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.
Once, Akbar lost his ring in the palace garden. He called Birbal and told him to find the ring. Birbal thought for a while and then asked all the servants in the palace to gather. He gave each of them a stick of the same length and said that the person who had the ring would have a stick that would grow two inches by the next day. All the servants went home with their sticks. The next day, when they assembled again, Birbal easily identified the thief. The thief had cut his stick by two inches, fearing that it would grow, and thus was caught.
Akbar once decided to test Birbal's intelligence. He drew a line on the floor and asked Birbal to make it shorter without erasing any part of it. Birbal thought for a moment and then drew a longer line beside the first one. By comparison, the first line looked shorter. Akbar was impressed by Birbal's quick thinking and creative solution.
There was a time when Akbar lost his ring. He suspected that one of his servants had stolen it. He called Birbal and told him about the situation. Birbal thought for a while and then said that he would find the thief. He asked all the servants to come to the court. Then he gave each servant a stick of the same length and said that the thief's stick would grow two inches overnight. The next day, when all the servants presented their sticks, the one who had stolen the ring had cut his stick by two inches fearing that it would grow. Birbal easily identified the thief.
Akbar regarded Birbal as an important part of his court. Birbal's role was not only to give advice but also to amuse Akbar with his clever stories and solutions. Their relationship was based on mutual respect, with Akbar relying on Birbal's wisdom to make better decisions in various matters.
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 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.
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.
Once Akbar and Birbal were taking a walk in the garden. Akbar saw a mango tree full of ripe mangoes. He said to Birbal, 'I want to know how many mangoes are there on this tree without counting them.' Birbal said, 'Your Majesty, there are as many mangoes as there are leaves on the tree.' Akbar was amused and realized Birbal's quick - thinking ability.
Well, Birbal was a very intelligent courtier in Akbar's court. Akbar often tested Birbal's intelligence. One time, Akbar wanted to see if Birbal could really understand the minds of people. So he put a fish in a bowl and asked different courtiers what the fish was thinking. When it was Birbal's turn, he said the fish was missing its home which was the river. His answer was so unique and wise compared to others' silly guesses.