History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.256

v7.c89.256

Various prognostications were based on the sounds produced by the house lizard (called *pallī*, *pallīkā*, *kuḍyamatsya* or *gṛhagodhukā*), by its movements and by its fall on the several limbs of a person by Vasantarāja śakuna, chap. 17 (32 verses), the Adbhutasāgara pp. 666-668 (quoting 28 verses of Vasantarāja), Jyotistattva pp. 706-707, Śāntiratna or Śānti-kamalākara (folio 198), the Dharmasindhu (pp. 347-348). A few words based on the last two are set out here. A fall of the lizard on the right side of a male and on his head (except the chin), chest, navel and stomach is auspicious, while in the case of a woman such a fall would be auspicious on the left side. The same applies to a chameleon If a lizard or chameleon falls on a limb or creeps up a person's limb the person should take a bath with clothes on and perform a śānti for removal of the inauspiciousness or for increase of auspiciousness If a person has a mere contact with a house lizard or chameleon he should bathe, drink *pañcagavya*, look into clarified butter, should pay honour to (a golden image of) the lizard or chameleon clothed in a red piece of cloth, offer to the image *gandha* and flowers, worship Rudra in a jar full of water, offer into fire 108 fuel sticks of *khadira* tree to the accompaniment of the Mṛtyuñjaya1282a mantra and offer 1008 or 108 *āhutis* of sesame into fire with the *vyāhṛtis* and perform the rites from *sviṣṭakṛt* to sprinkling with drops of water and then donate gold, clothes and sesame1282b