Once upon a time, Emperor Akbar was ordering his servants to bring water while he was still in bed. At that moment, a servant who was cleaning the garbage near the emperor’s chamber saw that Akbar was thirsty, and there were no other servants around. He took it upon himself to fetch water for the emperor. Seeing the servant bringing water, Akbar was surprised, but he was also very thirsty. Without much thought, he grabbed the glass brought by the garbage collector and drank the water.
Just then, some of Akbar’s special attendants arrived in his chamber. Upon seeing the servant who had picked up garbage standing there, they immediately ordered him to leave the room. After a while, they also spoke to the emperor and then left his chamber. Soon after, as the day progressed, Akbar began to feel unwell, and his condition deteriorated.
Concerned about the emperor’s health, the royal physician was called, but even after taking medicine, there was no improvement in Akbar’s health. It was suggested that a astrologer be consulted. Akbar, believing in superstitions at that moment, ordered the astrologer to be summoned.
As soon as the astrologer arrived, Akbar told him, “It seems that the shadow of an unfortunate person has fallen on me, and I have fallen ill.” On hearing this, Birbal, who had learned about the incident with the garbage collector, burst into laughter in front of the emperor. Seeing Akbar’s discomfort, he asked, “What happened to you? How did you fall so sick?”
In response, Akbar said, “Birbal, the shadow of an unlucky person has fallen on me, and I have become ill.”
Upon hearing the emperor’s response, Birbal started laughing even more. Disturbed by this, Akbar said, “Birbal, are you making fun of my illness?”
Birbal replied, “No, Your Majesty, I just want to say that if I bring a person more unlucky than the garbage collector in front of you, will you pardon the servant?”
Akbar asked, “Can there be anyone more unlucky than him? Alright, bring someone more unlucky than him, and I will release the servant.”
Without delay, Birbal went to the garbage collector and said, “Do not worry; I will somehow save you. Just play along with whatever I say.” Saying this, Birbal went straight to Emperor Akbar.
Birbal asked Akbar, “Are you sure that being unwell is a sign of bad luck? Let me bring someone more unfortunate in front of you.”
At that moment, Akbar realized that Birbal was about to play a trick, so he agreed reluctantly.
Birbal then said, “Your Majesty, you are the most unfortunate person in this room.”
Upon hearing this, Akbar became even more uncomfortable. He said, “Birbal, you are mocking my illness again.”
Birbal explained, “No, Your Majesty, I just mean that being unwell does not necessarily indicate bad luck. Consider this – the servant who brought you water from the garbage has been sentenced to death for his actions. If he was the cause of your illness, and he is being punished, shouldn’t you recover now?”
Hearing Birbal’s clever reasoning, Akbar realized the folly of his superstitions. He immediately ordered the release of the servant and pardoned him. The garbage collector was set free, and Akbar learned a valuable lesson about not jumping to conclusions based on superstitions.
The moral of the story is not to make decisions based on superstitions or unfounded beliefs. Always consider rational explanations and be cautious about attributing events to mere superstitions.
