Bhojana-vidhi and Nitya-karman: Directions for Eating, Prāṇa-Oblations, Sandhyā, and Conduct Leading to Apavarga
आयुष्यं प्राङ्मुखो भुङ्क्ते यशस्यं दक्षिणामुखः / श्रियं प्रत्यङ्मुखो भुङ्क्ते ऋतं भुङ्क्ते उदङ्मुखाः
āyuṣyaṃ prāṅmukho bhuṅkte yaśasyaṃ dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ / śriyaṃ pratyaṅmukho bhuṅkte ṛtaṃ bhuṅkte udaṅmukhāḥ
مشرق رُخ ہو کر کھانے سے عمر دراز ہوتی ہے؛ جنوب رُخ ہو کر کھانے سے یَش (ناموری) ملتی ہے۔ مغرب رُخ ہو کر کھانے سے شری (دولت و برکت) ملتی ہے؛ اور شمال رُخ ہو کر کھانے سے ‘رت’—سچائی اور دھرم کی قوت—حاصل ہوتی ہے۔
Vyasa (narration within the dharma-instruction context)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Indirectly: it frames daily conduct as aligned with ṛta (cosmic order). In the Kurma Purana’s dharmic vision, living in harmony with ṛta prepares the mind for higher knowledge of the Self by cultivating sattva, discipline, and truthfulness.
It highlights preparatory discipline (niyama-like conduct) rather than a seated technique: regulating food and orientation as part of purity and order. Such external restraints support inner steadiness valued in Yoga-shastra and in the Kurma Purana’s broader ascetic and devotional regimen.
Not by naming them directly, but by emphasizing ṛta and Śrī—principles honored across Shaiva and Vaishnava frameworks. The Kurma Purana often harmonizes sectarian paths through shared dharma: orderly living and truth that support both devotion (bhakti) and yogic realization.