Detecting a Lie

A certain landlord once subjected one of his servants to such a brutal thrashing that the servant ultimately died. Far from feeling remorse, the landlord aimed to exploit the incident to his advantage. He had an enemy in Govind, a young man who often opposed his tyranny. The landlord decided to place the blame for his servant’s death squarely on Govind’s shoulders.

The Deceptive Scheme

To further his malicious intent, the landlord bribed a priest, instructing him to falsely proclaim that he had seen Govind beating the servant to death. The landlord was confident that the local judge would readily believe the priest, who appeared innocent and religious.

The Judge’s Insight

“On Tuesday evening, I was heading to the neighboring village to negotiate for my daughter’s marriage when I witnessed Govind beating the servant on the road,” the priest told the judge. However, the judge, though skeptical, remarked, “As a priest, you could not have gone out on Tuesday evening on such an auspicious mission! The combination of planets indicated a bad time back then!” Despite his assertion, the judge had no actual knowledge of the planetary situation on that Tuesday evening.

The Confession

That singular comment proved decisive. The priest, realizing that his scheme was unraveling, broke down and confessed to being bribed by the landlord.