Tell me an interesting Akbar and Birbal short story.

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 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, Your Majesty.' Akbar was surprised and asked how he could be so sure. Birbal said, 'If Your Majesty finds more crows, then some crows from other kingdoms must have come to visit. If there are fewer, then some of our crows must have gone on a trip to other kingdoms.'

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.

Akbar and Birbal were walking in the palace grounds. Akbar said, 'Birbal, can you make me a throne out of nothing?' Birbal replied, 'Your Majesty, I can't make a throne out of nothing, but I can make you see a throne where there seems to be nothing.' He then led Akbar to a pool of water and showed Akbar the reflection of the grand throne in the water. Akbar realized Birbal's cleverness once again.

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 also a story where Akbar lost his ring in the garden. He asked Birbal to find it. Birbal announced that the ring was with someone who had a long nose. Everyone in the court started looking at each other. Then Birbal said that the only person with a long nose in the court was Akbar himself as he was the king and his nose was like the trunk of an elephant in terms of importance. And Akbar found the ring on his own finger.