Birbal’s Sadhu
``Great emperor, to day this place, this garden and this fort; the whole kingdom is yours. It belonged to your father before and his father before that’’ Said the Sadhu.
``Yes’’ told the Akbar. `` So?’’
``So,’’ said the Sadhu, ``one day it will belong to your son, and then your grandson’’
``True,’’ replied Akbar.
``As I understand it,’’ said Sadhu. ``Each of you stays for a while and then someone else becomes the owner of all this. Again, for a short span of time. Is not that so?’’ Akbar was becoming ore and more puzzled by this strange Sadhu. ``So what of it?’’ he enquired.
`It is something like a Dharamsala, is not it?’’
``What do you mean?’’ shouted Akbar.
``A Dharamsala is a place where people stay for a while, then move on. Nobody owns it. Take the shade of roadside tree. People rest there for a while and then continue their journey. If I rest under the shade of a tree, I know someone has been there before me. When I leave others will use the shade of the same tree. Neither the tree nor its shade belongs to me.’’
``That is so,’’ agreed Akbar. ``But what is your point?’’
``Great emperor’’ said the Sadhu, ``your gardens, palaces and your empire are like a Dharamsala. You will use them for some years, when you die, others will live here and enjoy this kingdom.’’
Akbar became thoughtful. The old Sadhu made sense.
``Sadhu,’’ said Akbar. ``You are trying to tell me that the whole world is akin to a Dharamsala. We come into this world, enjoy what it offers and then we die. Others come and they enjoy the fruits of this earth. So nothing in this world can belong to one single person. It is free and open for everyone.’’
The Sadhu nodded his head. He then removed his beard and Sadhu’s saffron garb. ``Forgive my Emperor’’ he said, Akbar started open- mouthed! ``Birbal! It was you, Birbal! You are forgiven. You have opened my eyes. We have much to discuss on this topic. Let us retire to the durbar at once and talk further.’’
``Even great emperor like you are mere mortals and cannot carry your worldly goods with you when you die’’, said Birbal humbly.
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