Disha Shool: Which Direction Not to Travel Each Day, and the Remedy

Disha shool is the direction you should not set out towards on each day of the week: east on Monday and Saturday, west on Sunday and Friday, north on Tuesday and Wednesday, and south on Thursday. If you must go that way, each day has a simple remedy to take before you leave.

Last updated: 14 October 2026

The bags are packed and the car is waiting. Then an elder at the door asks: "Which way are you going today?"

With the day's direction and its remedy, you leave with the family's blessing.

Disha shool chart: which direction to avoid on each day

The disha shool chart gives one direction to avoid for each weekday, and the remedy that clears the way if you must travel in it.

Families keep the chart in a traditional saying, recited at the door for generations:

सोम सनीचर पुरब न चालू। मंगल बुध उत्तर दिसि कालू॥ रवि शुक्र जो पच्छिम जाई। हानि होय पथ सुख नहिं पाई॥ बिफै दखिन जो करै पयाना। फिर नहिं समझो ताको आना॥ "Do not go east on Monday or Saturday; north is ill-timed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Whoever goes west on Sunday or Friday meets loss and finds no comfort on the road. Whoever sets out south on Thursday should not count on an easy return." (a traditional saying)

What do the shastras say about disha shool?

The classical texts state the same rule: do not set out east on Monday or Saturday, south on Thursday, west on Sunday or Friday, or north on Tuesday or Wednesday. They add two nakshatras: south under Purva Bhadrapada, north under Uttara Phalguni.

पूर्वदिशि विधुसौरिवारे तथान चाजपदभे गुरौ यमदिशीनदैत्येज्ययोः पाशिदिशि कुजबुधेऽर्यमर्षे तथा सौम्यककुमि व्रजेत्स्वजयजीवितार्थी बुधः "The wise man desiring victory and long life for himself should not set out: eastward on the day of the Moon or of Saturn; southward under Purva Bhadrapada or on Jupiter's day; westward on the days of the Sun and of Venus; northward on the days of Mars and Mercury, or under Uttara Phalguni." (Muhurta Chintamani 11.11)

The verse names what is at stake: the traveller's success and well-being. Tarini grades disha shool as "avoid if possible", so when the day is fixed, the remedy and a good hour carry the journey.

What is the remedy for disha shool?

The remedy for disha shool is to eat the day's item before you step out of the house. It is always something already in the kitchen:

• Sunday, going west: a little ghee
• Monday or Saturday, going east: curd or milk on Monday; urad dal, til or ginger on Saturday
• Tuesday or Wednesday, going north: jaggery on Tuesday; til or coriander on Wednesday
• Thursday south, Friday west: curd on Thursday; barley on Friday

In many homes, an elder hands it to the traveller at the door, with a blessing for the road.

When does disha shool apply?

Disha shool applies when you set out on a journey from home. Three cases families ask about:

Does disha shool apply to the daily commute?

Disha shool applies to setting out on a journey, not to the daily trip to work or the market. Keep it for travel that takes you away from home.

Does disha shool apply to the return journey?

Disha shool is counted when you set out from home; for the journey back, follow your family's own practice. Many families keep the rule for the departure.

Does disha shool apply when flying abroad?

Yes, disha shool applies to any journey you set out on, by road, rail or air. Take the general direction of your destination from your home.

Disha shool and Rahu Kaal: check the direction and the hour

Disha shool tells you which direction to avoid; Rahu Kaal tells you which hour to avoid. Before an important journey, check both: a clear direction, and a start outside Rahu Kaal.

Rahu Kaal moves with your city's sunrise. See how Rahu Kaal is calculated, or today's panchang for your city.

How to choose the best day for an important journey

For an important journey, the shastras weigh more than the weekday: the tithi, the nakshatra, the direction, and your own birth star. A day free of disha shool can still be a weak day for you.

A journey that matters deserves a muhurat chosen for it. A move abroad, a pilgrimage, a new posting: Tarini works out the muhurat from the panchang and your own kundali, for the city you leave from.

For starting a new job or business on the right day, read choosing a day to begin work.

Frequently asked questions

Which direction is disha shool today?

Disha shool depends on the weekday: east on Monday and Saturday, west on Sunday and Friday, north on Tuesday and Wednesday, and south on Thursday.

What is disha shool for east?

Disha shool for east falls on Monday and Saturday. If you must set out east, take curd or milk on Monday, and urad dal, til or ginger on Saturday, before you leave.

What is disha shool for west?

Disha shool for west falls on Sunday and Friday. If you must set out west, take a little ghee on Sunday and barley on Friday before you leave.

What should I eat to remove disha shool?

To remove disha shool, eat the day's item before you leave: ghee on Sunday, curd or milk on Monday, jaggery on Tuesday, til or coriander on Wednesday, curd on Thursday, barley on Friday, and urad dal, til or ginger on Saturday.

Does disha shool apply to the return journey?

Disha shool is counted when you set out from home. For the journey back, follow your family's own practice.

Is disha shool the same as Rahu Kaal?

No. Disha shool is a direction to avoid on each weekday; Rahu Kaal is a time of day to avoid. Check both before an important journey.

Is disha shool mentioned in the shastras?

Yes, the classical texts state disha shool: do not set out east on Monday or Saturday, south on Thursday, west on Sunday or Friday, or north on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Related: How Rahu Kaal is calculated · Choosing a day to begin work · Today's panchang