The Crow and the Fox is one of the most well known Panchatantra stories — an ancient Indian fable about flattery and its consequences. This tale has been told across India for over two thousand years and remains as sharp today as it ever was.
There was once a crow who found a piece of bread near a baker's shop.
It was a good piece — fresh, large. He picked it up in his beak and flew to the branch of a tall tree to eat it in peace.
He had barely settled when a fox appeared at the base of the tree.
The fox looked up. He saw the bread. He wanted it.
He could not climb the tree. He thought for a moment.
"What a magnificent bird," the fox said loudly.
The crow looked down.
"I have travelled through many forests," the fox continued, "and I have never seen a crow with such fine feathers. So black. So glossy. So perfectly shaped."
The crow sat up a little straighter.
"And those wings," the fox said, shaking his head slowly as if overcome. "I have heard that crows with feathers like yours also have the most beautiful singing voice of any bird. Is it true?"
The crow had never been called magnificent before. Or glossy. Nobody had ever asked about his voice.
He opened his beak to sing.
The bread fell.
The fox picked it up and walked away without looking back.
"A beautiful voice indeed," the fox called over his shoulder. "Thank you."
The crow sat on the branch for a long time.
He was not hungry anymore. Just quiet.
Flattery is not a compliment.
It is a hand reaching for something you have.
Check what you are holding before you open your mouth.
