At a certain city there are a man and a woman, it is said. That woman was about to have a child. She cooked cakes to eat. While she was eating, a crow came, and stayed there looking on. “She will throw me a piece of cake, at least,” it thought. The woman did not give it even a bit of the cakes.
Afterwards the crow went to the house of the Rākshasa, and breaking off a mango fruit came to that house, and ate it in front of the woman who ate the cakes. While the crow was eating, the woman thought, “It will throw down a piece of it, at least.” The crow did not give her any of it; it ate the whole and flew away.
After the man of the house came, the woman said, “The crow brought a mango fruit, and turned it round and round, and ate the whole of it. [Somehow or other you must get me a mango.]”
After that, the man went to the house of the Rākshasa, and having ascended the mango tree, tried to pluck a mango fruit. As he was plucking it the Rākshasa came home. Seeing the man in the tree, he asked, “Who is that in the tree?”
“Anē! I am in the tree,” said the man.
“What are you plucking mangoes for?” he asked.
“For our house-girl to eat. [She is about to have a child, and has asked for one,]” he said.
“Well then, pluck one and descend,” the Rākshasa said.
So the man plucked one, and came down. After he had descended the Rākshasa said, “Should she bear a son he is for thee; should she bear a daughter, she is for me.”