Cave No. 17
Identification: Foucher (1921, narrative no. 29).—
A siṃha (lion), on hearing the loud wails of merchants caught by a giant snake in a jungle, came running with his elephant friend to help them. From atop the elephant’s head, he jumped on the snake and killed it. The elephant, however, died as the lion’s hind claws accidentally pierced its head. The lion too did not survive the venomous breath of the snake.—The lion was none other than the Buddha in a former existence.
—Source: Singh 2019, 31-33; Schlingloff 2013, I, 118