There
was a very popular emperor called Akbar who ruled in India
in the 16th century. His favorite minister was Birbal, a
very wise and witty man. One day the two of them went hunting.
Akbar was cutting his arrow out of an animal he had just
killed. His knife slipped and he cut his finger off. Birbal
told him: "Don't worry, everything happens for the
best."Akbar was enraged at the seemingly uncompassionate
Birbal. He told him to get out of his sight and never to
return. Akbar was then captured by a local forest tribe.
On that day, according to their custom, they were supposed
to sacrifice a man to the "gods." So they decided
to sacrifice Akbar. But the chief noticed he had a finger
missing, and let him go because he wasn't worthy enough.
Akbar realized that Birbal had been right: if he hadn't
cut his finger off he would be dead by now! When he got
back to the palace, he ordered his men to find Birbal and
bring him back. But it took them a whole month to find him:
he'd had a bit of a rough time, living in the forest on
berries and roots. When he was finally brought before the
emperor, Akbar saw his sorry condition and asked his friend
and minister for forgiveness. Birbal replied, "No,
it's okay, everything happens for the best." "But
how can you say that, after all you suffered?!" Akbar
exclaimed. Then Birbal replied, "Because if you hadn't
sent me away when you did, they would also have captured
me, and since I hadn't cut my finger off, I would have been
killed!"
