Akbar & Birbal

AKBAR AND BIRBAL - REUNION

One day, when Akbar and Birbal were in discussion. Birbal happend to pass a

harmless comment about Akbar’s sense of humour. But Emperor Akbar was in a foul

mood and took great offense to this remark. He asked Birbal, his court jester, friend and

confident to not only leave the palace but also to leave the the walls of the city of Agra.

Birbal was terribly hurt at being banished

.

A couple of days later, Akbar began to miss his best friend. He regretted

 his

earlier decision of banishing him from the courts. He just could not do without Birbal and

so sent out a search party to look for him. But Birbal had left town without letting anybody

know of his destination

. The soldiers searched high and low but were unable to find him

anywhere.

Then, one day a wise saint came to visit the palace accompanied by two of his

disciples

. The disciples claimed that their teacher was the wisest man to walk the earth.

Since Akbar was missing Birbal terribly, he thought it would be a good idea to have a

wise man that could keep him company. But he decided that he would first test the holy

man’s wisdom.

The saint had bright sparkling eyes, a thick beard and long hair. The next day,

when they came to visit the court, Akbar informed the holy man that, since he was the

wisest man on the earth, he would like to test him.

All his ministers would put forward to question and if his answers were satisfactory

he would be made a minister. But if he could not, then he would be beheaded

. The saint

answered that he had never claimed to be the wisest man on the earth, even though other

people seemed to think so, nor was he eager

 to display his cleverness, but as he enjoyed 

One of the ministers, Raja Todarmal, began the round of questioning.

He asked : Who is man’s best friend on the earth ?

The saint replied : His own good sense.

Faizi asked : Which is the top most thing on the earth ?

The saint answered : Knowledge.

Abdul Fazal : Which is the deepest trench in the world ?

The saint answered : A woman’s heart.

Another courtier questioned : What is that which can not be regained after it is

lost?

The saint answered : Life

The court musician Tansen asked : What is undying in music ?

The saint replied : Notes.

And then he asked : Which is the sweetest and most melodious

 voice at night

time?

The saint answered : The voice that prays to God.

Maharaj Man Singh of Jaipur, a guest at the palace, asked : What travels more

speedily than wind ?

The saint replied : It is man’s thought.

He then asked : Which is the sweetest thing on the earth ?

The saint said : It is a baby’s smile.

The Emperor Akbar and all his courties were very impressed with his answers, but

wanted to test the saint himself.

Firstly, he asked : What are the necessary requirements to rule over a kingdom?

The saint answered : Cleverness.

Then he asked : What is the gravest

 enemy of a king ?

The emperor was so pleased that he offered the saint a seat of honour and asked

him whether he could perform any miracles

. The saint said that he could produce any

person the king wished to meet. Akbar was thrilled and immediately asked to meet his

minister and best friend Birbal.

The saint simply pulled off his artificial beard and hair much to the surprise of the

other courtiers. Akbar was stunned

 and could not believe his eyes. He stepped down to

embrace the saint because he was none other than Birbal.

Akbar had tears in his eyes as he told Birbal that he had suspected

 it to be him

and had therefore asked him whether he could perform miracles. He showered Birbal

with many valuable gifts to show him how happy he was at his return.

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The Story of how Birbal came to Akbar’s court

Emperor Akbar loved to go hunting. On one such trip, he came across a
young man named Mahesh Das. In the meeting that occurred, the Emperor
was extremely impressed by the wit of Mahesh Das. The Emperor gave
Mahesh Das his ring and asked him to come and visit him in his palace at any
time. 
A few years later Mahesh Das decided to try his luck in the city and to
take the emperor up on his offer. He reached the city of Agra where Emperor
Akbar had his fort on the banks of the Yamuna River. At the gate of the fort he
was greeted by the guards. He told them that he had come to visit with the
emperor. The guards looked at him in disdain (since he was not very well
dressed) and asked him why they should let him in. He showed them the ring
that was given to him by the emperor as proof. One of the guards realized that
this individual obviously was of importance to the emperor and gave him
permission to enter, based on one condition:the young man would share half of
what he received from the emperor with the guard.
Mahesh Das promised to do so and was given access into the court of
Emperor Akbar. He bowed to the emperor as he went in and showed him the
ring. The reputedly benevelont Emperor Akbar recognized the ring and the
young man and immediately offered him anything he wanted. The young man
thought a while, and asked the emperor for fifty lashes of the whip. 
The emperor was amazed but he knew that Mahesh Das was a very
astute young man and asked him for his reason for his wish. Mahesh Das
revealed to the emperor that deal that he had made with the guard outside the
fort. The emperor was thoroughly amused and angry at the same time. He
awarded the fifty lashes to the guard for his impertinence and his habit of
bullying people. He rewarded Mahesh Das by including him in his court and
giving him all the comforts he could desire. He also bestowed on him the
name of Birbal.

 Till this day, stories of Birbal’s wit are told to children in India.