Once Akbar lost his ring in the palace garden. He asked Birbal to find it. Birbal said that the ring was with the crows. Akbar was confused. Birbal then explained that he saw a crow with something shiny in its beak flying towards the garden. So he told all the crows in the palace to gather. He then put some grains on the ground. As the crows came to eat, he noticed one crow not interested in the grains. He caught that crow and found the ring in its nest. Akbar was amazed at Birbal's intelligence.
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.
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.
Another story is that Akbar once told Birbal to find a ring that he had lost. Birbal announced in the court that the person who had found the ring would get a big reward. Then he whispered to Akbar, 'Your Majesty, I found the ring.' Akbar was surprised. Birbal explained that by offering a reward, the real thief would be too scared to come forward as he would fear being caught for stealing. And as no one else could have found it, it means it was not really lost but misplaced by Akbar himself.
Another story is that Akbar once drew a line on the floor and asked Birbal to make it shorter without erasing any part of it. Birbal simply drew a longer line beside it. Akbar was confused at first, but then realized that Birbal had made his line seem shorter in comparison.
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, 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.'
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 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.
One day, Akbar asked Birbal, 'How many crows are there in my kingdom?' Birbal quickly replied, 'There are ninety - five thousand four hundred and sixty - three crows, Your Majesty.' Akbar was astonished and asked, 'How can you be so sure?' Birbal said, 'If Your Majesty finds more crows, they are visiting from other kingdoms. If there are fewer, some must have gone on a visit to other kingdoms.' Akbar laughed at this clever answer.
One day Akbar asked Birbal, 'How many crows are there in my kingdom?' Birbal quickly replied, 'There are 99,463 crows, Your Majesty.' Akbar was puzzled and asked how he knew. Birbal said, 'If there are more, some crows must be visiting from other kingdoms. If there are less, then some of our crows are visiting other places.'
Once Akbar lost his precious ring in the palace gardens. He called Birbal and said that if he couldn't find it, he would be punished. Birbal calmly walked around the garden. Then he noticed a small hole. He called for a bucket of water and poured it into the hole. Soon, a mouse came out with the ring in its mouth. Akbar was amazed and rewarded Birbal.