Friday, March 20, 2015

29. The Hasty Judgment

One evening Emperor Akbar was riding near a mango grove with courtiers. While they grooved and enjoyed, suddenly an arrow whizzed past him. There was a sudden cry of anguish and everyone stopped. Akbar and his courtier turned to look around to see who shot the arrow, while the soldiers rushed in all the directions to see the shooter.

The soldiers rushed to the grove and caught a young boy who had shot the arrow. Akbar angrily asked the boy, ‘Why did you shoot the arrow aimlessly? It could have killed me or else injured by right arm badly. You shall be punished for this’.

The young boy pleaded, ‘My Majesty! I come and practice here everyday. I never intended to kill you. When I shot the arrow to knock down a ripe mango, incidentally your horse happens to pass there. Forgive me my Majesty, I am innocent’.

But the Emperor was too angry to listen. He was filled with rage. He asked his man to put the boy to death as a punishment for his unthoughtful action.

The soldier dragged the boy and tied him to a tree stump. Just when they steadied the arrow to kill him, Birbal shouted, ‘My Majesty, it is a hasty judgment. It is not fair on your part to put someone innocent to death. If you want to revenge his attempted to kill you, shoot him in the same way as he shot the arrow toward the ripe mango. Aim towards the same mango as this boy did and if your arrow misses the mango, the boy’s innocence shall be proved’.

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