The Three Fish Story For Children With Moral (2025)

Cheerful animal characters and fantastic narratives make the Panchatantra stories popular among all age groups. These stories are written in such a way that they ignite children’s curiosity and imagination. They are not only entertaining to read and listen to, but they also teach valuable morals that children will remember for a long time. In this article, we shall take a look at a well-known Panchatantra story named ‘The Three Fishes’. The story revolves around friendship and teaches kids the important lesson of having the presence of mind. Read on to know the tale.

Origin And History Of ‘The Three Fishes’

As mentioned above, the story is one of the famous tales from the Panchatantra collection of stories. The collection was initially curated in Sanskrit by the great Hindu Scholar Pandit Vishnu Sharma. The stories were mainly written to make learning fun for the three princes of King Amarasakti, but the moral values, light narration, wit, and humour of these stories made them widely loved. Over time, these stories were translated into English and many other languages and continue to entertain people of all age groups.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Story Type Of ‘The Three Fishes’

‘The Three Fishes’ story is a story with a moral lesson, often read to kids as a bedtime story.

Story Characters

The important characters in the story are the three fishes and the fishermen.

• The First Fish: The first fish was known for his wisdom and smartness. He always believed in taking thoughtful decisions.
• The Second Fish: The second fish was very smart and intelligent. He would always tackle problems with his presence of mind.
• The Third Fish: The third fish was lazy and believed in fate instead of working hard. He hardly applied any thought and left things to fate.
• The Fishermen: The two fishermen were the ones who came to catch all the fishes in the pond and were fooled by the second fish’s presence of mind.

‘The Three Fishes’ Story For Children

Once upon a time, in a pond, there lived three big fishes. They were best friends and had known each other for a long time.

Even though they were very close friends, they were characteristically very different from each other.

The first fish was extremely wise and always believed in making well-informed choices. He was well-known in the pond for his knowledge.

The second fish was intelligent, resourceful, and pleasant. He constantly used his presence of mind to get out of any trouble he was in. He was well-known for his quick and clever solutions.

The third fish was opposite in nature compared to his friends. He was lazy and believed in fate. His philosophy in life was that whatever happens, happens, and no one can stop it. He did not believe in doing things and, as a result, would get into many difficulties.

Despite the differences, the three fishes were good friends and did everything together.

One sunny day, while the first fish was playing at the shore, he overheard two fishermen talking.

‘This pond is full of good fishes’, said the first man.

‘Shall we come here tomorrow with our net and catch them?’ asked the second fisherman.

‘Sure! It will be a good day!’ said the first fisherman, and both left.

The first fish was terrified on hearing this and rushed back to the pond to inform his friends.

‘Oh no! This is a big problem!’ exclaimed the second fish. ‘What do you guys think? What should we do?’

‘I have decided to leave the pond to go to a nearby lake. I’ll come back when things get better’, said the first fish.

‘I don’t want to leave the lake’, said the second fish. ‘I will think of a way to save myself when the fishermen come’, he added.

The third fish, as usual, showed his laid-back attitude and said, ‘I have lived in this pond for a very long time, and I will not leave it at any cost. Whatever is bound to happen will happen, and I cannot change it. Let it be.’

The other two fishes tried very hard to make him understand, but all their efforts were in vain. At last, they gave up.

Later that night, the first fish left for the nearby lake.

The following day, the fishermen came and cast their net and trapped both the second and the third fish.

After being in the net for some time, the second fish had an idea. He laid still and did not move at all. The fishermen noticed him and thought that he was dead.

They threw him back into the pond, and his life was saved.

The third fish, on the other hand, kept tossing and turning around in the net, not knowing what to do. His tossing and turning made the fishermen so irritated that they struck him hard in the head.

After a few days, the first fish returned to the pond, and the second fish narrated the entire incident to him.

‘Alas! Had he listened to us, he would have been with us here today’, said the first fish, and both of them mourned the absence of their dear friend.

Story Summary

Given below is asummary of ‘The Three Fish’ story.

Once upon a time, three fishes lived in a pond. They were very close friends. The first fish was very wise; the second fish was intelligent and witty, while the third fish was very lazy and believed in fate. One day, the first fish overheard a conversation between two fishermen about casting their net the next day. He quickly returned and informed both of his friends. The first fish chose to leave the pond and go to a nearby lake. The second fish stayed and decided to find a way, and the third fish continued to believe in fate and did nothing.

The second and the third fishes were caught in the fishermen’s net the next day. The second fish used his brains and remained still. When the fishermen saw him still, they assumed he was dead and threw him back into the pond. The third fish kept twisting and flipping in the net, irritating the fisherman to the point that they hit him in the head and hurt him.

Moral Of The Story

The story teaches kids to act swiftly and quickly if they see trouble ahead.

In the above narrative, if the first and second fish had not acted appropriately, as soon as they detected danger, they would have been caught. It is imperative to adapt to changes, and the one who fails to do so perishes.

How Can Children Apply The Moral Lesson Of The Story In Their Real Life?

Thisshort storyteaches us the importance of having the presence of the mind and being alert at all times. As soon as we get into a difficult situation, we should act to save ourselves rather than wait for someone else to come and help us. Moreover, it is crucial to work towards our goals rather than just believing in fate. If we want to achieve something in life, it is essential to put in the required amount of effort and work towards it and not just believe in fate and luck.

Reading astory with pictures is fun as it allows children to visualise the characters and situations, enhancing their imagination skills. So, the next time your kid has trouble sleeping, read this Panchatantra story to them and watch them drift off to sleep peacefully.

Also Read:

The Boy Who Cried Wolf Moral Story for Children
Hansel and Gretel Story with Moral for Kids
The Monkey and the Crocodile Story in English for Children with Moral