Chapter 137

“Bhishma said, ‘These two, viz., one that provides for the future, andone possessed of presence of mind, always enjoy happiness. The man ofprocrastination, however, is lost. In this connection, listen attentivelyto the following excellent story of a procrastinating person in thematter of settling his course of action. In a lake that was not very deepand which abounded with fishes, there lived three Sakula fishes that werefriends and constant companions. Amongst those three one had muchforethought and always liked to provide for what was coming. Another waspossessed of great presence of mind. The third was procrastinating. Oneday certain fishermen coming to that lake began to bale out its waters toa lower ground through diverse outlets. Beholding the water of the lakegradually decreasing, the fish that had much foresight, addressing histwo companions on that occasion of danger, said, ‘A great danger is aboutto overtake all the aquatic creatures living in this lake. Let usspeedily go to some other place before our path becomes obstructed. Hethat resists future evil by the aid of good policy, never incurs seriousdanger. Let my counsels prevail with you. Let us all leave this place’That one amongst the three who was procrastinating then answered, ‘It iswell said. There is, however, no need of such haste. This is mydeliberate opinion.’ Then the other fish, who was noted for presence ofmind, addressed his procrastinating companion and said, ‘When the timefor anything comes, I never fail to provide for it according to policy.’Hearing the answers of his two companions, he of great forethought andconsiderable intelligence immediately set out by a current and reachedanother deep lake. The fishermen, Seeing that all the water had beenbaled out, shut in the fishes that remained, by diverse means. Then theybegan to agitate the little water that remained, and as they began tocatch the fish, the procrastinating Sakula was caught with many others.When the fisherman began to tie to a long string the fishes they hadcaught, the Sakula who was noted for presence of mind thrust himself intothe company of those that had been so tied and remained quietly amongthem, biting the string, for he thought that he should do it to give theappearance of being caught. The fishermen believed that all the fishesattached to the string had been caught. They then removed them to a pieceof deep water for washing them. Just at that time the Sakula noted forpresence of mind, leaving the string, quickly escaped. That fish,however, who had been procrastinating, foolish and senseless and withoutintelligence as he was, and, therefore, unable to escape, met with death.

“‘Thus every one meets with destruction, like the procrastinating fish,who from want of intelligence cannot divine the hour of danger. That man,again, who regarding himself clever does not seek his own good in propertime, incurs great danger like the Sakula who had presence of mind. Hencethese two only, viz., he that has much forethought and he that haspresence of mind, succeed in obtaining happiness. He, however, that isprocrastinating meets with destruction. Diverse are the divisions oftime, such as Kashtha, Kala, Muhurta, day, night, Lava, month, fortnight,the six seasons, Kalpa, year. The divisions of the earth are calledplace. Time cannot be seen. As regards the success of any object orpurpose, it is achieved or not achieved according to the manner in whichthe mind is set to think of it. These two, viz., the person offorethought and the person of presence of mind, have been declared by theRishis to be the foremost of men in all treatises on morality and profitand in those dealing with emancipation. One, however, that doeseverything after reflection and scrutiny, one that avails oneself ofproper means for the accomplishment of one’s objects, always succeeds inachieving much. Those again that act with due regard to time and placesucceed in winning results better than the mere man of foresight and theman of presence of mind.'”