Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 2
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
Ăn mà quay mặt về hướng đông thì được trường thọ; quay về hướng nam thì được danh tiếng. Quay về hướng tây thì được phú quý; còn quay về hướng bắc khi ăn thì thọ hưởng ṛta—năng lực của chân lý và trật tự chính pháp.
Vyasa (narration within the dharma-instruction context)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
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.