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.
In English literature, the Akbar and Birbal stories are important because they represent a different culture's values of intelligence and diplomacy. They also provide a rich source of material for writers and storytellers. The stories are full of interesting characters and situations that can be adapted and retold in different forms, thus contributing to the diversity of English literature.
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.
There was a time when Akbar was feeling very sad. He called Birbal and said he wanted to see something that could make him laugh immediately. Birbal left and came back after some time with a man who was wearing a strange - looking hat made of pots and pans. The man was also making funny faces. Akbar couldn't help but laugh out loud at this sight. This shows Birbal's ability to understand Akbar's needs and come up with a quick solution.
One moral is about wisdom overcomes trickery. As in the thief - finding story, Birbal's clever idea outwitted the thief. It shows that using intelligence can solve difficult problems.
One famous Akbar Birbal story is about the 'wise judgment'. A merchant's gold chain was stolen. Akbar asked Birbal to find the thief. Birbal called all the servants and gave them each a stick of the same length and said the thief's stick would grow overnight. The guilty servant cut his stick short out of fear. Next day, it was easy to identify the thief.
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.
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.
The Akbar and Birbal short stories also imply that wisdom is more powerful than brute force. Birbal didn't use any physical strength or coercion to achieve his goals. Instead, he relied on his intelligence, quick thinking, and understanding of human nature, like when he found the ring by outsmarting the thief.