Once, in the court of Emperor Akbar, a peculiar case emerged, leaving everyone in contemplation.
Two women, both weeping, appeared before Emperor Akbar. With them was a beautiful child of about 2 or 3 years old. Both women were crying incessantly, claiming that the child belonged to them. The challenge was that both women lived outside the city, and there was no one to verify their claims. Therefore, determining the real mother of the little child was proving to be difficult.
Emperor Akbar found himself in a dilemma, not knowing how to administer justice and decide who should have custody of the child. He sought opinions from his courtiers, but none could unravel the mystery. At that moment, Birbal entered the court.
Seeing Birbal, Emperor Akbar’s eyes lit up, and he explained the situation to him. Akbar entrusted Birbal with the task of resolving the predicament. Birbal, after pondering for a while, called for the executioner.
Upon the arrival of the executioner, Birbal placed the child in a particular spot and suggested, “Let’s cut the child into two halves. Each woman will then receive one half. If either of these women objects to this, the child will be given to the other.”
Upon hearing this proposal, one woman readily agreed to the division, saying she was fine with it. However, the other woman began weeping profusely, insisting not to harm the child and offering to relinquish her claim. It became evident that the woman who was willing to sacrifice for the child was the true mother.
Witnessing this, the courtiers concluded that the woman crying out of fear was guilty, but Birbal insisted that the woman ready to undergo the division should be apprehended. She started crying and asking for forgiveness, but Emperor Akbar ordered her to be imprisoned.
Later, Akbar asked Birbal how he knew who the real mother was. Birbal, with a smile, replied, “Your Majesty, a true mother is willing to bear all hardships for her child, but she would never agree to harm the child. That’s how I identified the real mother.”
Upon hearing Birbal’s wisdom, Emperor Akbar once again appreciated the sharp intellect of his advisor.
Lesson from the story:
We should never claim ownership or rights over something that doesn’t belong to us. The truth always prevails, and dealing with issues intelligently leads to the resolution of every problem.
