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divine hymns in accordance with the religious rites but his effo rts were of no avail. "Kāmaghața', 'Chintāmaşı', the 'Daksinavarta-conch,' and 'Kalpa-latā' etc, the divine objects prove favo. urable when the fortune is favourable, and they prove unfavour able when the luck is unfavourable. After the death of his father, poverty slowly and gradually began to have friendly relations with Pethad.
At this time, a Sûri (an ācārya), named Sree Dharmaghosa came to that city Hearing his preachings various persons began to undertake various vows, and penances. Thinking himself to be unlucky, Péthad also came to the great teacher, and requested him to suggest to him some penance regarding the acceptance of wealth but the great teacher observing his palms and broad fore-head, and knowing thereby that he would be a powerful and prosperous person in future, stopped him from taking a vow of accepting or keeping a limited wealth and advised him to be more engrossed in the religious ceremonies. The maxim-The fate of man is hidden simply by means of a leaf-proved true in case of Petha, for, by travelling in foreign lands he could earn some wealth but the time of a change in his luck had already come. He was tempted to go to the town Maņdapadurga with his retinue. No sooner did he enter the gate of the city, then he saw on the left side, a Durgā-bird (a kind of owl, which in general is considerd inauspicious ) crying and dancing on the hood of a cobra. Seeing this, Péthada thought, "while entering it is inauspicious if the Durgabird is on the left side, then how can the bird dancing on the hood of a cobra be auspicious ?" In order to be away from the effect of this inauspicious sign Péthad stood on the same spot and began to recite the powerful “Nava Kara-hymn. An astrologer happened to come there and seeing Péthad standing there he asked him the reason why he was standing there. When he disclosed the doubts of his mind, the astrologer said, "Your doubts are ground-less This is an auspicious sign. Had you entered that town at the moment, you would have been the emperor of the whole country but now in
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