Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 5
शुक्रस्य जठरस्थत्वं तथा मृत्युशमनी-विद्या (Śukra in Śiva’s belly and the death-subduing vidyā)
अथ च लब्धवान्विद्यां तां मृत्युशमनीं पराम् । का सा विद्या परा तात यथा मृत्युर्हि वार्यते
atha ca labdhavānvidyāṃ tāṃ mṛtyuśamanīṃ parām | kā sā vidyā parā tāta yathā mṛtyurhi vāryate
Et de plus, il obtint cette vidyā suprême qui apaise la mort. Dis-moi, cher enfant : quelle est cette connaissance la plus haute par laquelle la mort elle-même est véritablement retenue ?
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the dialogue within the Yuddhakhaṇḍa)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: No Jyotirliṅga specified; the focus is on mṛtyu-śamanī parā-vidyā—knowledge/grace that overcomes death, a pan-Śaiva soteriological theme.
Type: mahamrityunjaya
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse points to a “parā vidyā” that pacifies the terror of death—Shaiva Siddhānta understands this as Shiva-centered saving knowledge (pati-jñāna) that loosens pāśa (bondage) and turns the soul toward liberation rather than mere worldly longevity.
In the Shiva Purana, the highest knowledge is typically approached through Saguna Shiva worship—Linga-upāsanā, mantra-japa, and devotion—by which the mind becomes fit for Shiva’s grace; that grace ripens practice into liberating insight where “death” is overcome as bondage and fear.
A practical takeaway is Shiva-mantra upāsanā—especially steady japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with Linga worship; such disciplined remembrance is presented as a death-subduing sādhanā when done with purity, devotion, and surrender to Shiva.