Panchatantra Story of the Three Fish and Its Moral: Foresight and Quick Thinking

Some stories are short, but we remember them for years. The Panchatantra tale of the three fish is one of them. It is a simple story about how three different kinds of minds face the same danger, and it still helps us think about problems today.

The story

Once there was a large pond, deep and full of water. Many fish lived in it, and three of them were special. Their names told what kind of minds they had.

• Anagatavidhata: the one who prepares before trouble comes
• Pratyutpannamati: the one who thinks quickly when trouble arrives
• Yadbhavishya: the one who says, "Whatever will be, will be"

One evening, some fishermen passed by the pond. They saw how many fish it held and said to each other, "We will come back tomorrow morning with our nets."

Anagatavidhata heard them. He called the others and said, "Danger is coming. Let us leave this pond tonight and go to another place, along the water channel that joins this pond to a bigger lake. If we wait, it may be too late."

Yadbhavishya laughed. "Why run? What is to happen will happen. I am not leaving my home." Pratyutpannamati said, "I have not yet seen the danger with my own eyes. When it comes, I will find a way to save myself."

Anagatavidhata did not wait. He went to the channel that night and reached safe waters.

What happened next

The next morning the fishermen came and spread their nets over the pond. Fish after fish was caught, and Yadbhavishya was among them. He had nothing to fall back on and could not escape.

Pratyutpannamati was also caught. But he did not panic. He lay still, stiff and floating like a dead fish. The fishermen pulled the nets up and saw him lying motionless. They thought he was already dead and threw him aside on the bank, a little way from the other fish. As soon as they looked away, he slipped back into the water and escaped.

Yadbhavishya, who had trusted only "what will be, will be", did not survive.

The moral

• Plan ahead. The wisest of the three was the one who acted before the danger arrived. Paying attention to early warnings saves a great deal of trouble.
• Keep a calm, quick mind. If trouble does come, a cool head can find a way out. Pratyutpannamati lived because he did not freeze.
• Do not hide behind fate. Saying "it was meant to be" is easy, but it can become an excuse for not trying. In the story, the one who did nothing paid the price.

Common misunderstandings

1. "So quick thinking is enough." Quick thinking is valuable, but the story still shows that the first fish had the safest outcome. It is better to avoid a danger than to escape from it at the last moment.
2. "So never trust anything to fate." The story is not against acceptance after you have done your best. It warns against doing nothing and calling it fate.
3. "This is only for children." The same three attitudes show up in adult life: planning, adapting and giving up.

How to use it in daily life

• Students: Start preparing before the exam week. If a question surprises you in the exam, stay calm and use what you know.
• Families: Keep a little savings or a backup plan for emergencies, but only as far as your means allow.
• At work: Notice early signs of a problem and speak about it, instead of waiting for it to grow.
• In any hard moment: Ask three questions. "What can I prepare now?" "If something goes wrong, what will I do calmly?" "Am I using 'whatever happens' as an excuse?"

Read the whole Panchatantra and more in simple English

If you enjoy stories and teachings like this, the Satvik Setu English bundle brings classic Indian texts to you in plain English: 14 books plus 2 bonus items, with Sanskrit shlokas and English meanings, and all 700 Gita shlokas. These are readable for beginners. You can try a free sample first: Gita Chapter 12 free sample (PDF).

In short

The three fish teach us to plan before trouble comes, to think calmly and quickly when it arrives, and never to leave everything to fate. The fish who prepared first was safest of all.