The Scholar's Mother Tongue

 

                The Scholar's Mother Tongue 

A learned Pundit once visited the court of Akbar. He told the King and his courtiers that he had mastery over many different languages. The Pundit could speak many languages fluently. He was so fluent that no one could find out what his mother tongue was. He challenged everybody at

the court to name his mother tongue. When everyone failed, the challenge was taken up by Birbal. That night, Birbal went quietly to the Pundit's room when he was asleep. He whispered into the Pundit's ear and tickled it with a feather. 

The Pundit, half awake, cried out suddenly and shouted out words in his mother tongue. Birbal came to the court the next day and told everyone that the Pundit's mother tongue was Telugu. 

The Pundit was surprised and accepted the truth. King Akbar then asked Birbal, "How did you find the truth?" Birbal answered, "In times of difficulty, a person speaks only in his mother tongue." 

He also told the King how he had gone to the Pundit's room at night to find out the truth.