Akbar - Birbal stories

The Jealous Courtiers, Full Moon, Quarter Moon, and The Choice of Birbal

The Jealous Courtiers

King Akbar was very fond of Birbal. This made a certain courtier very jealous. Now this courtier always wanted to be chief minister, but this was not possible as Birbal filled that position.

One day Akbar praised Birbal in front of the courtier. This made the courtier very angry and he said that the king praised Birbal unjustly and if Birbal could answer three of his questions, he would accept the fact that Birbal was intelligent. Akbar always wanting to test Birbals wit readily agreed.

The three questions were

1. How many stars are there in the sky

2. Where is the centre of the Earth and

3. How many men and how many women are there in the world.

Immediately Akbar asked Birbal the three questions and informed him that if he could not answer them, he would have to resign as chief minister.

To answer the first question, Birbal brought a hairy sheep and said .There are as many stars in the sky as there is hair on the sheep's body. My friend the courtier is welcome to count them if he likes.

To answer the second question, Birbal drew a couple of lines on the floor and bore an iron rod in it and said this is the centre of the Earth, the courtier may measure it himself if he has any doubts.

In answer to the third question, Birbal said Counting the exact number of men and women in the world would be a problem as there are some specimens like our courtier friend here who cannot easily be classified as either. Therefore if all people like him are killed, then and only then can one count the exact number.

Full Moon, Quarter Moon

Once Birbal went to Persia at the invitation of that country's King. Parties were extended in his honor and rich gifts heaped up near him. On the eve of his departure to home, a nobleman asked him as how he would compare the king of Persia with his own King. Birbal said - "Your King is the full Moon, whereas mine could be like a quarter Moon." The Persians got very happy to hear this analogy.

Now Birbal got home and he found that Emperor Akbar was furious with him. He demanded angrily - "How could you belittle your own king? You are a traitor." Birbal said politely - "No, Your Majesty, no. I cannot belittle you. What I said there meant - "The Full Moon diminishes and disappears onward, while the quartered Moon grows gradually day by day. What I, in fact, wanted to tell the world that your power is growing day by day while the King of Persia's is about to decline now."

Akbar grunted in satisfaction and welcomed Birbal back from his journey with a warm embrace.

The Choice of Birbal

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 Jahaanpanaah,” said Birbal.

The other courtiers were also 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 only 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 the justice is already available to me also; 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 only one but a thousand gold coins.