The Heron and the Crab
Panchatantra Stories · 1 min read
A heron grown too old and slow to catch fish by chasing them sat by a pond one day, sighing loudly, until a curious fish asked what troubled him.
"I overheard fishermen," the heron lied, "planning to drain this very pond tomorrow. I know of a larger lake nearby — I would be glad to carry you there myself, one by one, in my beak, to save you all."
Fish after fish trusted him and was carried off — but the heron flew not to any lake, only to a rock nearby, where he ate each one in turn. A wise old crab, growing suspicious when none of the fish ever returned, asked to be carried too, but gripped the heron's neck tightly with his claw the moment they landed, and squeezed until the heron confessed everything — then finished him off before he could trick another creature again.
Moral of the story
A kind story can hide a cruel plan — trust should be earned by deeds seen, not words alone.