The Talkative Tortoise
Also known as Batuni Kachhua
- 3 minute read
- Ages 5-9
- Panchatantra Stories
In a small pond there lived a tortoise named Kambugriva, and two geese who were his closest friends. Every evening the three of them sat at the water's edge and talked. The geese told him what they had seen from the sky. The tortoise talked about everything else, because he loved to talk more than he loved anything in the world.
The pond begins to dry
Then came a year with no rain.
The pond shrank. The mud at the edges cracked into plates. The water pulled back and back until it was a brown puddle in the middle.
"We can fly to another lake," said the geese sadly. "But you cannot come with us, and we cannot leave you here. You will die."
The tortoise thought hard, and then his face brightened.
"I have it," he said. "Find a strong stick. Each of you take one end in your beak. I will bite the middle. You fly, and I will come with you through the air."
The geese looked at each other. It could work.
"It could work," said the first goose. "But you must promise us one thing. From the moment you bite that stick until the moment we land, you must not open your mouth. Not for anything. If you speak, you will fall."
"I understand," said the tortoise.
"Do you?" said the second goose. "You talk more than any creature we have ever met."
"I understand," said the tortoise again.
Up into the sky
They found a stick. The geese took the ends. The tortoise clamped his jaws in the middle and held on tight.
And then they were up, rising over the dry pond, over the cracked field, over the trees, higher than the tortoise had ever imagined being.
It was wonderful. The wind was cool. The whole country lay spread out below him like a painted cloth.
They passed over a village.
Down in the street below, people looked up and began to point and shout.
"Look at that!"
"Two geese carrying a tortoise!"
"Who thought of that? What a clever idea!"
"Those geese are the cleverest birds alive!"
The tortoise heard every word.
And it was not the fear that undid him, and it was not the height. It was that they were giving the credit to the geese.
He held on for one more second. Then he opened his mouth to say it was my idea, and got as far as the first word.
Moral of the story
Know when to keep quiet. There are moments when saying nothing is the only thing keeping you safe.
Questions and answers
- Why did the tortoise have to leave the pond?
There was no rain that year and the pond dried up almost completely, so he could not survive there any longer.
- What plan did the tortoise come up with?
He suggested that the two geese hold the ends of a stick in their beaks while he bit the middle, so they could carry him through the air.
- What condition did the geese give him?
He had to keep his mouth shut for the entire journey. If he opened it to speak, he would let go of the stick and fall.
- Why did the people in the village shout?
They were amazed to see two geese carrying a tortoise through the sky and they praised the geese for thinking of such a clever plan.
- What made the tortoise open his mouth?
He could not bear hearing the geese praised for a plan that was his own idea, so he opened his mouth to correct them.
Word meanings
- tortoise
- A slow-moving land animal with a hard shell on its back.
- geese
- More than one goose; large water birds that fly long distances.
- clamped
- Held something very tightly and firmly.
- credit
- Praise or recognition given to the person who did something.
Questions about The Talkative Tortoise
What is the moral of The Talkative Tortoise?
The moral is that there are times when silence is necessary, and that talking without thinking can cost you dearly. The tortoise's pride in wanting credit is what killed him.
What is the tortoise's name in the Panchatantra?
He is called Kambugriva in the original Sanskrit version of the story.
Why could the geese not simply carry the tortoise in their feet?
In the story the tortoise's own plan is the stick, because the geese had no way to hold his heavy shell safely while flying a long distance.
What lesson can children learn from this story?
That listening matters as much as speaking, that following instructions can keep you safe, and that wanting credit for everything can lead you into trouble.