Who carries bad luck?

One day early in the morning the Emperor Akbar met with an ordinary man and on that day something unfortunate happened. While the Emperor was having breakfast, he ate a strand of hair that was in his food. He said that just because he had seen that man, this had happened and he wanted his guest to be punished. Some others in the Emperor’s court said the same, that that man carried very bad luck. Akbar said, “Then he should be hanged, killed.”

The poor man was supposed to be killed the following day. He knew that the Emperor’s court minister knew his plight. He went to the minister and prayed, but the minister said, “The Emperor wants to kill you. How can I dare to save you? Impossible!”

“No, you must save me, you must save me,” begged the man.

“How?” said the court minister. “I can’t.” Suddenly the minister whispered something in the man’s ear.

The following day the time came for the man to be hanged just because he carried bad luck. Akbar said, “Are you ready?” The man said, “Lord, you are saying that because of seeing me, your fate has become most deplorable. Now, can I not also say that because of seeing you, today I have to die? You are killing me. If I had not seen you, I would have remained alive. Because I saw you yesterday, today my fate is so bad. You will stay on earth but I have to die.”

The Emperor said, “I have lost the case.” The man was set free.

From:Sri Chinmoy,AUM — Vol.II-3, No.10, 27 October 1976, Vishma Press, 1976
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/aum_113