These two lines reflect the theme that men must never go against fate:
1. "I don't know what the first two was, but the third was for death. that's how i got the paw"
2. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it."
Explanation: The actual lesson that Fakir wanted to teach is that fate ruled people's lives.