The Foolish Deer Who Danced
Panchatantra Stories · 1 min read
A deer, grazing peacefully, narrowly dodged a hunter's arrow that whistled past his ear and buried itself in a tree behind him. Overjoyed at his lucky escape, he began prancing and dancing in celebration right there in the clearing, unable to contain his relief and joy.
A wise old crow, watching from a branch above, called down a warning: "Celebrate your escape once you are safely far from here, not while you're still standing exactly where the danger found you." But the deer, too thrilled to listen, continued his triumphant dance, certain the hunter had already moved on.
The hunter, in fact, had simply paused to reload a second arrow, drawn back by the very sound of the deer's joyful commotion in what should have been a quiet clearing. This time, his aim found its mark. The old crow, watching the deer fall, remarked sadly to no one in particular that joy celebrated too soon, in the very place danger first appeared, often invites that same danger straight back.
Moral of the story
Celebrating an escape while still standing in the danger zone often invites the danger right back.