Shloka 48
वायव्ये वायवे दिक्षु समस्तासु ततो दिशाम् ब्रह्मणे चान्तरिक्षाय भानवे च क्षिपेद् बलिम्
vāyavye vāyave dikṣu samastāsu tato diśām brahmaṇe cāntarikṣāya bhānave ca kṣiped balim
In the north-western quarter one should cast a bali offering to Vāyu; thereafter, in all directions, one should duly present the bali. One should also cast offerings to Brahmā, to Antarikṣa (the mid-space), and to Bhānu, the Sun.
Sage Parāśara (in discourse to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Allocation of bali offerings by direction and to Vāyu, Brahmā, Antarikṣa, and Sūrya
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)
Concept: By honoring directional deities and cosmic functions (wind, mid-space, sun, creator), the gṛhastha aligns domestic life with the universal order.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice ‘ecological’ and social reverence—acknowledge air, space, and sunlight as sustaining powers; cultivate disciplined offerings/charity that recognize interdependence.
Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic functions (vāyu, sūrya, antarikṣa) are treated as ordered limbs within the Lord’s governance, supporting the view of a world pervaded and regulated by the Supreme.
FAQs
It ritually acknowledges the quarters as living cosmic powers and aligns the performer with dharma by honoring the ordered structure of space governed within Viṣṇu’s cosmic sovereignty.
Parāśara presents them as presiding principles of the cosmos—wind, creation/intellect, the mid-region, and solar authority—who are honored so the rite mirrors the universe’s functional harmony.
Even when specific deities receive offerings, the Purāṇic framework treats them as operating within the one supreme order sustained by Viṣṇu, so the act becomes participation in His all-pervading governance of the worlds.