Akbar-Birbal - Words Can Kill

A well-known astrologer and palm-reader came to Agra and such was his fame that the Emperor Akbar himself called him to his court.

The palmist looked at Akbar's hand and looked serious. Then he told the Emperor, "Maharaj, you will suffer the separation of all your family members and relatives, they will all die in front of your eyes."

This, understandably, made the emperor very angry. He ordered the Pandit to be put in jail.

As usual, the refuge of the downtrodden, besaharon ka sahara, was Birbal. The Pandit asked to see Birbal in prison and when he came he poured his troubles into his sympathetic ear.

Birbal understood the problem. He whispered a plan into the Pandit's ear.

The next morning, the Pandit sent a request to see the Emperor one more time, saying he suspected he had made a mistake and must be given a chance to confirm or refute his earlier prediction.

Akbar welcomed this opportunity to rid himself of the dark shadow of this Pandit's ominous prediction and called the Pandit to his court.

This time, after carefully examining the powerful ruler's hand, the Pandit looked up and delivered his address thus, "Your Majesty, I did indeed make a big mistake. Your palm is in fact the palm of an extremely fortunate and privileged man. You are such a kind and just emperor that even the Gods want you to continue to rule this country for decades to come! I can clearly see it in your hand that you will have a long and healthy life. You will live so long that none in your friends, family or relatives will be able to equal that! You will have the longest life of all of them! May the Gods bless Your Majesty with years and years of happiness in your long, unsurpassed life!"

The Emperor was happy to hear the "true and correct" prediction and rewarded the Pandit handsomely.

Moral of the story?  When it's your head on the line, choose your words carefully!