Akbar became king when he was just 13. Eventually, he formed a vast empire. He knew he was a great man and this made him arrogant. Due to this, Akbar acted inconsiderately towards his subjects at times. Birbal did not like this since Akbar was otherwise a kind man. One day, Birbal disguised himself as a saint and went to the royal garden. When Akbar came for a stroll, he saw the saint and said, “How dare you enter my garden? You shall be sentenced to death.” The saint said, “Is this your garden?” Arrogantly, Akbar said, “Yes!” “Then,” said the saint, “the rivers, the trees and the country all belong to you?” Akbar said, “Yes!” The saint asked, “Who owned them before they belonged to you?” Akbar realised that nothing was permanent. What was his today would belong to someone else tomorrow. This knowledge ended the arrogance within him.
Nothing is Permanent
