The Dusty Book

One afternoon, Emperor Akbar was walking through the royal library when he noticed an old, thick book sitting untouched on a shelf. Its cover was worn, and layers of dust coated it. With a wave of his hand, he said, “This is of no use anymore. Throw it away.”

Just then, Birbal entered the room. He saw the book and asked permission to look through it before it was discarded.

Akbar agreed, amused. “Go ahead, Birbal. I doubt anything worthwhile is in that old thing.”

Birbal gently blew off the dust, opened the book, and began flipping through its yellowed pages. Suddenly, he stopped and read aloud a few lines of rich, beautiful poetry. The room grew quiet as the words filled the air verses full of wisdom, emotion, and rare elegance.

Akbar was stunned. “This… this is extraordinary! I nearly threw it away without even opening it.”

Birbal closed the book carefully and replied, “Your Majesty, even dust can cover treasure. Value is not always seen on the surface. Sometimes, the most precious things come wrapped in age, wear, or silence.”

Akbar nodded slowly, realizing how close he’d come to discarding something priceless.

Moral: Never judge the worth of anything or anyone by how they appear on the outside.