The Three Fish

Also known as Teen Machhliyan

• 3 minute read
• Ages 6-10
• Panchatantra Stories

Three fish lived in a pond that was a long way from the road, and for years nobody came near it.

Their names described them exactly. Anagatavidhata means the one who plans ahead. Pratyutpannamati means the one who thinks on the spot. Yadbhavishya means whatever will be, will be.

The fishermen

One evening two fishermen walked past the pond on their way home.

They stopped. They looked at the water for a while and one of them said there were more fish in there than in the river, and the other agreed, and they said they would come back at first light with nets.

Then they walked on.

All three fish had heard them.

Three answers

"We leave tonight," said Anagatavidhata. "There is a channel at the far end that runs to the river. It is shallow and it will be difficult and we can do it before dawn. I am going now."

"There is no need to panic," said Pratyutpannamati. "They may not come. And if they do, I will work something out. I always do."

"They will come or they will not," said Yadbhavishya. "If I am meant to be caught I will be caught. Swimming to a river will not change that. I am staying here."

Anagatavidhata left that night through the channel and reached the river before sunrise.

The morning

The fishermen came at first light with nets, exactly as they had said, and worked the pond from both ends.

Yadbhavishya was taken in the first sweep. He had not moved from where he was and had made no attempt to avoid anything, and there was nothing more to it than that.

Pratyutpannamati was taken in the third.

And then he did what he had said he would do. He went completely still in the net, floated on his side with his mouth open and his gills flat, and did a convincing impression of a fish that had been dead for some hours.

The fisherman who lifted him out looked at him, made a face, and threw him over the bank into the channel at the far end of the pond.

He lay still for another few seconds. Then he turned over and went down the channel to the river, where he found Anagatavidhata waiting.

Afterwards

"You cut that very fine," said Anagatavidhata.

"It worked."

"It worked this time," said Anagatavidhata. "You were in a net. A man had you in his hand. There was one thing you could try and if he had not believed it there was nothing else."

"But he did believe it."

"Yes," said Anagatavidhata. "I left last night and slept well. You have had the worst morning of your life and we are both in the same river."