Who Is the True Mother?

Two women claimed a child; Birbal chose a test that hurt only the lie.

Instead of ordering a brutal tug-of-war, Birbal drew a chalk line and asked each woman to pull the child to her side. One stepped back with tears; the other yanked forward. Birbal knelt by the weeping woman: love protects before it possesses. The emperor granted custody and a cradle full of relief.