Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 5
प्रणवविभागः—वेदस्वरूपत्वं लिङ्गे च प्रतिष्ठा
The Division of Oṃ, Its Vedic Forms, and Its Placement in the Liṅga
अर्धमात्रात्मको नादः श्रूयते लिंगमूर्धनि । विभक्ते ऽपि तदा तस्मिन्प्रणवे परमाक्षरे
ardhamātrātmako nādaḥ śrūyate liṃgamūrdhani | vibhakte 'pi tadā tasminpraṇave paramākṣare
ที่ยอดลึงค์ มีนาทะซึ่งมีสภาวะเป็น “ครึ่งมาตรา” ปรากฏให้ได้ยิน และแม้เมื่อแยกปรณวะ—อักษรสูงสุด “โอม”—ออกเป็นส่วน ๆ นาทะอันละเอียดนั้นก็ยังคงอยู่เป็นแก่นเหนือโลกของมัน।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: The ‘crown of the liṅga’ (liṅga-mūrdhan) bearing nāda suggests the liṅga as a vertical ascent from gross to subtle, culminating in the transcendent (ardhamātrā).
Significance: Hearing/realizing nāda at the ‘crown’ symbolizes ascent to the highest awareness; supports contemplative liberation through Śiva’s grace (anugraha).
Mantra: oṃ (praṇava) with ardhamātrā-nāda as its transcendent essence
Type: gayatri
Role: teaching
FAQs
It points to the subtlest aspect of Oṁ—the half‑mātrā (ardhamātrā)—as the transcendent nāda that leads the seeker beyond differentiated sound into Shiva-consciousness (Pati), the source of liberation.
The Liṅga is treated as the sacred support (ālambana) for meditation: at its “crown” the practitioner contemplates/realizes the inner resonance of Praṇava, moving from saguna symbol to the nirguna reality it signifies.
Praṇava-japa with nāda-anusandhāna (listening to the inner sound) while meditating on the Liṅga—especially focusing awareness at the “upper” point/crown—so the mind merges into the subtle ardhamātrā beyond A-U-M.