Once upon a time, Emperor Akbar went hunting with his soldiers. Akbar was riding slowly that evening. Some of his soldiers, who were faster than he, went ahead. The Emperor along with the other soldiers was left behind. As the day was getting darker, they lost their way back to the palace. All of them were trying to get out of the forest. By that time, they were feeling very hungry and thirsty.
After some time, they finally saw a road. The Emperor and the soldiers paced towards the road. As they moved ahead, they found the road going in three different directions. All of them were confused while they were trying to decide among themselves the correct path.
Emperor Akbar murmured to himself with disappointment, “How will I know which way to go to reach the palace? And it is going to be night soon.”
Suddenly, they saw a young boy passing by. The Emperor made no delay in calling him to ask which road would take him to his capital. “Hey little boy! Do you know which road will take me to Agra?” asked Akbar, the Emperor.
The boy gave an extraordinary smile which seemed to be beaming with brilliance. Then, he replied, “Sir, how will a road take you to Agra or anywhere else?” Akbar’s expression suddenly changed. He became shocked and confused. The boy continued, “Everyone knows that roads cannot move.” Akbar, then, understood the joke and laughed with the soldiers.
For a short while, there was silence between them. The boy broke the silence saying, “Sir, it is we, people, who move and can take someone to a place, not roads.” The Emperor laughed aloud in a good spirit thinking what he said and how right the little boy was. Akbar said to him, “Yes, I admit that you are right.”
“What is your name, boy?” asked Akbar. The boy replied, “Sir, my name is Mahesh Das Bhatt.” Then, he asked Akbar who he was. “Who are you, Sir? I haven’t seen you here before.”
Emperor Akbar said with pride, “Boy, I am the king of Hindustan, Emperor Akbar. Here, take this ring.” Akbar handed out a ring to Mahesh Das Bhatt and said, “You are unique. Come to my court any day and I will recognize you because of this ring. I need people like you in my kingdom. Now, tell me the way to Agra. I have been lost for many hours. I need to reach back to my palace as soon as possible.”
Mahesh Das Bhatt accepted the token from Akbar and happily showed the way back to the palace.
