﻿LIFE AND WRITINGS OF AVYAR. 345 



revered cast of Bramins? The poor man answered 

 very submissively ; 1 deliver up my child entirely to 

 you; do with her what you think proper. The child 

 was brought, and her death was unanimously agreed 



A 



upon. Veda~m6li alone withheld his consent from 

 this barbarous decree, and, instead of the death of 

 the child, proposed its removal to a distant place, 

 where it might be left to its fate. 



They listened to tiiis advice, made a box, laid the 

 child in, and put it in the holy river Kaveri, leaving 

 it to the destiny of the Deity. Daring this transac- 

 tion, the old prophet ordered his son to go and look 

 at the child before it was committed to the water, 

 and see if he could discover any distinguished mark 

 on her body. This he did, and returned with the 

 answer, that the child had a very distinct black 

 mark on her thigh. The matter was now dropt, and 

 the old man died soon after, without further expla- 

 nation on the subje6t. 



Whex the poor little Nayad was thus floating to 

 a remote country, a Bramin was on a morning at the 

 river, washing and performing his usual devotions 

 and ceremonies. He saw the box coming on, and 

 instead of finding a treasure, which he expected, dis- 

 covered in it a new-born smiling girl. Having n# 

 children, though he had often prayed to obtain that 

 blessing, he imagined his Deity had heard his pray- 

 ers, and favoured him with this child. He put her 

 to nurse, and provided for her education as his own 

 daughter. iMeanwhiie young Perali, having been 

 well instructed in philosophy, began, after the ex- 

 ample of his late father, to tnivel as a Njani to visit 

 holy places, and to converse with saints and philoso- 

 phers for his improvement. 



Ox these travels, he came accidentally to the house 

 of that Bramin who had adopted the girl. The 

 Bramin, finding him to be a fine well-informed 

 youth, grew fond of his character and zeal in learn- 



