151 Akbar Birbal Stories

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

Akbar was very fond of hunting. He would frequently go on hunting expeditions. Slowly, the animals of the forest were decreasing. Birbal was worried. He wanted to let the emperor know that it was wrong to kill animals and birds for pleasure. The next time Akbar went hunting, Birbal accompanied him. Once in the forest,

One day, two merchants named Dhanamal and Sonamal came to Akbar’s court. Akbar asked, “What is the matter?” Dhanamal said, “Your Majesty, I had borrowed money from Sonamal and promised to return it within a week. Dhanamal told me that I would have to give him the flesh of my pet peacock if I couldn’t

Once, some of Akbar’s courtiers who were jealous of Birbal told Akbar, “Your Majesty, if Birbal can do anything and everything, he can also bring you the milk of an ox.” Akbar asked Birbal to do so. Birbal went home and told his plan to his daughter. At night, Birbal’s daughter went to the royal

One day, Akbar’s courtiers were discussing about God. Birbal said, “Whatever God does is for the ultimate good of everyone.” A courtier asked, “I lost my toe in an accident. How is it good for me?” Birbal said, “Only God knows His ways. Time will prove that I am right.” A few days later, Akbar

There lived a poor Brahmin in Akbar’s kingdom. One night, he had a strange dream. He dreamt that his friend gave him some money. The Brahmin met his friend the next morning and told him about this dream. The friend who heard that he had lent the money to the Brahmin was a cunning man.