Shloka 126
श्रियं प्रत्यङ्मुखो भुंक्ते यशो भुङ्क्त उदङ्मुखः । प्राच्यां नरो लभेदायुर्याम्यां प्रेतत्वमश्नुते
śriyaṃ pratyaṅmukho bhuṃkte yaśo bhuṅkta udaṅmukhaḥ | prācyāṃ naro labhedāyuryāmyāṃ pretatvamaśnute
പടിഞ്ഞാറുമുഖമായി ഭക്ഷിക്കുന്നവൻ ശ്രീ-സമൃദ്ധി അനുഭവിക്കും; വടക്കുമുഖമായി ഭക്ഷിക്കുന്നവൻ യശസ്സ് നേടും. കിഴക്കുമുഖനായാൽ ദീർഘായുസ്സ് ലഭിക്കും; തെക്കുമുഖനായാൽ പ്രേതത്വം പ്രാപിക്കും.
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.