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10
DAÜRTĀK TANA:
the end. In the light of these events, it is quite natural that the Wind generated a child in you; and it walked away immediately after delivery." (V. 11-19).
ii) Khandapānā narrated further: "Once my friend Umã entrusted me with miraculous syllables whereby I attracted the burning Sun who procreated in me a mighty son; but no harm was done to me." 3) Kaņdarika said that it was quite possible, because Kunti too was not burnt in any way by the Sun (who generated Karņa from her). (V. 20-23).
iii) Khandapānā added further: "A second time I attracted Agni, the mouth of gods, by whom a brilliant son was born to me; and I was not burnt in the least. How is it?" Elāşādha silenced her thus: “4) The wife of Yama was being enjoyed by Agni; but on seeing that her husband arrived there, she swallowed Agni, Yama gulped her, and entered the assembly of gods who welcomed him as 'Mr. yourself, the third'. He vomitted his wife; and she vomitted Agni who ran into the forest being pursued by him. The elephants did not give Yama any report', so he deprived them of their speech. Thus if Yama's wife was not burnt, how could you be burnt?" (V. 24-31).
iv) Khaņdā added again that once she attracted Indra by whom she had a son; and she asked how Indra could come to her in preference to celestial nymphs. Saśa told her that it was quite possible: 5) Ahalyā was enjoyed by Indra who thereby suffered heavily at the hands of Gautama and whose consequent bodily pores became his thousand eyes; 6) secondly, Kunti also got a son by Indra. (V. 32-37).
v) On her inquiry, Múladeva told Khandapānā that she was the daughter of Nāgaśarman and Somaśrī of Pataliputra and her Gotra was Gautama. Khandapānā complained that her identity was confused, and narrated a bit of her biography thus: “My name is Dagdhika, the artisan's daughter, well-known among royal washer-men. My profession has been low, though our family is quite prosperous. Thousands of washermen worked under me; and with them, one day, I went to the river with a cart-load of clothes which were all washed clean and spread in the sunshine. Suddenly they were blown off by a whirl-wind. I asked the servants to run away and took the responsibility on me. Lest the king might punish me, I assumed the form of a lizard and reached the city park at night. Early morning I feared, I might be killed for a dish. After a good deal of thought, I changed myself into a mango plant, After day-break I heard the royal drum declaring all washermen to be excused; and once again I became a woman. The leather straps, etc. from the carts were eaten at night by jackals and dogs; but my father procured a mouse-tail out of which he got all of them once more prepared.” Sasa said that it is quite believable that the tail of a mouse was so big as to prepare straps, etc., 7) because we know that the male organ of Siv.. was immeasurably long, and 8)
1 See the Sanskrit version of the Dhúrtakhy
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