The Measured River

One afternoon in the royal court, a renowned scholar arrived boasting of his latest accomplishment.

He bowed before Emperor Akbar and proudly announced, “Your Majesty, I have developed a precise method to measure the flow of any river its speed, depth, and volume to exact detail. Nothing escapes my calculations.”

The courtiers nodded in admiration, impressed by his confidence. Akbar, curious and intrigued, turned to Birbal. “What do you say, Birbal? Can one truly measure a river completely?”

Birbal smiled and said, “Let us find out for ourselves.”

The court followed them to the banks of the Yamuna River. The scholar immediately began setting up his instruments, calculating and jotting down notes with great seriousness.

Meanwhile, Birbal quietly stepped forward, took off his footwear, and dipped his foot into the flowing river.

The scholar looked up, confused. “What are you doing, Birbal?”

Birbal calmly replied, “I just changed the river.”

The court turned to him in surprise.

Birbal explained, “The water that touched my foot has now flowed downstream. The ripples I created have altered its course. Every second, the river renews itself. What you measured a moment ago no longer exists.”

He turned to Akbar and added, “Just like life, a river is always in motion. You can measure a moment, but not the whole stream. Some things are beyond numbers.”

Akbar nodded thoughtfully, deeply moved by the simplicity of Birbal’s wisdom.

Moral: Life, like a river, is ever-changing not everything can be held, measured, or controlled.