Shloka 126
Brahmin Right Conduct: Morning Remembrance, Bathing, Purification, and Tarpaṇa Method
श्रियं प्रत्यङ्मुखो भुंक्ते यशो भुङ्क्त उदङ्मुखः । प्राच्यां नरो लभेदायुर्याम्यां प्रेतत्वमश्नुते
śriyaṃ pratyaṅmukho bhuṃkte yaśo bhuṅkta udaṅmukhaḥ | prācyāṃ naro labhedāyuryāmyāṃ pretatvamaśnute
من أكلَ مُستقبِلًا الغرب نالَ الرخاء، ومن أكلَ مُستقبِلًا الشمال نالَ الذِّكرَ الحسن. ومن استقبلَ الشرق نالَ طولَ العمر، أمّا من استقبلَ الجنوب بلغَ حالَ «البريتا»؛ روحٍ هائمةٍ من الأرواح الراحلة.
Unspecified (narrative instruction within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa context)
Concept: Human destiny is influenced by alignment with cosmic order; even posture during eating is a dharmic choice with karmic resonance.
Application: When eating, face west for prosperity, north for fame, east for longevity; avoid south-facing habits that are said to invite tamasic decline and inauspicious afterlife imagery.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic mandala of the four directions surrounds a seated eater: to the west, Lakṣmī’s lotus coins and grain; to the north, a radiant banner of fame; to the east, a rising sun pouring nectar of longevity; to the south, Yama’s shadow and a pale preta-form fading into smoke as a warning. The central figure chooses the auspicious orientation, hands poised over a simple meal like a rite.","primary_figures":["householder","Lakṣmī (symbolic)","Dikpālas (symbolic)","Yama (shadowed, symbolic)","preta-form (symbolic)"],"setting":"ritualized domestic space transformed into a cosmic compass-mandala","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["lotus pink","sapphire blue","sunrise gold","emerald green","ash white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a central seated figure within a compass mandala; Lakṣmī in the west quadrant with gold leaf coins and lotus, Kubera-like northern wealth-fame motifs, a gold-leaf sun in the east, and a subdued dark southern Yama panel; heavy gold embellishment, rich reds/greens, ornate temple-arch framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined directional vignettes around a calm central meal; cool blues and soft greens; delicate sun rays in the east; lyrical symbolism rather than fear—south shown as a faint ghostly outline near a banyan shadow; Himalayan-like clarity and fine linework.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines; quadrant composition with iconic directional guardians; strong red/yellow/green pigments; stylized Yama in the south with restrained darkness; central figure rendered with temple-wall dignity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate floral borders and lotus motifs; quadrants filled with symbolic boons—grain heaps, banners, sun disc—while the south quadrant shows a pale preta silhouette among dark lotuses; deep blues and gold, intricate patterns, devotional symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell","temple bells","soft drone (tanpura)","wind through courtyard","brief hush on ‘preta-tva’"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रत्यङ्मुखः = प्रत्यङ् + मुखः; उदङ्मुखः = उदङ् + मुखः; लभेदायुः = लभेत् + आयुः (त् + आ → दा); प्रेतत्वमश्नुते = प्रेतत्वम् + अश्नुते (म् + अ → म)
FAQs
It gives directional guidance (dik-nirdesha) for sitting—especially while eating or performing daily acts—linking each direction with a specific result.
The verse promotes mindful, disciplined conduct in daily life, presenting traditional ideas of auspicious orientation and warning against inauspicious habits.
It denotes the condition of a preta—an unsettled post-death state in Purāṇic thought—used here as a strong warning against facing south for the stated act.