The Single Raindrop

One day, a humble villager was brought to Emperor Akbar’s court. He looked troubled and spoke with a heavy heart. “Jahanpanah,” he said, “I pray every day, but nothing changes. My voice is too small, my efforts too weak. What difference can one man make?”

The court listened quietly. Akbar, moved by the man's honesty, turned to Birbal for wisdom.

Birbal didn’t reply at once. Instead, he gently took the man outside. The sky was overcast, and a soft drizzle had just begun.

Birbal pointed to the light raindrops falling from the sky. “Look,” he said, “this raindrop is small. On its own, it cannot flood a river, nourish a field, or change the land.”

The man nodded.

“But,” Birbal continued, “when many drops fall together they fill lakes, grow crops, and even carve paths through stone. A single raindrop alone may be small… but it is never useless.”

The villager looked up at the rain, now falling steadily. A smile slowly returned to his face.

Birbal added, “Your prayer, your kindness, your effort they matter. Especially when joined with others. Never doubt the power of a single drop.”

Akbar, listening from behind, smiled with pride. “Well said, Birbal. Even the greatest rivers begin with a single drop.”

Moral: Small efforts may seem insignificant alone but together, they create powerful change.