The Judgement of Maharaja
Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab set out on a journey. He was accompanied by his bodyguards, courtiers, and a retinue of soldiers.
Suddenly a stone came through the air and hit his head. He began to bleed. Injuring an emperor was one of the most heinous crimes and invited punishment up to the death penalty.
Now the question arose—who might have flung the stone? The commander of the army looked around for the culprit. All others too were pressed into action. Very soon they discovered an old lady standing under a tree.
They brought her to Maharaja and said, "Your highness, this is the culprit who might have thrown that stone at your head. There is no one else present in the vicinity."
The old woman was trembling with terror. The situation was tense.
Maharaja asked her, "Did you throw the stone?"
She replied in a meek and fumbling voice, "Yes, Your Highness, I did throw."
"Why did you do so?" Maharaja asked.
She pleaded, "I am extremely poor. I have nothing to eat at home, and for the past two days I have been forced to starve. My boy is hungry too. I wanted to get something, at least for the boy. I saw a tree laden with some fruits. I threw some stones to get a few fruits. To my dismay, I suddenly realised that the stone had taken the wrong direction and hurt you in the head. This is the truth. Now, your highness may be pleased to decide the quantum of my punishment."
The Maharaja immediately asked his cashier to give her sufficient food, along with a thousand rupees, and release her with due respect.
All the people present there were flabbergasted by this judgement. They were wondering—is it a punishment or a reward? In fact, she deserved no less than the death penalty. They couldn’t understand how someone who had injured the Maharaja could merit such a reward. Was this not an irony of fate?! But they had no choice but to keep quiet.
Maharaja understood their predicament and said, "You all know that if a stone is thrown at a tree it gives sweet fruits in return. If a lifeless tree behaves so, how can I punish her with bitter fruits? It cannot be so. Therefore, bestow her with proper rewards and release her with due respect."
From this, one can easily infer how a wise judge or jury should pronounce a judgement according to time, clime, situation, and the person involved.
