ONE day a woman threw a stone at Maharaja Ranjit Singh and was promptly arrested and brought before the ruler.
“Why did you throw a stone at me?” asked Ranjit Singh. “T…The stone was not meant for you, Maharaj,” said the woman, trembling uncontrollably. “My children are hungry since yesterday morning and I was trying to knock down some fruit from the ber tree.”
The king looked at her sunken eyes and her thin, wasted body, and was moved to pity. He turned to one of his ministers and asked him to give the woman a thousand rupees.
“She should be punished, Your Majesty,” said the minister.
“Why are you rewarding her?”
“Because I think the King of the Punjab should be more generous than a ber tree when a stone is thrown at him,” said Ranjit Singh, smiling.