A wrestling competition was once held in the palace. Wrestlers from all over Akbar’s kingdom participated in the competition. Emperor Akbar, Birbal and the other courtiers watched the competition. When it ended, the winner boasted, “I am the champion! I am the most powerful man in the country. Does anybody want to challenge me?” Birbal […]
Emperor Akbar thought Birbal was very wise. He always wanted to learn from Birbal. One day, he asked, “Birbal! Tell us something about the path to freedom and the path to slavery!” Birbal said, “Your Majesty, at the outset, the path to freedom will be full of obstacles and steep climbs. In fact, there will
One day, the royal guards brought a robber to Akbar’s court and said, “Your Majesty, this man has robbed many people’s gold and money.” Akbar roared, “Why did you rob so many people?” The robber said, “Your Majesty, it is God’s will. How can I be punished for things that were directed by God?” Birbal
Once, Birbal was on holiday. That day, his son told him, “Father, please come with me to the park! My friends and I want to play with you!” Birbal went with his son and began playing with all the children. After some time, a courtier passed by. He saw Birbal playing like a child among
Once, an old woman and a doctor went to Akbar’s court. But Birbal, as usual, solved it with his intelligence. The old woman said she was blind, while the doctor said she could see. Birbal took the old woman to another room and asked her, “What is the matter?” The old woman said, “I had
One day, Akbar asked, “Who is the most fearless person in this world?” All the courtiers except Birbal, replied, “Of course, it’s you, Your Majesty!” Since Birbal was quiet, Akbar asked him, “Tell me who the bravest person in this world is.” “A child, Your Majesty!” said Birbal. Everyone was surprised with Birbal’s answer. “Prove
It was the birthday of the emperor himself. The whole kingdom was bubbling with joy. Kings from faraway lands, ministers and courtiers filled the palace with the finest of gifts. But Akbar’s mind was elsewhere. His eyes were searching for his most precious gem — Birbal. One courtier told Akbar, “Your Majesty, everyone has arrived,
Akbar praised Birbal a lot and this did not go down well with some jealous courtiers. Mulla was one of them. One day, when Birbal entered the court wearing a classy turban, Akbar said, “Your turban looks very good on you. It has been tied so neatly!” But before Birbal could reply, Mulla interrupted, “Your
One night, Birbal was invited to a grand feast. Next day, during lunch, Akbar asked, “How was the feast, Birbal?” Birbal described the lavish feast and listed the items that were served. He had to stop when a courtier entered with a message for the emperor. In the court, Akbar asked, “What else, Birbal?” Birbal’s
One day, the royal gardener went to Birbal and said, “Sir, someone has stolen my gold coins! I had hidden them under the pear tree.” Birbal asked, “Had anyone seen you hiding it?” The gardener said “Nobody else knew about it.” Birbal called the royal doctor and asked, “Have you treated anybody with medicines made
Once, Akbar could not start an important meeting because Birbal was late. When Birbal finally arrived, Akbar was angry with him. “Birbal! Why are you late?” he thundered. “Your Majesty, my child was crying. I was trying to calm him down,” replied Birbal. Akbar said, “You don’t know anything about children.” Birbal replied, “Your Majesty,
Once, two men rushed to Birbal for help. One of them was a poor man. He had a bundle of clothes on his head. He said, “Sir, I was walking in the hot sun with the bundle of clothes. I was tired, so I took the load off my head and rested under a tree.”
Once, an old man and his neighbour went to Birbal. The old man said, “I gave my valuables to my neighbour before going on a pilgrimage. I am back, but my neighbour refuses to return them.” The neighbour said, “This man never gave me any valuables.” Birbal asked the old man, “Does anyone else know
Once, the king of a neighbouring country invited Birbal to his palace. The king had heard a lot about Birbal’s wisdom. He was jealous of Birbal and was rude to him. But Birbal bore everything with a smile. Some time later, the king’s guards told him, “An old beggar has entered the royal garden!” The
One day, Akbar said to Birbal, “Lying is bad. There are people who tell lies many times in their lives. I have neither told a lie in my life nor will I ever do so.” Birbal said, “Your Majesty, sometimes we lie to avoid hurting someone.” Akbar said, “I don’t think so. I will never