The King’s Finger

One day, Emperor Akbar went hunting in the forest with his royal entourage. As he mounted his horse, he accidentally cut his finger on a sharp edge of his sword. The wound, though small, was painful. Akbar winced and cursed his bad luck.

Birbal, who was accompanying him, gently said, “Jahanpanah, do not be upset. Everything happens for a reason sometimes even pain is a hidden blessing.”

Akbar, already in a foul mood, grew furious. “You call this pain a blessing?” he shouted. “What kind of comfort is that?”

In his anger, Akbar ordered Birbal to be thrown into prison for his “insensitive” remark.

Later that day, while separated from his guards during the hunt, Akbar was captured by a forest tribe known to offer human sacrifices to their deity. The tribe was about to sacrifice him when the priest noticed the wound on Akbar’s finger.

“He is injured,” the priest said. “Our customs forbid offering a blemished body to the gods. Release him.”

Akbar was let go at once.

Shaken but safe, the emperor returned to the palace and immediately ordered Birbal’s release. He embraced him and said, “You were right, Birbal. That injury saved my life. Please forgive me.”

Birbal smiled calmly and said, “Jahanpanah, everything truly happens for a reason even being thrown in jail. Had I gone with you, I may have been sacrificed in your place!”

Akbar laughed, the weight of the day lifting from his heart.

Moral: What seems like misfortune may protect us sometimes, pain carries a hidden blessing.