The King’s Footprint

One rainy morning, Emperor Akbar stepped into the palace courtyard after a garden walk. The wet earth clung to his sandals, and as he walked across the white marble floor, a clear, muddy footprint was left behind.

Displeased by the sight, Akbar immediately ordered a servant to clean it.

But later that day, as he passed through the hallway, he stopped in surprise. There, hanging neatly in a golden frame, was his muddy footprint preserved on a slab of the same marble.

“Who did this?” he asked, puzzled.

Birbal stepped forward with a smile. “I did, Jahanpanah.”

Akbar raised an eyebrow. “You framed dirt?”

Birbal bowed and replied, “No, Your Majesty I framed a moment. Even your footprint, though ordinary in form, holds meaning when treated with reverence. Greatness is not only in what kings command, but in the traces they leave behind if preserved with respect.”

Akbar looked at the framed print again, this time with a thoughtful smile. “So even a step taken without intent,” he said, “can become meaningful in the eyes of wisdom.”

Birbal nodded. “Exactly. It’s not the act alone but how it's remembered that defines its worth.”

Moral: True greatness is remembered not through grand gestures, but in how even the smallest marks are honored.