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
“我已略闻其事；如今请你再详说一遍。那位大瑜伽行者——持弓者毗那迦（主湿婆）——住在腹中时，做了什么？”
A questioning interlocutor in Sūta’s narration to the sages (likely Śaunaka or the assembled ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
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.