It happened once that the mighty Emperor Akbar received the gift of a bottle of very rare and expensive perfume. The gift touched his vanity, and he proudly opened the bottle in the presence of his trusted advisor Balbir. As he did so, a drop of the costly essence fell upon the marble floor.

Without thinking, Akbar bent and wiped up the drop with his finger, but when he straightened, he saw a look of mockery in the eyes of Balbir. No words passed Balbir’s lips but his eyes seemed to say, “Does the ruler of an empire concern himself with a fallen drop?”

Akbar’s pride was stung, and he fretted over the incident for the rest of the day. He, Akbar, was not a stingy miser – how could he show Balbir that he was wrong about the emperor’s character?

The next morning, Akbar summoned Balbir to his bath. Upon the minister’s arrival, Akbar gave a commanding wave to his servants, and they began to pour perfume into the large pool. Bottle after bottle was emptied into the bath, until the chamber seemed to spin with the intense cloud of fragrance.

When the servants had finished their task, Akbar gave Balbir a defiant look, and said, “Well?”

“Majesty,” Balbir replied, “an ocean cannot restore what a single drop has taken away.”