5. The Box of Jewels

Once there lived an old man during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Though he was very rich, but he was miser and never gave money in charity or for any other social cause.

The old man possessed a large chest. The chest had money, gold and expensive jewels. One day, misfortune came to his door and his house caught fire. The man struggled hard and managed to escape. Soon after he remembered his chest of jewels and began mourning over it’s lose. Hearing the man cry loud in the street, people surrounded him. A goldsmith came forward and said, ‘Friend, don’t worry. It was just a thatched hut that caught fire. You can easily rebuilt. You should thank god that you escape unhurt’.

But the old man kept crying. He replied in agony, ‘God saved me. But he didn’t save my box of jewels. I have lost all my wealth. I am wrecked!’

The goldsmith was surprised. He asked, ‘Friend, which box of jewels are you referring to?’

The man now revealed, ‘I saved kept all my money and jewels in a large chest. The chest lied under my bed. In haste of escaping this fury of fire, I could not think of moving the chest. It must be now destroyed by the fire’.

The goldsmith’s face brightened when he heard the old man. He was very greedy and started thinking of a way to posses the jewels and money. He asked the old man, ‘Tell me, what you will give me if I bring back your money and jewels?’

The old man replied between his sobs, ‘If you bring back my jewels and money, I will don anything for you!’

The goldsmith conditioned, ‘Fine, I will get you the chest of jewels. But I will keep whatever I like and rest I shall give to you’.

The old man agreed.

The goldsmith jumped into the fire and brought the box of jewels. He collected all the valuables from the chest and gave the empty chest to the old man saying he is giving what he liked to.

The old man was utterly shocked. He contended, ‘Friend, it is certainly true that you risked your life and fetched this box from the fire. But this does not gives your all rights over them. They are my lifetime savings from my hard earned money. You can keep some parts of them, and return the rest to me’.

But the goldsmith was arrogant and unyielding. He replied, ‘I gave the condition before I brought this chest. You may call it unfair, but you agreed to it before’.

Soon a fight began between the goldsmith and the old man. The goldsmith bluntly denied to give any jewels to the old man and left the place. The old man mourned, until someone came and suggested that he should take the matter to the court of Akbar for justice.

Thus the old man went to the court of Akbar with his plea. He asked for justice. The king found the matter complicated and asked Birbal for a way to resolve the dispute. The king called the goldsmith.

Birbal asked the goldsmith to repeat the condition he kept before fetching the chest of jewels.

The goldsmith contended, ‘The condition was whatever I like, I shall give him. The rest I shall keep for myself’.

Birbal asked the goldsmith, ‘So what do you like?’

The goldsmith replied, ‘I like the jewels’.

Birbal caught the twist and ordered; ‘Now you said you like the jewels. What you like should be given to this old man. So give the jewels to him’.

The goldsmith felt be was caught in his own trap. He stammered, ‘But majesty, I like …., I like …..’.

Birbal raised his voice and said, ‘What you like is to be given to the old man. Give it now and fulfill your promise’.

The goldsmith’s mind was turmoil. This entire scheme was scattered by play of few words. He stood wordlessly and handed over the jewels collected in a bag to the old man.

Akbar appreciated Birbal’s approach to the matter. The old man thanked Birbal and Akbar for granting him justice and happily went back to his village.