Akbar would ask Birbal the trickiest of questions to test his intelligence. One day, he said to Birbal, “I have a simple question for you, Birbal. How many bangles does your wife wear?” Birbal said, “Your Majesty, I do not know.” Akbar said, “She serves you food every day. Yet, you don’t know.” Birbal replied, “I can explain that in the garden downstairs, Your Majesty.” Akbar said, “Come, let’s go,” and they both climbed down the stairs and entered the royal garden. When Akbar wanted to know the reason why Birbal didn’t know the answer, Birbal said, “Your Majesty, can you tell me the number of stairs we climbed down just now?” Akbar said, “No, I don’t know.” Birbal said, “Your Majesty, we climb up and down the same flight of stairs every day.” Akbar smiled and said, “I’ve understood that one shouldn’t ask questions that one doesn’t have answers for.”
Simple but Difficult
