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they would not sacrifice their self-respect for a meal. Then she started her story:
I am the daughter of the king's washerman. Once I went to the river to help my father. We carried a cart-load of clothes. I was busy spreading out the washing to dry in the sun. Exactly at the time, the wind started and soon enough it was a storm. All the clothes started flying. I became very scared. I changed myself into a lizard and sought shelter in a garden near about, for the night. There I changed myself into a mango tree. Then I heard an announcement that I need not be scared any longer and should return home. I changed myself to be the washerman's daughter and came to the cart. But its ropes and straps were eaten away by jackals and goats. My father noticed that they were all turned into a buffalo's tail. Your comments please."
They said:"It is stated that Brahma and Viṣṇu went on looking for the end of the Linga and could not locate it at all. If this is true, your narration could not be dismissed as absurd. Rāmāyana recalls that Hanuman's tail was extremely long. He wrapped it with thousands of rags, sprinkled oil on it from thousands of pots and with it he burnt practically the whole of Lanka. If we can accept this, why can't we accept your part of the story about the buffalo's tail. Then the scriptures tell us that a certain king of Gandhāra transformed himself into a Kurabaka tree in a jungle and also of a mighty king, Kimasva who defeated Indra but was turned into a hissing serpent by his curse. This serpent swallowed up Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers and told Yudhisthira, that he would let his brother out, only if he answered his seven questions and when Yudhisthira answered all his questions, not only Bhima was let go but the curse also was lifted and the serpent became king Ravi. Your turning into a lizard and then into a tree before coming to your original shape and form is not too difficult to lap.
Khandapānā however continued further: "The story has not ended. We went out in search of the clothes which were blown off by the wind. My servants joined in. While running after them in various villages and towns, I have come here and look you are same servants wearing the same clothes. If this is true, return all
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