PARAS'ARA is the name of several celebrated personages of ancient India, met with in the _lb ihd.Vninde (q.v.), the Purdn'as (q.v.), and other works. Of one personage of this name, the Hatiabharata relates that he was the son of Sakti, who was the son of the patriarch Vasishaa. King Kalmashapada once meeting with Sakti in a narrow path in a thicket, desired him to stand out of the way. The sage refused, on which the raja beat him with his whip, aryl Sakti cursed him to become a nikshasa, or demon. The raja, in this transformation, killed and ate S' akti, together with the other sons of Vasisht'ha. Sakti, however, had left his wife, Adris'yanti, pregnant, and she gave birth to Para'sara, who was brought up by his grandfather. When he grew up, and was informed of his father's death, he instituted a sacrifice for the destruction of all the Rilkshasas, but was dis suaded from its completion by Vasislalta and other sages. The same legend is referred to by the Vdal' a-Parana, where Parasara is introduced as relating, himself, part of this story, and adding, that the saint Pulastya, one of the mind-born sons of Brahma, in reward of the clemency- he had shown even toward such beings as the Rakshasas, bestowed on him the boon of becoming the author of a compendium, or rather the compiler, of the Pareidas, and of the Visite' e-Percina particular. "This tradition," prof. Wilson observes +r-Penina, ed. Hall, vol. i., p. 10), " is incompatible with the general attribution of all the Pa rdn'ax to \lyrists; " but it may perhaps point to a later recension when, to the native 311111(1, Vyilsa would still remain the Teputed author of the older Pa o'aq, although, of course, even this assumption has little claim to historical truth.
A Paresara, probably different from the one named, is the author of a celebrated code of laws: he is mentioned by Viljnavalkya in his standard work, and often quoted by the commenta•ies.—A probably third Parasara is the reputed author of a Tantra (q.v.): and a feint the author of an astronomical work.—Parils'aras (in the plural) designates the u hole fa.nily to Which the different Parils'aras belong.
PARAsI1A, or A xormfitA, an order of insects, to all of which the name louse is pop ularly given. _111 live as parasites on quadrupeds and birds. The characters of the order nre noticed in the article LousE. It remains, however, to be added that the order is divided into wo sections: in the first of which, pedieulidee, the mouth is small and quite auctorial; whilst in the second, nirmidea, it is furnished with mandibles and hooked maxil he. The species of the first section are found only on man and mammals; those of the second section, almost exclusively on birds, although one infests the dog. The show much greater activity than the pedicalidert. When a bird dies, the bird-lice congregate near the beak, and seem disquieted, apparently anxious to change their abode.