Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A...
दृष्ट्वा तानर्दितान्देवः शूलं जग्राह दारुणम् तेन दैत्यसहस्राणि सूदयामास सत्वरः //
dṛṣṭvā tānarditāndevaḥ śūlaṃ jagrāha dāruṇam tena daityasahasrāṇi sūdayāmāsa satvaraḥ //
Seeing them being grievously harried, the Lord seized his fearsome trident; and with it he swiftly slew thousands of demons.
This verse does not address Pralaya; it focuses on a battlefield moment where a deity intervenes decisively by taking up the trident to destroy demonic forces.
Indirectly, it models the dharmic principle of protection: when the righteous are oppressed, decisive action against aggressors is warranted—an ideal mirrored in a king’s duty to protect subjects and restrain violent wrongdoers.
No Vastu/temple-architecture or ritual procedure is stated here; the technical focus is mythic iconography—specifically the śūla (trident) as a hallmark weapon of Śiva in Purāṇic tradition.