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
لِنگ کے تاج پر نصف ماترا کی ماہیت والا ناد سنائی دیتا ہے۔ اور پرم اَکشر پرنَو (اوم) کو اجزا میں بانٹنے پر بھی وہی لطیف ناد اس کی ماورائی حقیقت کے طور پر باقی رہتا ہے۔
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.