Chapter 117

“Bhishma said, ‘The dog transformed into a tiger, gratified with theflesh of slain beasts, slept at his ease. One day as he lay on the yardof the hermitage, an infuriated elephant came there, looking like a risencloud. Of huge stature, with rent cheeks, having signs of the lotus onhis body, and with broad frontal globes, the animal had long tusks and avoice deep as that of the clouds. Beholding that infuriated elephant,proud of his strength, approaching towards him, the tiger agitated withfear, sought the protection of the Rishi. That best of sages thereupontransformed the tiger into an elephant. The real elephant, seeing anindividual of his own species, huge as mass of clouds, became terrified.The Rishi’s elephant then, freckled with the dust of lotus filaments,dived delightfully into lakes overgrown with lotuses and wandered bytheir banks indented with rabbit holes. A considerable time elapsed inthis way. One day as the elephant was cheerfully striding along thevicinity of the hermitage, there came before him unto that spot a manedlion born in a mountain cave and accustomed to slay elephants. Beholdingthe lion coming, the Rishi’s elephant, from fear of life, began totremble and sought the protection of the sage. The sage thereupontransformed that prince of elephants into a lion. As the wild lion was ananimal of same species with himself, the Rishi’s lion no longer fearedhim. On the other hand, the wild lion seeing a stronger beast of his ownspecies before him, became terrified. The Rishi’s lion began to dwell inthat hermitage within the forest. Through fear of that animal, the otheranimals no longer ventured to approach the hermitage. Indeed, they allseemed to be inspired with fear about the safety of their lives. Sometime after one day, a slayer of all animals, possessed of great strengthinspiring all creatures with fright, having eight legs and eyes on theforehead, viz., a Sarabha, came to that spot. Indeed he came to that veryhermitage for the object of slaying the Rishi’s lion. Seeing this, thesage transformed his lion into a Sarabha of great strength. The wildSarabha, beholding the Rishi’s Sarabha before him to be fiercer and morepowerful, quickly fled away, from that forest. Having been thustransformed into a Sarabha by the sage, the animal lived happily by theside of his transformer. All the animals then that dwelt in the vicinitybecame inspired with the fear of that Sarabha. Their fear and the desireof saving their lives led them all to fly away from that forest. Filledwith delight, the Sarabha continued every day to slay animals for hisfood. Transformed into a carnivorous beast, he no longer affected fruitand roots upon which he had formerly lived. One day that ungrateful beastwho had first been a dog but who was now transformed into a Sarabha,eagerly thirsting for blood, wished to slay the sage. The latter, byascetic power, saw it all by his spiritual knowledge. Possessed of greatwisdom, the sage, having ascertained the intentions of the beast,addressed him in these words.’

“The sage said, ‘O dog, thou wert first transformed into a leopard. Froma leopard thou wert then made a tiger. From a tiger thou wert nexttransformed into an elephant with the temporal juice trickling down thycheeks. Thy next transformation was into a lion. From a mighty lion thouwert then transformed into a Sarabha. Filled with affection for thee, itwas I that transformed thee into these diverse shapes. Thou didst not,and dost not, belong by birth, to any of those species. Since, however, Osinful wretch, thou desirest to stay me who have done thee no injury,thou shalt return to thy own species and be a dog again.’ After this,that mean and foolish animal of wicked soul, transformed into a Sarabhaonce more assumed, in consequence of the Rishi’s curse, his own properform of a dog.'”