The Line Puzzle

One day, Emperor Akbar drew a line on the floor and challenged Birbal to make it shorter without erasing or altering it. Birbal thought for a moment, then drew a longer line right beside it. When Akbar looked at both lines, the first line now appeared shorter in comparison. Akbar instantly understood Birbal’s clever solution: the relative value of things often depends on comparison. Birbal had subtly demonstrated that the true worth of something might only become apparent when compared to something else, shifting perception without altering the original.

Moral : The true worth of things often becomes clear only in comparison.

Summary : Birbal made a line appear shorter by drawing a longer one beside it, illustrating that perception often depends on comparison, without altering the original, highlighting the relativity of value.