Perhaps the most famous story is when Akbar set up a test for his courtiers. He placed a line on the floor and asked them to make it shorter without touching it. All the courtiers were stumped. But Birbal simply drew a longer line beside it. By comparison, the original line looked shorter. This shows Birbal's out - of - the - box thinking.
One very well - known story is about the justice system. A poor man came to Akbar's court claiming that a rich man's wall had collapsed on his son. Akbar asked Birbal to solve the case. Birbal first made the rich man build the wall again. Then he put a baby in a basket and placed it near the wall. He asked the rich man to keep an eye on it. When the wall showed signs of collapsing again, the rich man immediately moved the basket. Birbal then declared that if the rich man could care for a stranger's baby, he could surely have taken care to not let his wall collapse on the poor man's son. This story highlights Birbal's sense of justice.
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.
The most famous one might be the story about weighing the elephant. Akbar got an elephant as a gift and wanted to know its weight. His wise men were clueless. But Birbal had a brilliant idea. He got a boat, made the elephant stand in it and marked the water level. Then he removed the elephant and filled the boat with stones until the water reached the same mark. Then they weighed the stones and that was the weight of the elephant.
Another very famous story is when Akbar challenges Birbal to spend all the money he gives in one day but also bring back all the items bought at the end of the day. Birbal buys candles with the money. At night, he lights up the whole city with the candles. People are so happy that they give him many gifts. He returns to Akbar with the gifts which he claims are the items bought with the money. This story is popular as it shows Birbal's resourcefulness.
Probably the story where Akbar drew a line on the floor and asked Birbal to make it shorter without erasing any part of it. Birbal simply drew a longer line beside it, making the first line seem shorter.
There was a time when Akbar was feeling very sad. He called Birbal and said he wanted to see something that could make him laugh immediately. Birbal left and came back after some time with a man who was wearing a strange - looking hat made of pots and pans. The man was also making funny faces. Akbar couldn't help but laugh out loud at this sight. This shows Birbal's ability to understand Akbar's needs and come up with a quick solution.
The story of the ring is also well - known. Akbar lost his precious ring and suspected his servants. Birbal came up with a plan. He announced that the person who stole the ring would have a long nose. All the servants were made to pass in front of a mirror. The thief, fearing that his nose would actually grow long, confessed. Birbal's clever plan saved the day.
A well - known story is when Akbar asked Birbal to count the stars in the sky. Birbal replied that he would do so if Akbar could first provide him with a large piece of paper as big as the sky to write down the count. This showed his ability to turn a difficult question back on the asker in a humorous way.
A well - known story is about a haunted well. People said a ghost lived in it. Akbar sent Birbal. Birbal dropped a stone in the well and then said that the 'ghost' must have run away because of the noise. In fact, he just showed that there was no real ghost but just superstition.
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.
In one story, Akbar asked Birbal to count the number of stars in the sky at night. Birbal replied, 'The same number as the hairs on your Majesty's horse.' Akbar was astonished and asked how he could say such a thing. Birbal said, 'Just as it is impossible to count the hairs on your horse, it is also impossible to count the stars in the sky, so I gave a similar answer.' This shows Birbal's quick thinking and ability to handle difficult questions smartly.