The Candle’s Race

One quiet evening in the royal court, Emperor Akbar posed a thoughtful question to his ministers and courtiers.

“Tell me,” he said, “what moves faster fire or light?”

The scholars began debating. Some argued that fire spreads with speed and destruction, while others insisted that nothing travels faster than light.

Amidst the discussion, Birbal quietly stepped forward. Without saying a word, he took a candle, placed it before the emperor, and lit it.

Akbar watched with curiosity. “What are you trying to show, Birbal?”

Birbal smiled and replied, “Neither fire nor light moves fastest, Jahanpanah. It is hope that moves faster than both.”

Akbar raised an eyebrow. “Hope? Explain.”

Birbal said, “The moment we see a candle even before its flame is lit we feel comfort. The mere presence of the candle brings the promise of light in darkness. That is the speed of hope it begins not when the flame appears, but the moment we believe it will.”

Akbar leaned back, thoughtful and impressed. “You’ve shown that what touches the heart travels faster than what touches the eye.”

The court fell silent, moved by the truth behind Birbal’s gentle wisdom.

Moral: Hope arrives before light it shines in the heart before it appears to the eyes.