A prostitute of मथुरा , the birth place of श्री कृष्ण . The story of this woman who had made prostitution and cheating her aim in life was told to वासवदत्ता wife of उदयन by वसन्तक . The curbing of the arrogance of मकरदंष्ट्रा by a poor ब्रह्मिन् of name लोहजङ्घ with the help of विभीषण , emperor of the demons, is the theme of the story.

मकरदंष्ट्रा had a daughter named रूपिणिका . The mother tried to make the daughter also a prostitute. Once रूपिणिका went to a far-off temple for worship as instructed by her mother. There she met a poor brahmin named लोहजङ्घ and रूपिणिका was attracted to him by his handsome features. She sent word through her maid requesting लोहजङ्घ to come to her house. रूपिणिका came back and waited for her lover to come. After some time लोहजङ्घ came. मकरदंष्ट्रा scrutinised the new-comer with suspicion but रूपिणिका took him to her bed-room. Both of them remained there making love. मकरदंष्ट्रा finding her daughter going against the principles of a prostitute called her to her side and said: "Dear daughter, why do you keep this poor brahmin? Is this the duty of a prostitute? Love and prostitution never go together. We are like dusk. The twilight of love remains for a few seconds only. So do send away this brahmin who has no money."

रूपिणिका discarded the advice of her mother and मकरदंष्ट्रा felt annoyed. She decided to send out लोहजङ्घ somehow. One day a prince came that way and मकरदंष्ट्रा enticed him to her house and requested the prince to accept रूपिणिका and send लोहजङ्घ out of her house.

The prince accepted the request of the mother-prostitute. At that time रूपिणिका had gone to the temple and लोहजङ्घ for a walk. After some time लोहजङ्घ came as usual and entered the house. and मकरदंष्ट्रा introduced लोहजङ्घ to the prince. At once the servants of the prince beat लोहजङ्घ and carrying him away out of the house put him in an excrement pit. लोहजङ्घ somehow escaped from there and ran away. He was sorry to part with his love and he went on a pilgrimage. He walked for a long distance in the hot sun and feeling tired searched for a shady place to take some rest. Then he saw the carcass of an elephant. Jackals entering through the buttocks had eaten all flesh and the animal lay hollow inside with the skin intact on the skeleton. लोहजङ्घ entered the inside of the elephant and slept there. That night it rained heavily and the hole at the buttocks contracted with little space for लोहजङ्घ to get out. The rains continued, the water-level in the river गङ्गा rose and soon the carcass of the elephant was carried away to the river and it gradually reached the ocean. At that time a great kite taking it to be flesh for food drew it up and took it to the other side of the ocean. When it pecked it open it found a man inside and frightened left it there and flew away. By this time लोहजङ्घ awoke from his slumber and while he was looking around him in surprise he saw two demons approaching him. The demons thought he had come to the place crossing the ocean like श्री राम to bring disaster to them and so they immediately ran up to विभीषण and told him of the incident. विभीषण asked his servants to bring लोहजङ्घ before him and when he was brought before him enquired very politely who he was and why he had come there and how he had come. In reply to the enquiries लोहजङ्घ said thus: "I am a brahmin from मथुरा . I did penance to please विष्णु to get relief from my poverty and one day विष्णु appeared before me in person and said, 'Go to my devotee विभीषण , and he will give you enough wealth to live happily'. It was in a dream and when I awoke I found myself on this shore. I do not know how it all happened."

विब्ःईषण was immensely pleased to hear the story of लोहजङ्घ and gave him immense wealth including many precious diamonds, golden replica of the emblem of विष्णु consisting of शङ्ख , चक्र , गदा and पद्म and a small kite from the mountain of स्वर्णमूल . Accepting all these लोहजङ्घ flew on the back of the kite back to मथुरा and alighted at a deserted place there. Keeping all his valuable articles in a secret place he took one diamond and selling it acquired some cash and with that purchased some ornamental dress for himself. At dusk he dressed himself and holding the emblem of विष्णु flew on the back of the kite to the house of रूपिणिका and addressing रूपिणिका in private said, "I am विष्णु . I have come to you for a union because you are virtuous". Hearing that रूपिणिका respectully surrendered herself to him. Before dawn लोहजङ्घ left the house and flew back to the deserted place. रूपिणिका felt herself to be a goddess and did not speak to anybody in the morning. The mother was perplexed to find her daughter observing a vow of silence and questioned her. रूपिणिका then told her mother all that had happened on the previous night. मकरदंष्ट्रा wanted to confirm the story of her daughter and so she kept awake that night to see what took place. She found लोहजङ्घ arriving as विष्णु on the back of गरुड and fully believing him to be महाविष्णु was overjoyed at the fortune of her daughter and running to her the next morning said "Oh, dear daughter, by the grace of श्री नारायण you have become a goddess. How fortunate am I? You should do one thing for me. You must send me to heaven with this body of mine along with your husbandgod."

रूपिणिका agreed to do so. That night she told the fake विष्णु the desire of her mother. Then लोहजङ्घ said: "Your mother who is a great sinner is not eligible to go to स्वर्ग in her present state. Day after tomorrow on the द्वादशी day the gates of heaven will open. Early morning on that day the goblins of शिव would enter स्वर्ग . I shall then try to send your mother along with them. But your mother should then appear as a goblin. The hair on the head should be shaved at five places and the remaining hair locked to form five tufts of hair. She should wear a garland of bones and the body should be painted black on one side with charcoal and red on the other side with saffron. The painting should be in oil and she should not wear any clothes. This would make her appear like a goblin of महेश्वर ( शिव ) and then there will be no difficulty for me to allow her to enter स्वर्ग .

लोहजङ्घ left the place early in the morning and रूपिणिका told her mother all that her husband told her. मकरदंष्ट्रा dressed herself as instructed by लोहजङ्घ and awaited the arrival of the fake महाविष्णु . लोहजङ्घ came at night and रूपिणिका showed him her mother dressed as desired by her husband. लोहजङ्घ took मकरदंष्ट्रा on the back of his kite and flew up. As he rose high he saw a tall flagstaff of a temple nearby. It had a wheel on its top. लोहजङ्घ placed her on the wheel and said, "Do sit here for a while. I shall soon come back to you and bless you". To the people assembled in the temple he spoke from the air, "Citizens, today the goddess ' मारी ', destroyer of everything, will fall on you. If you want to avoid that, remain in this temple and worship विष्णु ".

People were frightened when they heard the warning from air and all remained in the temple chanting prayers and reciting devotional songs about विष्णु . मकरदंष्ट्रा sat there for a while dreaming about the happiness in store for her in स्वर्ग and awaiting her daughter's husband to come and take her. But लोहजङ्घ had come to the temple in an ordinary dress and was with the crowd in the temple. Time dragged on and it became midnight and मकरदंष्ट्रा sitting on the wheel of the flagstaff felt uneasy. She could not sit there any longer and she cried aloud, "Oh, I am falling". People mistook her for मारी and cried back, "Oh, goddess, do not fall". It became morning and in the sunlight they saw a figure sitting on the top of the flagstaff and were surprised. The King was informed and he came to the temple and so also all people from the place. When the people on scrutinising the figure knew it was मकरदंष्ट्रा , they all clapped their hands laughing loudly. Hearing the news रूपिणिका also came to the temple and she somehow got her mother down from the flagstaff. The King then made the prostitute tell her story and when it was finished he declared thus: "Who has thus played fraud on this prostitute who had throughout her life cheated other people? If he comes before me now I will give him my crown and Kingdom". Hearing that लोहजङ्घ appeared before the King and confessed that he had done the mischief. He then narrated his story to the king and placed before the king the golden Seal of विस्नु 's emblem which विभीषण had given him. The king as per his promise gave लोहजङ्घ his kingdom and रूपिणिका once more became his. The arrogance of मकरदंष्टृआ was thus curbed. (Kathāmukhalambaka, Kathāsaritsāgara)