Akbar, Birbal and Queen

Akbar, Birbal and Queen

One evening Emperor, Birbal and Queen sitting in Palace Garden and Chitchatting. They were having the Grapes while Chitchatting. Akbar thought of making fun of the Queen. Akbar Started Throwing all the Grape seeds before the Queen, without Queen's Notice.

After sometime The Emperor said, "My Queen, Look at the seeds in front of you, You ate more grapes than me and Birbal".
The Queen felt Embarrassed and She looked down.

Soon Birbal Said, "O My Majesty, At least the Queen left the seed's of Grapes but You ate grapes along with seeds".
The Emperor din't utter a word and All of a sudden all started Laughing. 

Birbal Shortens Road

Birbal Shortens Road

The emperor Akbar was travelling to a distant place along with some of his courtiers. It was a hot day and the emperor was tiring of the journey.
"Can't anybody shorten this road for me?" he asked, querulously.
"I can," said Birbal.
The other courtiers looked at one another, perplexed. All of them knew there was no other path through the hilly terrain. The road they were travelling on was the only one that could take them to their destination.
"You can shorten the road?" said the emperor. "Well, do it."
"I will," said Birbal. "Listen first to this story I have to tell."
And riding beside the emperor's palanquin, he launched upon a long and intriguing tale that held Akbar and all those listening, spellbound. Before they knew it they had reached the end of their journey.
"We've reached?" exclaimed Akbar. "So soon!"
"Well," grinned Birbal, "you did say you wanted the road to be shortened."

The Sharpest Shield and Spear

The Sharpest Shield and Spear

A man who made spears and shields once came to Akbar's court.
"Your Majesty, nobody can make shields and spears to equal mine," he said. "My shields are so strong that nothing can pierce them and my spears are so sharp that there's nothing they cannot pierce."
"I can prove you wrong on one count certainly," said Birbal suddenly.
"Impossible!" declared the man.
"Hold up one of your shields and I will pierce it with one of your spears," said Birbal with a smile.

Deny Birbal's Generosity

Deny Birbal's Generosity

One day a man stopped Birbal in the street and began narrating his woes to him.
"I've walked twenty miles to see you," he told Birbal finally, "and all along the way people kept saying you were the most generous man in the country."
Birbal knew the man was going to ask him for money.
"Are you going back the same way?" he asked.
"Yes," said the man.
"Will you do me a favor?"
"Certainly," said the man. "What do you want me to do?"
"Please deny the rumor of my generosity," said Birbal, walking away.

Birbal's Visit to Persia

Birbal's Visit to Persia

Birbal was in Persia at the invitation of the king of that country. Parties were given in his honor and rich presents were heaped on him. On the eve of his departure for home, a nobleman asked him how he would compare the king of Persia to his own king.
"Your king is a full moon," said Birbal. "Whereas mine could be likened to the quarter moon."
The Persians were very happy. But when Birbal got home he found that Emperor Akbar was furious with him.
"How could you belittle your own king!" demanded Akbar. "You are a traitor!"
"No, Your Majesty," said Birbal. "I did not belittle you. The full moon diminishes and disappears whereas the quarter moon grows from strength to strength. What I, in fact, proclaimed to the world is that your power is growing from day to day whereas that of the king of Persia is about to go into decline."
Akbar grunted in satisfaction and welcomed Birbal back with a warm embrace.

Akbar's Dream

Akbar's Dream

Emperor Akbar was narrating a dream. The dream began with Akbar and Birbal walking towards each other on a moonless night. It was so dark that they could not see each other - and they collided, and fell.
"Fortunately for me," said the Emperor. "I fell into a pool of payasam. But guess what Birbal fell into?"
"What, your Majesty?" asked the courtiers.
"A gutter!"
The court resounded with laughter. The emperor was thrilled that for once he had been able to score over Birbal. But Birbal was unperturbed.
"Your Majesty," he said when the laughter had died down. "Strangely, I too had the same dream. But unlike you I slept on till the end. When you climbed out of that pool of delicious payasam and I, out of that stinking gutter we found that there was no water with which to clean ourselves and so guess what we did?
"What?" asked the emperor, warily.
"We licked each other clean!"
The emperor became red with embarrassment and resolved never to try to get the better of Birbal again.

Justice and Gold Coins

Justice and Gold Coins

One day Emperor Akbar asked Birbal what he would choose if he were given a choice between justice and a gold coin.
"The gold coin," said Birbal.
Akbar was taken aback.
"You would prefer a gold coin to justice?" he asked, incredulously.
"Yes," said Birbal.
The other courtiers were amazed by Birbal's display of idiocy.
For years they had been trying to discredit Birbal in the emperor's eyes but without success and now the man had gone and done it himself!
They could not believe their good fortune.
"I would have been dismayed if even the lowliest of my servants had said this," continued the emperor. "But coming from you it's. . . it's shocking - and sad. I did not know you were so debased!"
"One asks for what one does not have, Your Majesty!" said Birbal, quietly. "You have seen to it that in our country justice is available to everybody. So as justice is already available to me and as I'm always short of money I said I would choose the gold coin."
The emperor was so pleased with Birbal's reply that he gave him not one but a thousand gold coins.

Birbal and Noble Beggar

Birbal and Noble Beggar

Emperor Akbar asked Birbal if it was possible for a man to be the 'lowest' and the 'noblest' at the same time.
"It is possible," said Birbal.
"Then bring me such a person," said the emperor.
Birbal went out and returned with a beggar.
"He is the lowest among your subjects," he said, presenting him to Akbar.
"That might be true," said Akbar. "But I don't see how he can be the 'noblest'."
"He has been given the honour of an audience with the emperor," said Birbal. "That makes him the noblest among beggars."

Akbar Birbal Quarrel

Akbar Birbal Quarrel

Birbal was missing. He and the emperor had a quarrel and Birbal had stormed out of the palace vowing never to return. Now Akbar missed him and wanted him back but no one knew where he was.
Then the emperor had a brainwave. He offered a reward of 1000 gold coins to any man who could come to the palace observing the following condition. The man had to walk in the sun without an umbrella but he had to be in the shade at the same time.
"Impossible," said the people.
Then a villager came carrying a string cot over his head and claimed the prize.
"I've walked in the sun but at the same time I was in the shade of the strings of the cot," he said. It was a brilliant solution. On interrogation the villager confessed that the idea had been suggested to him by a man living with him.
"It could only be Birbal!" said the emperor, delighted. Sure enough it was Birbal and he and the emperor had a joyous reunion.

Birbal Identifies Guest

Birbal Identifies Guest

Birbal had been invited to lunch by a rich man. Birbal went to the man's house and found him in a hall full of people. His host greeted him warmly.
"I did not know there would be so many guests," said Birbal who hated large gatherings.
"They are not guests," said the man. "They are my employees, all except one man. He is the only other guest here beside you."
Then a crafty look came on the man's face.
"Can you tell me which of them is the guest?" he asked.
"Maybe I could," said Birbal. "Talk to them as I observe them. Tell them a joke or something."
The man told a joke that Birbal thought was perhaps the worst he had heard in a long time. When he finished everyone laughed uproariously.
"Well," said the rich man. "I've told my joke. Now tell me who my other guest is."
Birbal pointed out the man to him.
"How did you know?" asked his host, amazed.
"Employees tend to laugh at any joke told by their employers," explained Birbal. "When I saw that this man was the only one not laughing at your joke, and in fact, looked positively bored, I at once knew he was your other guest."

Birbal and Loyal Gardener

Birbal and Loyal Gardener

One day the Emperor Akbar stumbled on a rock in his garden. He was in a foul mood that day and the accident made him so angry that he ordered the gardener's arrest and execution.

The next day when the gardener was asked what his last wish was before he was hanged, he requested an audience with the emperor. This wish was granted, but when the man neared the throne he loudly cleared his throat and spat at the emperor's feet. The emperor was taken aback and demanded to know why he had done such a thing. The gardener had acted on Birbal's advice and now Birbal stepped forward in the man's defense.

"Your Majesty," he said, "there could be no person more loyal to you than this unfortunate man. Fearing that people would say you hanged him for a trifle, he has gone out of his way to give you a genuine reason for hanging him."

The emperor, realizing that he had been about to do a great injustice, set the man free.

Birbal and The Cabbages

Birbal and The Cabbages

One day Akbar and Birbal were riding through the countryside and they happened to pass by a cabbage patch.
"Cabbages are such delightful vegetables!" said Akbar. 
"I just love cabbage, "The cabbage is king of vegetables!" said Birbal.
A few weeks later they were riding past the cabbage patch again. This time however, the emperor made a face when he saw the vegetables. "I used to love cabbage but now I have no taste for it." said Akbar.
"The cabbage is a tasteless vegetable" agreed Birbal.
The emperor was astonished.
"But the last time you said it was the king of vegetables!" he said.
"I did," admitted Birbal. "But I am your servant Your Majesty, not the cabbage's."

Birbal and One Question

Birbal and One Question

One Day a scholar came to the court of Emperor Akbar and challenged Birbal to answer his questions and thus prove that he was as clever as people said he was. He asked Birbal, "Would you prefer to answer a hundred easy questions or just a single difficult one?"
Both the emperor and Birbal had had a difficult day and were impatient to leave.
"Ask me one difficult question," said Birbal.
"Well, then, tell me," said the man, "which came first into the world, the chicken or the egg?"
"The chicken," replied Birbal.
"How do you know?" asked the scholar, a note of triumph in his voice.
"We had agreed you would ask only one question and you have already asked it" said Birbal and the emperor walked away leaving the scholar gaping.

Birbal and The Child

Birbal and The Child

Birbal arrived late for a function and the emperor was displeased.
"My child was crying and I had to placate him," explained the courtier.
"Does it take so long to calm down a child?" asked the emperor. "It appears you know nothing about child rearing. Now you pretend to be a child and I shall act as your father and I will show you how you should have dealt with your child. Go on, ask me for whatever he asked of you."
"I want a cow," said Birbal.
Akbar ordered a cow to be brought to the palace.
"I want its milk" said Birbal, imitating the voice of a small child.
"Milk the cow and give to him," said Akbar to his servants.
The cow was milked and the milk was offered to Birbal. He drank a little and then handed the bowl back to Akbar.
"Now put the rest of it back into the cow, put it back, put in back, put it back..." wailed Birbal.
The emperor was flabbergasted and quietly left the room.

Birbal and Four Fingers

Birbal and Four Fingers

One day Akbar asked his courtiers if they could tell him the difference between truth and falsehood in three words or less.
The courtiers looked at one another in bewilderment.
"What about you, Birbal?" asked the emperor. "I'm surprised that you too are silent."
"I'm silent because I want to give others a chance to speak," said Birbal.
"Nobody else has the answer," said the emperor. "So go ahead and tell me what the difference between truth and falsehood is in three words or less."
"Four fingers" said Birbal
"Four fingers?" asked the emperor, perplexed.
"That's the difference between truth and falsehood, your Majesty," said Birbal. "That which you see with your own eyes is the truth. That which you have only heard about might not be true. More often than not, it's likely to be false."
"That is right," said Akbar. "But what did you mean by saying the difference is four fingers?'
"The distance between one's eyes and one's ears is the width of four fingers, Your Majesty," said Birbal, grinning.

Sweet Reply of Birbal

Sweet Reply of Birbal

One day the Emperor Akbar startled his courtiers with a strange question.
"If somebody pulled my whiskers what sort of punishment should be given him?" he asked.
"He should be flogged!" said one courtier.
"He should be hanged!" said another.
"He should be beheaded!" said a third.
"And what about you, Birbal?" asked the emperor. "What do you think would be the right thing thing to do if somebody pulled my whiskers?"
"He should be given sweets," said Birbal.
"Sweets?" gasped the other couriers.
"Yes, said Birbal. "Sweets, because the only one who would dare pull His Majesty's whiskers is his grandson."
So pleased was the emperor with the answer that he pulled off his ring and gave it to Birbal as a reward.

Birbal and Limping Horse

Birbal and Limping Horse

A nobleman's prized racehorse began to limp for no apparent reason. Veterinarians who were called found nothing wrong with the leg - no fracture, no sprain, no soreness - and they were baffled.
The nobleman finally consulted Birbal, man known for his wisdom.
"Has anything changed for the horse in the last few months?" he asked.
"I changed his trainer a few weeks ago," said the nobleman.
"Does the horse get on well with his new trainer?"
"Very well! In fact, he's devoted to him."
"Does the trainer limp?"
"Uh... yes, he does."
"The reason for the horse's limp is clear," said the Birbal. "He's imitating his handler. We all tend to imitate those whom we admire. The company we keep has a great influence on us."
The nobleman put the horse in the charge of another trainer, and the horse soon stopped limping.

Birbal and True King

Birbal and True King

The King of Iran had heard that Birbal was one of the wisest men in the East and desirous of meeting him sent him an invitation to visit his country.
In due course, Birbal arrived in Iran. When he entered the palace he was flabbergasted to find not one but six kings seated there. All looked alike. All were dressed in kingly robes. Who was the real king?
The very next moment he got his answer. Confidently, he approached the king and bowed to him.
"But how did you identify me?" the king asked, puzzled.
Birbal smiled and explained: "The false kings were all looking at you, while you yourself looked straight ahead. Even in regal robes, the common people will always look to their king for support."
Overjoyed, the king embraced Birbal and showered him with gifts.

True Owner of the Tree

True Owner of the Tree

Ramu and Somu both claimed ownership of the same mango tree. One day they approached Birbal and asked him to settle the dispute. Birbal said to them: "There is only one way to settle the matter. Pluck all the fruits on the tree and divide them equally between the two of you. Then cut down the tree and divide the wood".
Ramu thought it was a fair judgement and said so. But Somu was horrified.
"Your Honor" he said to Birbal "I've tended that tree for seven years. I'd rather let Ramu have it than see it cut down."
"Your concern for the tree has told me all I wanted to know" said Birbal, and declared Somu the true owner of the tree.

The Bull's Music Winner

The Bull's Music Winner

Famous musicians once gathered at Akbar's court for a competition. The one who could capture a bull's interest was to be declared the winner.
One by one, they played the most heavenly music but the bull paid no attention. Then Birbal took the stage. His music sounded like the droning of mosquitoes and the mooing of cows. But to everyone's amazement the bull suddenly became alert and began to move in a lively manner.
Akbar declared Birbal the winner.