Nothing is Permanent – Akbar Birbal Short Story-Once upon a time, King Akbar took a short walk on the terrace of his palace.
He saw some beggars sitting on the walls of the palace and got very angry. He thought to himself that these beggars always take rest here, without any work, and are all fools.
So, he asked the servants of the palace to stick a notice that said, “No one can sit on the walls of the palace.”
But the beggars had no place to rest on sunny days. So, they went to Birbal for help.
The next day, King Akbar saw only one beggar sitting on the wall. He got angry and sent a servant to the beggar to ask him to leave.
But the beggar refused to obey the order.
The beggar said, “If the owner of the palace said directly to me, I can move to the other side.” This news reached King Akbar. He was surprised that a beggar had asked the king for a meet.
The king went to the beggar and asked him to leave. The beggar asked, “Is this palace yours?” The king said, “Yes.”
The beggar asked, “A couple of decades ago, who owned this palace?” The king replied, “It was my dad.”
Then the beggar asked, “40 years ago, who was the owner of this palace?” The king replied, “It was my grandfather.”
The beggar said, “See, there is nothing permanent. Things that are yours today may belong to someone else tomorrow.”
King Akbar was surprised by the beggar’s brief but valuable answer. He asked the beggar who he was. The beggar removed his fake beard and long hair and revealed himself as Birbal.
King Akbar thanked Birbal for the valuable lesson and realized that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of their social status.
From that day on, the king stopped discriminating against beggars and treated them with respect.
