Once Akbar and Birbal were walking in the garden. Akbar said, 'Birbal, can you show me a miracle?' Birbal then pointed at a mango tree and said, 'Your Majesty, that tree will bow to you.' As Akbar walked closer, Birbal climbed the tree and bent a branch down. Akbar was amused by Birbal's quick - wittedness.
Here's another. Akbar wanted to test Birbal's wisdom. He put a long stick in a well and asked Birbal to find out its length without taking it out. Birbal tied a small stick to a rope, lowered it into the well until it reached the bottom of the long stick, and then measured the rope. He was able to tell the length of the long stick in the well.
One story is that Akbar once asked Birbal how many crows were in the kingdom. Birbal quickly replied, 'There are ninety - five thousand four hundred and sixty - three crows in the kingdom.' Akbar was surprised and said, 'How can you be so sure?' Birbal said, 'If you find more, they are visitors from other kingdoms. If you find less, some have gone to visit other kingdoms.'
One story is that Akbar once asked Birbal how many crows were in the kingdom. Birbal quickly replied, 'There are ninety - five thousand four hundred and sixty - three crows in the kingdom.' When Akbar was surprised and asked how he could be so sure, Birbal said, 'If there are more, then some crows must be visiting from other kingdoms. If there are less, then some of our crows must be visiting other places.'
In one instance, Akbar wanted to test Birbal's wisdom. He asked Birbal to build a palace using only two things - ice and sand. Birbal accepted the challenge. He made a beautiful ice - sand palace by using ice blocks as the main structure and sand to fill the gaps. However, as the sun rose, the ice started to melt. Akbar was about to scold Birbal when Birbal said, 'Your Majesty, this shows that things made with temporary materials are not long - lasting, just like false friendships.' Akbar was impressed with the moral lesson hidden in Birbal's act.
A funny story is when Akbar asked Birbal to find a man who was both the smartest and the dumbest in the kingdom. Birbal went and brought a man. Akbar was puzzled. Birbal said, 'This man is the smartest when he keeps his mouth shut, for then no one can tell if he is stupid. And he is the dumbest when he starts to talk, as he often says foolish things.'
One really interesting story is when Akbar and Birbal were walking in the garden. Akbar asked Birbal, 'Can you show me a miracle?' Birbal picked up a small pebble and threw it into the pond. He said, 'Look, the pebble made the water rise without any effort.' Akbar laughed at this simple yet clever answer.
In another story, Akbar wanted to test Birbal's wisdom. He showed Birbal a picture of a family where a man, his wife, and their children were sitting together. Akbar asked Birbal to tell who was the most intelligent in the family just by looking at the picture. Birbal replied that it was the mother because she was the one who could manage and take care of everyone in the family, which required great intelligence.
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 more popular story is about Akbar and Birbal's discussion on honesty. Akbar said that all men were liars. Birbal said that he could prove him wrong. He told Akbar that he would go underwater and stay there for as long as he could hold his breath. And when he came out, he would either tell the truth or a lie. Birbal went underwater, and when he came out, he said that he saw the most beautiful mermaids underwater. Akbar said that was a lie. Birbal then said that if he was lying, then not all men were liars as Akbar had claimed.
Another story is that Akbar once told Birbal to find a ring that he had lost. Birbal announced in the court that the person who had found the ring would get a big reward. Then he whispered to Akbar, 'Your Majesty, I found the ring.' Akbar was surprised. Birbal explained that by offering a reward, the real thief would be too scared to come forward as he would fear being caught for stealing. And as no one else could have found it, it means it was not really lost but misplaced by Akbar himself.