The East

“From where the sun comes up,
the son of Aditi, the great circle,
while that one is coming up,
the darkness of night comes to an end,

“And after the sun has come up,
it is said to be the daytime,
there is a deep lake in that place,
an ocean where the waters have flowed,

“Thus in that place they know there is
an ocean where the waters have flowed,
from here that is the Easterly direction,
so the people declare.

“That direction is watched over
by a resplendent Great King,
he is the master of the gandhabbas,
Dhataraṭṭha, such is his name.

“He delights in song and dance,
he is honoured by gandhabbas,
he also has a great many sons,
all of one name, so I have heard,

“They are eighty and ten and one,
Inda by name, ones of great strength,
they, having seen the Awakened One,
the Buddha, kinsman of the sun,

“From afar, do reverence him,
who is great and fully mature:
‘Reverence to you, excellent one!
Reverence to you, supreme one!’

“You have looked on us with goodness,
the non-human beings worship you,
we have heard this repeatedly,
therefore we should speak like this:

‘You should worship the victor Gotama,
we should worship the victor Gotama,
who has understanding and good conduct,
we should worship the Buddha Gotama!’

https://suttacentral.net/dn32/en/anandajoti?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false

The above stanza references the Eastern Quarters where the Sun rises. In that direction, resides the ruler of Gandhabba, the Great King Dhataraṭṭha, and his clan. They pay homage to Buddha and encourage all beings to do likewise; Especially the spirits who had not done so.

The South

“‘There (South) they say (go) the departed,
who speak maliciously, backbiters,
killers of creatures, hunters,
thieves, and fraudulent people,
from here that is the Southerly direction,
so the people declare.

“‘That direction is watched over
by a resplendent Great King,
he is the master of the kumbhaṇḍhas,
Virūḷha, such is his name.

“‘He delights in song and dance,
he is honoured by kumbhaṇḍhas,
he also has a great many sons,
all of one name, so I have heard,

“‘They are eighty and ten and one,
Inda by name, ones of great strength,
they, having seen the Awakened One,
the Buddha, kinsman of the sun,

“‘From afar, do reverence him,
who is great and fully mature:
“Reverence to you, excellent one!
Reverence to you, supreme one!”

“‘You have looked on us with goodness,
the non-human beings worship you,
we have heard this repeatedly,
therefore we should speak like this:

“‘You should worship the victor Gotama,
we should worship the victor Gotama,
who has understanding and good conduct,
we should worship the Buddha Gotama!”

https://suttacentral.net/dn32/en/anandajoti?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false

The above stanza references the Southern Quarters where deceased beings of bad morality reside. In that direction, resides the ruler of Kumbhaṇḍhas, the Great King Virūḷha, and his clan. They pay homage to Buddha and encourage all beings to do likewise; Especially the spirits who had not done so.

The West

“‘That place where the sun goes down,
the son of Aditi, the great circle,
while that one is going down
the light of day comes to an end,

“‘And after the sun has gone down,
it is said to be night-time,
there is a deep lake in that place,
an ocean where the waters have flowed,

“‘Thus in that place they know there is
an ocean where the waters have flowed,
from here that is the Westerly direction,
so the people declare.

“‘That direction is watched over
by a resplendent Great King,
he is the master of the nāgas,
Virūpakkha, such is his name.

“‘He delights in song and dance,
he is honoured by nāgas,
he also has a great many sons,
all of one name, so I have heard,

“‘They are eighty and ten and one,
Inda by name, ones of great strength,
they, having seen the Awakened One,
the Buddha, kinsman of the sun,

“‘From afar, do reverence him,
who is great and fully mature:
“Reverence to you, excellent one!
Reverence to you, supreme one!”

“‘You have looked on us with goodness,
the non-human beings worship you,
we have heard this repeatedly,
therefore we should speak like this:

“‘You should worship the victor Gotama,
we should worship the victor Gotama,
who has understanding and good conduct,
we should worship the Buddha Gotama!”

https://suttacentral.net/dn32/en/anandajoti?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false

The above stanza references the Western Quarters where the Sun sets. In that direction, resides the ruler of nāgas, the Great King Virūpakkha, and his clan. They pay homage to Buddha and encourage all beings to do likewise; Especially the spirits who had not done so.

The North

“‘Where delightful Uttarakuru (name of place) is,
and the good looking Mount Neru,
the men who are born in that place
are unselfish, without possessions.

“‘They do not sow the seed,
and nor are there ploughs led along,
the rice that men enjoy the use of there
matures in untilled ground,

“‘Without husk powder or chaff, pure,
sweet smelling grains of the finest rice,
having cooked it on hot rocks (without smoke),
they then enjoy their food.

“‘Having made their cows solid-hooved
they go about from place to place,
having made their kine solid-hooved
they go about from place to place,

“‘Having made women their vehicle
they go about from place to place,
having made men their vehicle
they go about from place to place,

“‘Having made girls their vehicle
they go about from place to place,
having made boys their vehicle
they go about from place to place.

“‘Having mounted their (various) carriages,
the messengers of that King go around in all directions,
being furnished with elephant,
and horse, and divine-carriages.

“‘And for that Great and resplendent King
there are palaces and palanquins,
and there are cities for him also,
that are well built in the heavens (called):

“‘Āṭānāṭā, Kusināṭā, Parakusināṭā, Nāṭapuriyā, Parakusitanāṭā. To the North is Kapīvanta, and on the other side is Janogha, Navanavatiya, Ambara-ambaravatiya, and the king’s capital named Ālakamandā. The Great King Kuvera’s capital, dear Sir, is named Visāṇā, therefore is the Great King also called Vessavaṇa. These each individually inform (the King): Tatolā, Tattalā, Tatotalā, Ojasi, Tejasi, Tatojasi, Sūra, Rājā, Ariṭṭha, Nemi. There is a lake in that place also, named Dharaṇī, and from there the clouds rain down, from there the rains spread. There also is the public hall named Bhagalavatī where the yakkhas assemble.

“‘There the trees are always in fruit,
and have a crowd of birds of diverse kinds,
resounding with peacocks and hens,
and also with the lovely cuckoos,

“‘There is the pheasant who calls out “Live on!”
and the bird who calls out “Lift up your minds!”
there are the jungle fowl, and golden cocks,
and in the wood the lotus crane,

“‘There are the sounds of parrot and mynah,
and birds who have young men’s faces,
and Kuvera’s lotus pond is ever attractive, all of the time,
from here that is the Northerly direction,
so the people declare.

“‘That direction is watched over
by a resplendent Great King,
he is the master of the yakkhas,
Kuvera, such is his name.

“‘He delights in song and dance,
he is honoured by yakkhas,
he also has a great many sons,
all of one name, so I have heard,

“‘They are eighty and ten and one,
Inda by name, ones of great strength,
they, having seen the Awakened One,
the Buddha, kinsman of the sun,

“‘From afar, do reverence him,
who is great and fully mature:
‘Reverence to you, excellent one!
Reverence to you, supreme one!’

“‘You have looked on us with goodness,
the non-human beings worship you,
we have heard this repeatedly,
therefore we should speak like this:

“‘You should worship the victor Gotama,
we should worship the victor Gotama,
who has understanding and good conduct,
we should worship the Buddha Gotama!’

https://suttacentral.net/dn32/en/anandajoti?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false

The Northern Quarter is being extensively described here and it sounds mythical when we contrast this passage with our modern science. Some people would just brush aside such sutta embarrassingly. But if we do that, then we are limiting our perception to a very myopic outlook. After all, mankind did not know the existence of atoms or microscopic beings until recent times.

Having said that, it is also important to note that Buddha Dharma can be practiced without believing the mythical stuff. For example, Shariputra did not possess supernatural abilities but was foremost in wisdom. He was capable of preaching and leading people toward enlightenment.

Personally, these are knowledge that will be set aside until required. For example, if doors and cabinets were to open and shut without logical explanation, then I would probably start to recite this sutta at home. LoL.

But joke aside, if we are inclined towards spiritualism, then such sutta can install a sense of great confidence and devotion in us. In other words, different sutta appeal to different people. Ultimately, how we decide to approach Buddhism and practice it, is very personal.

I think it is good to keep a healthy balance and find our personal fulcrum point.

May all be well and happy.