Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 2
शुक्रस्य जठरस्थत्वं तथा मृत्युशमनी-विद्या (Śukra in Śiva’s belly and the death-subduing vidyā)
इति श्रुतं समासान्मे तत्पुनर्ब्रूहि विस्तरात । किं चकार महायोगी जठरस्थः पिनाकिनः
iti śrutaṃ samāsānme tatpunarbrūhi vistarāta | kiṃ cakāra mahāyogī jaṭharasthaḥ pinākinaḥ
ഇത് ഞാൻ സംക്ഷേപമായി കേട്ടു; ഇനി വിശദമായി വീണ്ടും പറയുക. പിനാകധാരിയായ മഹായോഗി ഭഗവാൻ ശിവൻ ജഠരത്തിനുള്ളിൽ വസിച്ചിരിക്കെ എന്തു ചെയ്തു?
A questioning interlocutor in Sūta’s narration to the sages (likely Śaunaka or the assembled ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: The question ‘what did the Mahāyogin do within the belly?’ points to Śiva’s yogic sovereignty over interiority—inviting contemplatives to seek the ‘antar-liṅga’ (inner presence) beyond external appearances.
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva as Mahāyogī—unshaken and sovereign even in extreme conditions—pointing to the Shaiva Siddhānta vision of Pati (the Lord) as eternally free, whose actions arise from divine will and grace rather than compulsion.
By naming Śiva as Pinākin and Mahāyogī, the text directs the devotee toward Saguna contemplation—Śiva with attributes—while implying his transcendence; such narratives support devotional remembrance (smaraṇa) that matures into steadiness in Linga worship.
A practical takeaway is yogic recollection of Śiva as Mahāyogī through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with steady breath and mind, cultivating inner steadiness amid adversity.