A third story in Marathi tradition is about Akbar testing Birbal's wisdom regarding the most precious thing. Akbar assembled his courtiers and asked what was the most precious thing in the world. Courtiers gave various answers like gold, diamonds etc. But Birbal said 'Wisdom is the most precious thing'. Akbar was intrigued and asked why. Birbal said that with wisdom one can acquire all other things like gold and diamonds, but without wisdom, even if one has all the wealth, they may lose it due to bad decisions. This story highlights Birbal's profound understanding of values.
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.
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.
There is a story where Akbar was not satisfied with the people in his court being too formal. He wanted someone who could make the court lively. Birbal entered the court with his unique sense of humor and intelligence. One day, Akbar asked Birbal to make everyone in the court laugh without using any words. Birbal simply made some funny faces and gestures that had everyone in splits. Akbar was very pleased.
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 most interesting aspect is Birbal's ability to solve complex problems with simple and clever solutions. His answers were always out - of - the - box. For instance, when Akbar asked him to measure the earth, Birbal said he would use a long enough rope and start from one point and keep going around until he got back to the starting point.
One day, Akbar asked Birbal, 'Who is the greatest teacher?' Birbal replied, 'Your Majesty, the world itself is the greatest teacher. Every experience, every person we meet, teaches us something.' Akbar was quite impressed by this simple yet profound answer.
Perhaps the story where Akbar asks Birbal to define a fool. Birbal says a fool is someone who doesn't listen to good advice. Akbar then tests this by asking different people in the court for advice on a matter he already knew the answer to. Those who didn't listen to Birbal's advice were then considered fools, which shows Birbal's influence on Akbar's thinking.