28 MORAL FABLES FROM SANSKRIT LITERATURE-TALE 22

 

The story of the Three Fish

In a certain water-reservoir, there live three well-grown fish by name AnaagathaVidhaatha (ForeThought), PrathyuthpannaMathi (ReadyWit) and Yadbhavishya (Fatalist).  Once upon a time, on seeing the reservoir, the fishermen came and told thus: There are plenty of fish in this pond.  Today we had collected many.  Tomorrow we will come here certainly for fishing.  On hearing this, the first fish AnaagathaVidhaathaa called all the fish and told thus: Alas! Did you listen the words of the fishermen?  So we shall move tonight to another pond because “If we are not capable to win our enemies, shall run away and take refuge for protection”.  Tomorrow, in the early morning itself, the fishermen will come and destruct us.  It is not proper to stay here even for a while.  On hearing this, the second fish PrathyuthpannaMathi told thus: Alas! Of course you have told the truth.  But there is no certainty on the fishermen’s arrival.  We shall respond accordingly when they come.  At this juncture, the third fish Yadhbhavishya intervened and told thus: I won’t accept your plan. Who knows whether the fishermen will visit tomorrow here or not?  We should not give up this water-reservoir which is the birth place of us.  If we move to other pond, what will happen there? One should know that “a thing which is not protected by us, stays well since it was protected by the fate, but the one which is strictly protected, do perish since it is not accepted by God. For instance, even the one who lost his way in the forest may live and the one who is well surrounded by his family may loss.” Therefore I am determined to stay here only.  If you both wish to move, you can.   Then the first fish AnaagathaVidhaatha went to another pond.

On the next day, the fishermen came, casted their net and caught all the fish without exception.  Under this crisis, the second fish PrathyuthpannaMathi acted as dead.  The fishermen thought thus: without any difficult this big-fish died, our job is easy. So they take out it from the net and threw it on the bank.  Then the second fish as per his name used the opportunity and jumped into the pond being unnoticed by them.

But the third fish Yadhbhavishya stuck its nose into the meshes of the net, struggled to extricate from the fishermen.  Then the fishermen pounded it repeatedly with clubs and killed it.

 The moral of the story:

“AnaagathaVidhaathaa cha PrathyuthpannaMathis thathaa l

  Dvou ethou sukham edhethe YadhBhavishyo vinasyathi  ll”

A man should be like the fishes AnaagathaVidhaathaa and PrathuythpannaMathi who are knowing the future and reacting on the occasion with its device respectively, he only become happy.  If he is like the fish Yadhabhavishya the doomed one do perish.

(This story is taken from the titled MithraBhedhah-the 1^st volume of the book PanchaThanthram which has five volumes viz., MitraBedhah, MitraLaabhah, Kaakolookeeyam, Labdhapranaasam and AparikshitaKaarakam written by Vishnu Sarma was an Indian scholar.  The exact period of the composition of the Panchatantra is uncertain, and estimates vary from 1200 BCE to 300 CE.

(#WriteAPageADay, today's word count = 467)

This is a part of Blogchatter's write a page a day campaign.

https://www.theblogchatter.com/campaign-registrations/write-a-page-a-day