The Pigeon Who Flew Into the Net Twice
Panchatantra Stories · 1 min read
A hunter scattered grain beneath a hidden net to trap a flock of pigeons feeding in a field, and when the flock landed to eat, the net dropped over them all at once, trapping every bird together. Their wise leader called out immediately for every pigeon to fly upward together at the same moment, and the combined effort lifted the entire net into the air, allowing the flock to carry it to safety and crawl free underneath.
The very next week, hungry again and forgetting the lesson so recently learned, several pigeons spotted the same hunter's grain scattered in a different field and flew down eagerly without checking for danger first. Their leader, more cautious this time, held back and warned the group to inspect the area carefully before landing — a warning most of the flock heeded, but one particularly hungry pigeon, unable to resist, flew down alone anyway and was caught immediately, with no flock nearby to lift the net together this time.
The others, watching from a safe distance, understood the lesson doubly now: teamwork saves everyone together, but no teamwork can save someone who wanders alone into the very danger they were already warned about.
Moral of the story
Teamwork can save a group, but it cannot save someone who wanders alone into a warned-of danger.