Akbar once told Birbal that he wanted to know what the most precious thing in the world was. Birbal thought for a while and said, 'Your Majesty, knowledge is the most precious thing. Because with knowledge, one can gain all other things like wealth, power and respect.' Akbar was very impressed with this answer and rewarded Birbal. This shows how Birbal's wisdom was not only in solving puzzles but also in giving profound thoughts.
One day, Akbar asked Birbal, 'How many crows are there in my kingdom?' Birbal quickly replied, 'There are 99,463 crows in the kingdom.' Akbar was surprised and said, 'How can you be so sure?' Birbal said, 'If there are more, then some crows must be visiting from other kingdoms. If there are less, then some of our crows must be visiting other places.'
There was a time when Akbar and Birbal were walking in the garden. Akbar saw a mango tree full of ripe mangoes. He asked Birbal to count all the mangoes without touching any. Birbal thought for a while and then said, 'Your Majesty, there are as many mangoes as there are hairs on your beard.' Akbar laughed as he knew it was an impossible task to count the hairs on his beard and thus count the mangoes too.
One story is that Akbar once asked Birbal how many crows were in his kingdom. Birbal quickly replied, 'There are ninety - five thousand four hundred and sixty - three crows in the kingdom.' When Akbar was surprised and asked how he could be so sure, Birbal said, 'If there are more, then some crows must have come from other kingdoms to visit. If there are less, then some of our crows must be visiting other kingdoms.'
Akbar and Birbal had a story where Akbar drew a line on the floor and challenged Birbal to make it shorter without erasing it. Birbal simply drew a longer line beside it. By comparison, the first line looked shorter. This shows Birbal's cleverness in solving problems in an unconventional way.
One story is about Akbar asking Birbal how many crows are there in the city. Birbal quickly replied that there are 99,999 crows. When Akbar asked how he was so sure, Birbal said that if there were more, then the extra crows would be visiting from other places and if there were less, then some of our crows must be visiting other places.
There was a time when Akbar got angry with Birbal and banished him from the court. After a while, Akbar missed Birbal's company. So he sent a message to Birbal saying that he should return if he could bring a gift that satisfies three conditions: it should be something that can be seen but not touched, it should be something that can be eaten but not digested, and it should be something that can be felt but not held. Birbal came back with a lighted lamp. Akbar could see the light but not touch it, the heat from the lamp could be felt but not held and the oil in the lamp could be 'eaten' by the flame but not digested. Akbar was so impressed that he welcomed Birbal back with great joy.
There is a story where Akbar wanted to test Birbal's wisdom. He put a long stick in a well and asked Birbal to measure the length of the stick without taking it out. Birbal simply measured the length of the part of the stick outside the well and then calculated the total length using the depth of the well. In another instance, Akbar was feeling sad and asked Birbal to make him laugh. Birbal told a very funny story about a king who tried to ride a donkey backwards and ended up falling into a pond. Akbar couldn't help but laugh.
Akbar was a great Mughal emperor and Birbal was one of his most trusted courtiers. Birbal was known for his wit and intelligence. There are many stories about them. For example, once Akbar asked Birbal to count the number of crows in the kingdom. Birbal smartly replied that there were 99,999 crows. When Akbar questioned how he was so sure, Birbal said if there were more, then some crows must have come from other kingdoms to visit their prosperous land and if there were less, then some of their crows must have gone to visit other places.
Akbar once said to Birbal, 'Birbal, can you make me laugh without saying a word?' Birbal nodded. He then started making the funniest faces. His eyes bulged out, his nose twitched, and his mouth twisted into all sorts of odd shapes. Akbar couldn't help but burst into laughter at Birbal's comical expressions.
Akbar was a great Mughal emperor and Birbal was one of his most trusted and intelligent courtiers. There are numerous stories about them. One story is about Akbar challenging Birbal to find the most beautiful thing in the world. Birbal said it was 'a just ruler'. His reasoning was that a just ruler brings peace, prosperity and harmony to the land, which is the most beautiful thing. Akbar was highly impressed by Birbal's answer.