Once, an intelligent man from a faraway country visited Akbar’s kingdom. He had heard of Birbal’s wisdom and wanted to meet him. Birbal invited the man to his house. They enjoyed discussing many topics. After a while, the man said, “Sir, please offer me a few words of wisdom.” Birbal smiled. Then he asked his […]
One day, a man entered Akbar’s court and said, “Your Majesty, I have a special skill. I can train animals to speak like human beings.” Akbar asked him, “Can you train my horse?” The man said, “Certainly, Your Majesty! But I need a lot of money. It will take ten years to train your horse.”
One morning, the topic of discussion in the royal court centred on women and loyalty. But Birbal said, “Women cannot keep secrets, Your Majesty!” Akbar asked, “Can you prove it?” Birbal said, “Give me a week, Your Majesty!” Next day, Birbal pretended to be crying in his room. His wife asked, “Why are you crying,
A young man was about to jump into a well. Birbal said, “Stop! What’s the matter?” The man said, “I wanted to be a farmer but it didn’t rain. The crops died. I tried to be a shepherd, but a wolf killed my sheep. I am fed up!” Birbal said, “Come with me!” He took
One day, Akbar and Birbal were strolling along the banks of the Yamuna. Suddenly, they heard people shouting. When they went near, they saw some people standing around a man. The man bowed and said, “Your Majesty, my wife left home in the morning to bring water from the river. She has not returned. I
Once, Emperor Akbar gave Birbal five elephants. Birbal thanked the emperor and took them home. After some days, Birbal went to the marketplace to sell the elephants. One of Akbar’s guards saw this and complained to Akbar. Akbar was angry. He said, “How can he sell the gifts that I have given him?” He took
Once, a thief broke into Birbal’s house. When Birbal woke up due to the noise, the thief hid in a dark corner behind a lamp. The place was dusty and the thief sneezed. Birbal stood at a distance from the lamp and said, “Dear Lamp, why are you quiet tonight? Is there someone else in
One day, Emperor Akbar said to Birbal, “I have a challenge that you cannot face.” Surprised, Birbal asked, “What is it, Your Majesty?” Akbar said, “The oldest member of this court is a serious man. Let’s see how you bring me his nightwear without asking him to give them to you.” Birbal said, “I always
Jumman and Imam were Birbal’s neighbours. One day, Jumman complained to Akbar that Imam had stolen brinjals from his field. But Imam said, “Your Majesty, I took the brinjals with the permission of Jumman’s field. Akbar asked, “Can you explain yourself?” Imam said, “Before plucking a brinjal, I asked, ‘O Field! Shall I pluck one
One day, Birbal’s neighbours, Rashid and Sadeeq, were fighting against each other. He asked them, “What is the matter?” Both of them led him to a mango tree. Sadeeq said, “Birbal, I have nurtured this tree since when it was a sapling. But Rashid says the mangoes belong to him.” Rashid said to Birbal, “This
Once, a budding writer invited Birbal to tea. He had finished writing his first book and wanted to read it out to Birbal. Birbal accepted the invitation. When the writer had read a couple of chapters, Birbal realised it was a badly written book. He wanted to leave. But the writer said, “There’s another chapter
One full-moon night, while Birbal and his family were deep in slumber, a thief entered the house through the window. He took off his shirt and spread it on the floor. He went into the store room and gathered whatever he could. While he was busy, he knocked down a pot. Birbal woke up due
There was a miser in Akbar’s kingdom. His wife would say, “You are rich, but you never spend a penny. You never give me anything.” The miser turned a deaf ear to her complaints. One day, he went to the goldsmith and bought a brick of gold. When he got home, he buried it under
Once, Akbar, Birbal and all the courtiers went hunting. After a while, they were tired and decided to relax in the shade. They dismounted from their horses and tied them near by. While everyone rested, the soldiers fed peas to the horses. A monkey was sitting on a tree near by, watching the horses. Suddenly,
One day, two brothers stormed into Emperor Akbar’s court. Their father had left them his property and they were fighting over it. While the younger brother wanted his share of the property, the elder brother wanted it all for himself. As they continued to quarrel, Birbal intervened. He told Akbar, “Your Majesty, long ago, after