151 Akbar Birbal Stories

One day, an old lady visited Birbal. She was in tears. Birbal asked, “What happened?” The old lady said, “I had a son who died in battle and I am all alone.” Birbal wiped her tears and said, “Do you have anything to give the emperor?” The old lady said, “Yes, my son’s sword. Birbal […]

Once, Akbar and his courtiers were discussing the qualities of generosity and kindness. Akbar said, “The hand of the giver is always above that of the receiver.” Everyone in the court pondered over the thought and agreed with him. However, Birbal said, “I do not agree with you, Your Majesty. The hand of the giver

Once, there lived a sage in Akbar’s kingdom. An old lady came to him and said, “Please keep my life’s savings with you until I return.” The sage said, “I stay away from wealth. Bury them in a corner of my hut.” The old lady did so and left. She came back after many months.

Akbar knew a lot about many religions and was always eager to learn more. Once, he asked Birbal, “Why did Lord Krishna rush to help his devotees? Didn’t He have servants? Birbal said, “I shall answer that tomorrow, Your Majesty.” Then he ordered a craftsman to make a wax idol of Prince Khurram, Akbar’s grandson.

Once, there was an old miser in Akbar’s kingdom. He had a wooden box in which he kept all his money. One day, the miser’s hut caught fire. He rushed outside and cried, “My money box! Please save it!” One of his neighbours said, “I shall save it, but I will only give you what

Once, an ambassador from a neighbouring kingdom visited Akbar. Akbar said, “Be my guest.” The ambassador had brought many gifts with him and he gave them to Akbar and his courtiers. Then he said to Akbar, “There are many alchemists in our country. They can turn any metal into gold. Our country also has many

Akbar and Birbal had just finished having a lavish meal. Birbal said, “Pardon me, Your Majesty! But I think you are becoming fat.” Akbar said, “It’s because of all the rich food the cooks serve every day.” Birbal said, “No, Your Majesty. It is because you have no worries. A well-fed person with worries can

One day, a messenger from a neighbouring kingdom came to Akbar’s court. The king had sent many gifts for Akbar and Birbal. The messenger gave them the gifts and said, “My king has heard about Birbal’s wit. He wants to test Birbal. He has a question for Birbal.” Akbar said, “Go ahead. Birbal shall never

Akbar and Birbal shared a close relationship which had its share of strange twists. There were times when Akbar would get angry with Birbal and banish him from the court. During one such incident, Birbal went away. Akbar’s soldiers searched for Birbal, but in vain. Akbar knew Birbal could not resist challenges. So he announced

Akbar’s kingdom was famous for its beauty and grandeur. One day, a messenger from a distant land came to Akbar’s court. He said, “Our king sends his greetings. He wants to visit your kingdom. But our king is old. He wants to know the number of turns in the streets of your kingdom as he

One day, Akbar said to Birbal, “We say God is kind, but sometimes I feel God is unfair. Many are blessed with good health, while many are ill. Some are poor; some are rich. If God is our father, why does He treat His children differently?” Birbal explained, “Your Majesty, if all was well, who

There lived a short-tempered Brahmin in Akbar’s kingdom. One day, he found a strand of hair in his food and shouted at his wife, “This should never happen again, or I shall punish you!” After a week, the Brahmin found a strand of hair in his food. “Enough! Your hair shall be shaved today!” he

One day, a messenger from a distant kingdom visited Akbar’s court. He said, “O Emperor, our king has heard many tales of your courtiers and their intelligence. He wants a pot of intelligence from your kingdom.” Akbar whispered to Birbal, “This king is making fun of us. How can we fill a pot with intelligence?”

One day, Fazalji, the royal painter, went to Birbal. He said, “Please help me.” Birbal asked, “What happened?” Fazalji replied, “Liaqat Ali asked me for a portrait. I spent a day painting his picture. He had a beard and a moustache then. But the next day, Liaqat Ali refused to accept it. He had shaved

One day, Akbar noticed that the plaster had peeled off in some of the rooms. “Dholak! I want these walls repaired immediately,” he ordered his servant. The next day, Akbar saw that the walls had not been repaired. He was angry. “Dholak! Come here!” he screamed. Dholak looked at the walls and said, “Pardon me,