Chitravarna asked - How was this? The minister related - In the penance-grove of the great sage Gotama there lived a hermit, Mahatapas by name. He (once) saw, in the vicinity of his hermitage, a young mouse fallen from the mouth of a crow. The sage being naturally tender-hearted reared it up with grains of wild rice. Now a cat ran to eat the mouse, on seeing which it ran to the sage's lap for shelter. Then the sage said - O mouse, be you a cat. Then the cat would run away on seeing a dog. Then the sage said - You fear a dog? Be you a dog yourself. Now the dog was afraid of a tiger, so that the dog was changed into a tiger by the sage. But although a tiger, the sage did not regard him as anything better than a mouse. Now all the people when they saw the sage and the mouse would say - By the sage the mouse was changed into a tiger. Hearing this, the tiger, being distressed at heart, said to himself - So long as this saint lives, this ignominious talk about my real nature will not vanish. Thus, reflecting he went forth to kill the saint. Thereupon the holy man, knowing that (his intention), again changed him into a mouse, saying - Be you a mouse again. Hence, I say, a mean man having obtained an exalted post etc. Moreover, you should not think that this is easy to do. Listen! Having devoured many fishes of the best, middle and the ordinary sort, a crane died afterwards through excessive greed, being seized by a crab.