Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 19
शब्दब्रह्मतनुवर्णनम् — Description of the Form of Śabda-Brahman
उकाराख्यो हरिर्योनिः प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरः । बीजी च बीजं तद्योनिर्नादाख्यश्च महेश्वरः
ukārākhyo hariryoniḥ pradhānapuruṣeśvaraḥ | bījī ca bījaṃ tadyonirnādākhyaśca maheśvaraḥ
音节“U”，名为哈利（Hari），乃子宫（本源），为统御原质（Pradhāna）与灵我（Puruṣa）之主。祂既是持种者，亦是种子本身；而此子宫即是名为“那达”（Nāda，原初之声）的摩诃自在天（Maheśvara）。
Suta Goswami (narrating the Rudrasaṃhitā account to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Mantra: उकाराख्यो हरिर्योनिः प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरः । बीजी च बीजं तद्योनिर्नादाख्यश्च महेश्वरः
Role: creative
Cosmic Event: emergence of Nāda as causal vibration; Pradhāna–Puruṣa governance
FAQs
The verse teaches that the sustaining cosmic principle (Hari, linked here with the “U” sound) and the entire causal chain of creation ultimately rest in Maheśvara as Nāda—the primordial vibration—affirming Śiva as the supreme source (Pati) behind all manifesting powers.
Nāda is a subtle indicator (liṅga) of the Supreme: in Saguna worship, devotees approach Śiva through sound (mantra) and form (Liṅga), recognizing that the visible Liṅga and audible mantra both point to the same Maheśvara who is the causal womb of creation.
Meditation on praṇava (Om) and mantra-japa with awareness of Nāda (inner sound) is suggested—hearing the mantra as Śiva’s vibration while worshipping the Liṅga, aligning the mind with the causal source rather than only external forms.