'
"The sage said, 'Thou shalt have no fear of death from leopards any
longer. Let thy natural form disappear and be thou a leopard, O son!' At
these words, the dog was transformed into a leopard with skin bright as
gold. With stripes on his body and with large teeth, thenceforth he began
to live in that forest fearlessly. Meanwhile, the leopard, seeing before
him an animal of his own species, immediately forsook all feelings of
animosity towards it. Some time after, there came into the hermitage a
fierce and hungry tiger with open mouth. Licking the corners of his mouth
with the tongue, and eagerly desirous of drinking blood, that tiger began
to approach towards the animal that had been transformed into a leopard.
Beholding the hungry tiger of terrible teeth approach that forest, the
(transformed) leopard sought the Rishi's protection for saving his life.
The sage, who showed great affection for the leopard in consequence of
the latter's living in the same place with him, forthwith transformed his
leopard into a tiger powerful for all foes. The tiger seeing a beast of
his own species did him no injury, O king. The dog, having in course of
time been transformed into a powerful tiger subsisting upon flesh and
blood, abstained from his former food which had consisted of fruit and
roots. Indeed, from that time, O monarch, the transformed tiger lived,
subsisting upon the other animals of the forest, like a true king of
beasts.'
SECTION CXVII
"Bhishma said, 'The dog transformed into a tiger, gratified with the
flesh of slain beasts, slept at his ease.
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