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.
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.
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.
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.
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.'
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.
One of the best Akbar Birbal stories is about the 'wise judgment'. A merchant and a poor man were arguing over a purse. Akbar asked Birbal to solve it. Birbal dipped his hand into the purse and said the merchant who claimed it was new must be lying as his hand got a coin with an old design. This shows Birbal's quick thinking.
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.