The Way the Rākshasī Died
In a certain city there is a Rākshasī, it is said. The Rākshasī seizing each man who is going along, eats him. While a Brāhmaṇa was going along, she seized the Brāhmaṇa, but because the Brāhmaṇa had a good beautiful figure, putting him in her rock-house (cave) and shutting the door, she remained without eating him.
During the time while he was there a child was borne to the Brāhmaṇa by the Rākshasī; the child was like the Brāhmaṇa. Having sought food she continued to give it to the Brāhmaṇa and the little one. While the Rākshasī was there in that way the youngster (paeṭiyā) became big.
One day having waited until the time when the Rākshasī goes to seek food, the youngster asked at the hand of the Brāhmaṇa, “Father, what is [the reason why] you have one form and mother a [different] form?”
Then the Brāhmaṇa says, “Son, your mother is a Rākshasī. Seizing each man who is going past this place, she eats him. I also came to go this way. Then seizing me she put me in the rock cave. She has not done any harm to me yet.”
The youngster said, “Father, we cannot remain in this way. Rākshasīs and men cannot be in one place.”
Then the Rākshasī came, bringing food. So the youngster said, “Mother, when you are not here how will it be for us? Tell us the limits [of the power] of these persons” (that is, those who lived there).
The Rākshasī said, “In width they are five gawwas (twenty miles); in length they are ten gawwas (forty miles).”
On the following day, during the time when the Rākshasī went to seek food, the Brāhmaṇa and the youngster having taken a large quantity of excellent (hon̆da hon̆da) goods, the two persons bounded off to go by the quarter that was ten gawwas long, and went away. Then the Rākshasī having come [after] seeking food, when she looked neither Brāhmaṇa nor youngster [was there].
After that, while the Rākshasī was going along continuing to cry aloud, these two persons had not yet succeeded in bounding through the forest that was ten gawwas in length. The Rākshasī, weeping and weeping, having said, “What was this need for you to abandon me?” came back, summoning these two [to accompany her].