Once upon a time, Emperor Akbar had a beautiful and precious necklace made for his queen’s birthday. When the birthday arrived, Emperor Akbar presented the necklace as a gift to his queen, who loved it dearly. The next night, the queen removed the necklace and placed it in a chest. After several days passed, the queen opened the chest to wear the necklace again, only to find that it was missing. Distressed, she informed Emperor Akbar about the situation, suspecting that the necklace had been stolen.
Upon learning this, Emperor Akbar ordered his soldiers to search for the necklace, but it could not be found anywhere. Akbar became convinced that the queen’s necklace had been stolen.
He then summoned Birbal to the palace. When Birbal arrived, Akbar explained the entire situation and entrusted him with the responsibility of finding the lost necklace. Birbal, without wasting any time, sent a message to all the palace workers, instructing them to gather in the court. Shortly afterward, a court session began with Akbar, the queen, and all the palace workers present. However, Birbal was notably absent.
Wondering why Birbal had brought a donkey with him to the court, everyone awaited an explanation. Birbal, seeking forgiveness for his tardiness, informed Akbar that the donkey possessed magical powers and could reveal the thief who stole the necklace.
Birbal directed the workers to go one by one into a room with the donkey, hold its tail, and shout, “I did not steal anything, Your Majesty.” Once everyone had taken their turn, Birbal went into the room and, after a brief moment, emerged with the solution.
Birbal gathered all the workers and asked them to hold out both their hands. Going from person to person, Birbal sniffed their hands. Finally, he grabbed one worker’s hand and declared, “This person is the thief who stole the necklace!” Shocked, everyone in the court wondered how Birbal could make such a claim.
Birbal explained, “Your Majesty, the magical donkey may not exist, but the unique fragrance on the thief’s hand has revealed the truth.” The worker, caught with the stolen necklace, confessed to the theft.
The stolen necklace was recovered, and Akbar appreciated Birbal’s cleverness. As a reward, the queen presented Birbal with a gift.
Moral of the story:
This story teaches us that wrongdoings, no matter how well-hidden, are eventually exposed. Therefore, it is essential to avoid engaging in dishonest actions.
