The Emperor's Shadow

In a reflective mood one evening, watching his own long shadow stretch across the palace courtyard at sunset, Akbar posed a question to his gathered courtiers: was a king's shadow, in any true sense, greater or more significant than an ordinary man's?

Several courtiers, eager to flatter, insisted the emperor's shadow must surely be more magnificent, cast by such an important figure. Others, trying to seem philosophical, argued shadows were mere absence of light and therefore meaningless regardless of who cast them.

Birbal offered a different answer. "Your Majesty's shadow is, in physical measurement, exactly as long as the sun and your height make it — no more, no less than any man of the same height would cast. But there is one true difference: when a king moves through his kingdom, his actions cast a shadow far longer than his physical one — reaching into the lives of every subject he rules, for better or worse, long after he himself has passed by. That shadow, unlike the one cast by the sun, is entirely of your own making, Your Majesty, and it is the one truly worth attending to." Akbar considered this deeply, remarking that Birbal had, as always, found the one true measure hidden beneath an idle question.