A TORTOISE and two Geese lived together in a pond for many years.

At last there came a

drought and dried up the pond. Then the Geese said to one another,"We must seek a new home quickly, for we cannot live without water. Let us say farewell to the
Tortoise and start at once."
When the Tortoise heard that they were going, he trembled with fear, and besought them by their
friendship not to desert him.
"Alas," the Geese replied, there is no help for it. If we stay here, we shall all three die, and we
cannot take you with us, for you cannot fly."
Still the Tortoise begged so hard not to be left behind that the Geese finally said,"Dear Friend, if you will promise not to speak a word on the journey, we will take you with us.
But know beforehand, that if you open your mouth to say one single word, you will be in instant
danger of losing your life."
"Have no fear," replied the Tortoise, "but that I will be silent until you give me leave to speak
again. I would rather never open my mouth again than be left to die alone here in the dried-up
pond."
So the Geese brought a stout stick and bade the Tortoise grasp it firmly in the middle by his
mouth. Then they took hold of either end and flew off with him. They had gone several miles in
safety, when their course lay over a village. As the country people saw this curious sight of a
Tortoise being carried by two Geese, they began to laugh and cry out, - "Oh, did you ever see
such a funny sight in all your life!" And they laughed loud and long.
The Tortoise grew more and more indignant. At last he could stand their jeering no longer. "You
stupid . . . " he snapped, but before he could say more he had fallen to the ground and was dashed
to pieces.

A Tortoise and two Geese shared a pond for many years and became close friends. At last there
came a drought and the pond dried up. One of the Geese said to the other, We must seek a new
home quickly, for we cannot live without water. Let us say farewell to the Tortoise and start at
once.
When the Tortoise heard that they were going, he trembled with fear, and pleaded with them not
to desert him.

Alas, the Geese replied, If we stay here, all three of us will die, and we cannot take you with
us, for you cannot fly.
Still the Tortoise begged not to be left behind. After thinking for a while one of the Geese finally
said, Dear friend, if you promise not to speak a word on the journey, we will take you with us.
But know beforehand, that if you open your mouth even to say one single word, you will be in
instant danger of losing your life.
Have no fear, replied the Tortoise, I will be silent until you give me leave to speak again. I
would rather never open my mouth again than be left to die alone here in the dried-up pond.
So the Geese brought a stout stick and asked the Tortoise grasp it firmly by his mouth. Then they
took hold of either end and flew off with him. They had gone several miles in safety, when their
course lay over a village. As the country people saw this curious sight of a Tortoise being carried
by two Geese, they began to laugh and cry out, Oh, did you ever see such a funny sight in all
your life! And they laughed loud and long.
The Tortoise grew more and more indignant. At last he could stand the jeering no longer. He
opened his mouth to explain the situation but before he could say anything he had fallen to the
ground and was dashed to pieces.
The Tortoise and The Geese is a fable that appears in the Panchatantra, a collection of Sanskrit
tales believed to date back as far as the 3rd century BCE. The story appears in the earliest
English translations of the Panchatantra, dating back to 1570. Like other fables, this one is
known in a number of different versions in different cultures.
The story has been preserved for so long and has made its way to so many cultures because it
shows us the wisdom in patience and silence. Like the tortoise, too often we compound our
problems by opening our mouth when silence would be a more appropriate. Yoga provides us
with space to see the situation from outside ourselves. This helps us better determine if a
response is appropriate. Let us resolve to make better use of silence in our lives as recommended
in an age old folk saying:
Silence is the fence around wisdom -German Quote

The Tortoise and the Geese

Once upon a time, there was a tortoise who lived in a tank. He made friends with two geese who used to
come and visit him at the tank. They were happy for many years.
Then there was a drought that lasted for months. The tanks and rivers started drying up under the burning
sun. The people and animals were starving and the birds were migrating to more fertile lands. The two

geese decided to save themselves and go away. So they came to say a sad goodbye to their friend the
tortoise.
The poor tortoise could not believe that they could leave him behind to die. The geese wondered how
they could save their friend too. The problem was that they did not know how to take him along because
the tortoise could not fly. The tortoise came up with an idea. He told the geese to get him a stick that he
could hold between his teeth. The geese could then take him to a more fertile land flying slowly while
holding the two ends of the stick.
But the geese were worried that if the tortoise opened his mouth by mistake to speak, he would lose his
grip on the stick and would fall down and die. So the tortoise promised not to open his mouth.
The geese flew off carrying the tortoise with them. They flew higher and higher, over hills, valleys, fields
and plains. Finally, they flew over a city. The people of the city were amazed to see such a strange sight.
They clapped their hands and commented how wonderful it was too see the geese carrying the tortoise
like that. The people's shouting and clapping annoyed the tortoise. He wondered aloud why these foolish
people were making such a racket. But as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he lost his grip on the
stick and fell to the ground. And so the poor tortoise was killed all because of his foolishness and
intolerance.