Akbar and Birbal Story 4

Four Fools

Once, Akbar asked Birbal to find four fools in his kingdom and being them to him. Birbal was amused at the Emperor’s wish and said, “Jahanpanah, it is not a difficult task as this world is full of foolish people. All I need is a of few days.” Akbar readily granted Birbal’s request and gave him few days time to look out for the fools in his kingdom.

Having taken permission from the Emperor, Birbal started looking for the fools. One day, he saw a man carrying a large plate full of clothes, sweets and other expensive gift items. Out of curiosity, Birbal asked the man, “My dear man, for whom are you carrying so many costly gifts?”

The man replied, “These gifts are for my wife! She has left me and married someone else and now she has just been blessed with a baby boy. So, I have bought all these gifts for her.”

When Birbal heard the man’s reply, he thought of him as the ideal candidate to present before the Emperor. Birbal asked him to appear in the royal court whenever he called him.

Soon after, Birbal saw another man who was clumsily sitting on a buffalo and carrying a bundle of grass over his head.

Birbal asked him, “Why are you carrying this bundle over your head?”

The man replied, “Sir, my buffalo is pregnant. Don’t you think it would be cruel on my part to load this heavy bundle of grass on her at this time? I care about her very much and that is why I am carrying the bundle of this grass over my head.”

Birbal could not help smiling and asked the second man also to appear in the royal court on at given time.

Next morning, Birbal called both the men to court and presented them to Akbar as the biggest fools in the kingdom. Akbar asked, “But these are only two fools. I had directed you to bring four fools to me. Where are the other two?”

Birbal folded his hands and said, “I beg your pardon , Alampanah, the third fool is none other than you, who asked me to bring these fools to you and the fourth fool is me, who has brought these fools to you.”

The Emperor burst out laughing at Birbal’s humourous reply and praised him for his intelligence.

Akbar’s Gold Coins

The wisdom of Birbal was unparalleled during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar in India. But Akbar's brother in law was extremely jealous of him. He asked the Emperor Akbar to dispense with Birbal's services and appoint him in his place. He gave ample assurance that he would prove to be more efficient and capable than Birbal.

Before Emperor Akbar could take a decision on this matter, this news reached Birbal. Birbal resigned and left. Emperor Akbar's brother in law was made the minister in place of Birbal.

Emperor Akbar decided to test the new minister. He gave three hundred gold coins to him and said, "Spend these gold coins such that, I get a hundred gold coins here in this life; a hundred gold coins in the other world and another hundred gold coins neither here nor there."

The minister found the entire situation to be a maze of confusion and hopelessness. He spent sleepless nights worrying over how he would get himself out of this mess. Thinking in circles was making him go crazy. Eventually, on the advice of his wife he sought Birbal's help. Birbal said, "Just give me the gold coins. I shall handle the rest."

Birbal walked the streets of the city holding the bag of gold coins in his hand. He noticed a rich merchant celebrating his son's wedding. Birbal gave a hundred gold coins to him and bowed courteously saying, "The Emperor Akbar sends you his good wishes and blessings for the wedding of your son. Please accept the gift he has sent."

The merchant felt honoured that the Emperor had sent a special messenger with such a precious gift. He honoured Birbal and gave him a large number of expensive gifts and a bag of gold coins as a return gift for the Emperor.

Next, Birbal went to the area of the city were the poor people lived. There he bought food and clothing in exchange for a hundred gold coins and distributed them in the name of the Emperor Akbar.

When he came back to town he organized a concert of music and dance. He spent a hundred gold coins on it.

The next day Birbal entered Emperor Akbar's court and announced that he had done all that the Emperor had asked his brother-in-law to do. The Emperor Akbar waited to know how he had done it.

Birbal repeated the sequences of all the events and then said, "The money I gave to the merchant for the wedding of his son - you have got back while you are on this earth. The money I spent on buying food and clothing for the poor - you will get it in the other world. The money I spent on the musical concert - you will get neither here nor there."