Shloka 5
Matsya Purana — Secondary Creation: Appointment of Cosmic Regents and Consecration of Directi...
दैत्याधिपानामथ दानवानां प्रह्लादमीशं च यमं पितॄणाम् पिशाचरक्षःपशुभूतयक्षवेतालराजं त्व् अथ शूलपाणिम् //
daityādhipānāmatha dānavānāṃ prahlādamīśaṃ ca yamaṃ pitṝṇām piśācarakṣaḥpaśubhūtayakṣavetālarājaṃ tv atha śūlapāṇim //
I bow to Prahlāda, the lord of the Daityas and Dānavas; to Yama, ruler of the Pitṛs (the ancestral realm); and to Śūlapāṇi (Śiva), sovereign over piśācas, rākṣasas, beasts, bhūtas, yakṣas, and the king of vetālas.
FAQs
It does not describe Pralaya directly; it establishes a cosmic hierarchy of rulers over various realms and beings, a typical Purāṇic framing that situates later cosmological events within an ordered universe.
As an invocatory salutation, it reflects the Purāṇic ethic of beginning undertakings with remembrance of cosmic governors (like Yama for dharma and judgment), reinforcing accountability, moral order, and auspicious commencement for rulers and householders alike.
Ritually, it functions as a protective stuti—invoking Śūlapāṇi as sovereign over disruptive spirits (bhūtas, vetālas, etc.), a common rationale for consecration and safeguarding rites that also appear in temple and Vastu-related ceremonies.