BIRBAL STORIES

• Back to Square One
• Birbal Catches A Thief
• Half the Reward
• The Jealous Courtiers
• Cooking the Khichdi!
• List of the blind
• The Well dispute
• The Blind Saint
• Birbal identifies the thief
• Birbal's Painting
• Question For Question
• The Musical Genius
• Birbal, The Wise
• The True King
• Limping Horse
• Birbal's Sweet Reply
• Birbal Is Brief
• Birbal, The Child
• Just One Question
• The Emperor's Servant
• The Loyal Gardener
• Birbal Identifies a Guest
• Birbal Betrays Himself
• Noble Beggar
• Birbal's Choice
• Birbal Turns the Tables
• Birbal Returns Home
• Birbal Denies a Rumour
• The Sharpest Shield and Sword
• Birbal Outwits a Cheat
• Birbal Shortens a Road

Limping Horse

A nobleman's prized racehorse began to limp for no apparent reason. Veterinarians who were called found nothing wrong with the leg - no fracture, no sprain, no soreness - and they were baffled.
The nobleman finally consulted a sage, a man known for his wisdom.
"Has anything changed for the horse in the last few months?" he asked.
"I changed his trainer a few weeks ago," said the nobleman.
"Does the horse get on well with his new trainer?"
"Very well! In fact, he's devoted to him."
"Does the trainer limp?"
"Uh... yes, he does."
"The reason for the horse's limp is clear," said the sage. "He's imitating his handler. We all tend to imitate those whom we admire. The company we keep has a great influence on us."
The nobleman put the horse in the charge of another trainer, and the horse soon stopped limping.
-Adapted from the Jatakas.