The Mango Tree
One day, two men appeared in the court of Akbar. They were neighbors. They had a dispute over a mango tree. The mango tree had just borne fruits. Both Raghav and Keshav were laying their claim over the tree.
King Akbar asked the servant who was hired as a guard for the tree.
He said, “Sir, they both are my masters. They together appointed me and I got half amount of the salary from each of them.”
Akbar asked Birbal to do justice. Birbal requested them to come again next day. After they had gone, Birbal said something to the guard of the tree. He nodded and agreed to the plan.
During the night, the guard went to Keshav and said, “Sir, I have seen some thieves around the tree. They are planning to steal all the mangoes.”
“What did you say? Thieves!” said Keshav, “Sorry, I won’t go. They are thieves. They might be armed. I don’t want to risk my life for a few fruits.”
Now, the guard went to Raghav and repeated his statement.
Raghav stood up with a start and said, “They want to steal my fruits. How could they even think of it? I will teach them such a lesson that they will remember it throughout their lives.” Saying this, Raghav grabbed a stick and went outside. Birbal’s spies were watching the whole scene. They told the entire story to Birbal.
Next day, when Raghav and Keshav went to the court, Birbal said, “We have decided that the tree would be cut and the place vacated would be cleaned.”
To this, Keshav said, “Sir, you are the master. How can we deny your orders? You can do as you wish.”
But Raghav interrupted and said, “Please sir, don’t do that. The tree is the result of my endeavours. This is the first time it has borne fruits. I request you to please drop the idea of cutting it and give it to Keshav.”
Birbal said, “Raghav, we know that you are the real owner of the tree. You were the one who rushed to face the thieves last night, whereas, Keshav showed no interest regarding the matter. So I have decided to give the ownership of the tree to you.”
Raghav felt very happy and Keshav, the liar, hide his face and quietly slipped away.
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