and the direct realization of Śiva beyond mind and speech.
A-U-M supports Saguna worship through audible mantra and contemplative form, while the ardhamātrā indicates the Nirguna culmination—where the devotee’s awareness rests in Śiva as pure consciousness, the inner ‘liṅga’ of realization.
Japa and dhyāna on Oṁ: mentally contemplate A, U, M in sequence, then abide in the silence after the sound (ardhamātrā) as a meditative doorway to Śiva; this can be integrated with daily Śiva-pūjā and Mahāśivarātri mantra practice.