The Three Fish
Fishermen pass the lake and say they will come back tomorrow with nets. One fish leaves that night, one plans to improvise, one says fate will decide.
In a certain lake lived three fish: Forethought, Ready-Wit and What-Will-Be.
One day fishermen passed along the bank. Seeing the lake so full they said: "Look at this — packed with fish, and we never found it until today. We have enough for tonight; tomorrow at dawn we bring the nets here." And they went away.
Hearing this, Forethought called the fish together: "Did you hear what the fishermen said? We must leave this lake tonight for another. For the weak there are only two courses — flight, or the shelter of a stronghold. There is no third." And that very night he left with his family for another lake.
Ready-Wit said: "You are right; when the time comes, I shall do whatever my wits suggest."
But What-Will-Be laughed: "This lake belonged to our fathers. Am I to abandon it on the strength of a few words? If my span remains I shall survive here, and if it does not I shall die elsewhere just as well. Whatever will be, will be." He did not move.
At dawn the fishermen came and dragged the whole lake with their nets. Forethought was long gone. Ready-Wit came up in the net, but he thought fast — he lay perfectly still among the dead fish as though he too were dead; the fishermen took him for carrion and tossed him onto the bank, and he flipped himself back into the water. What-Will-Be was taken in the net, thrashed, and was killed.
So it is said: the one who provides in advance and the one who thinks on his feet both prosper; the one who says 'whatever will be, will be' is destroyed.
अनागतविधाता च प्रत्युत्पन्नमतिस्तथा । द्वावेतौ सुखमेधन्ते यद्भविष्यो विनश्यति ॥
Moral: Forethought, who provides in advance, and Ready-Wit, who thinks on his feet — these two flourish. What-Will-Be perishes.
From the Panchatantra, Book I — The Loss of Friends.
Continue learning
Related teachings
Hundred-Wit, Thousand-Wit and One-Wit
Two very clever fish and one plain frog overhear fishermen deciding to net their lake in the morning.
Honest-Mind and Wicked-Mind
Two partners bury their earnings under a tree. One digs them up alone at night — and then produces a witness who can speak from inside the trunk.
The Herons, the Snake and the Mongoose
A crab kindly explains to the herons how to get rid of the snake that eats their chicks. The cure turns out to be worse than the snake.
The Iron Balance the Mice Ate
A merchant says mice ate the heavy iron scales left in his safekeeping. The owner agrees that the world is impermanent — and then asks to borrow his son.
The Monkey, the Fly and the King
A king's pet monkey fans him while he sleeps. A fly keeps settling on the royal chest, and the monkey reaches for a sword.