The story of the line on the floor. Akbar drew a line on the floor and asked his courtiers to make it shorter without erasing any part of it. Everyone was puzzled. Birbal simply drew a longer line beside it. By comparison, Akbar's line looked shorter. This shows Birbal's great wisdom in finding unique solutions to problems.
In a story, Akbar asked Birbal to count the number of stars in the sky. Birbal replied, 'As many as there are hairs on the sheepskin Your Majesty is sitting on.' Akbar was confused. Birbal explained that just as it was impossible to count the hairs on the sheepskin, it was equally impossible to count the stars accurately. This shows Birbal's wisdom in handling difficult and unanswerable questions.
The story of the well - known phrase 'All the wells are one well'. Akbar once asked Birbal how many wells there were in his kingdom. Birbal replied 'All the wells are one well'. Akbar was confused. Birbal explained that just as all the water in different wells is the same water from the earth, so all wells are one in essence. This showed Birbal's wisdom in seeing the underlying unity in things.
A story is that Akbar was about to punish a poor man unjustly. Birbal stepped in. He told Akbar a story of a lion and a mouse. The mouse had once helped the lion when it was trapped. Birbal compared the poor man to the mouse and said that even the smallest and poorest could be of great help someday. Akbar, realizing his mistake, set the man free.
One moral could be about the power of quick thinking. In many stories, Birbal has to think on his feet to answer Akbar's difficult questions, like in the story about the number of crows. It shows that being able to think fast can get you out of tricky situations.
One well - known story is about the ring. Akbar lost his precious ring in the palace. He asked Birbal to find it. Birbal announced that the person who stole the ring would be identified by a magic mirror the next day. He also secretly placed a box with a hole in the middle of the palace yard. Everyone was made to pass by it. The thief, fearing detection by the mirror, put the ring in the box while passing by to get rid of it. Thus Birbal found the ring cleverly.
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 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 have come from other kingdoms to visit. If there are less, then some of our crows must be visiting other kingdoms.'
Once Akbar lost his ring in the palace. He asked Birbal to find it. Birbal thought for a while and then announced that the thief was the person who had a long nose. All the courtiers started looking at each other's noses. Akbar was confused too. Birbal then said that he just wanted everyone to search themselves. And soon the ring was found in a corner of the room. This shows Birbal's cleverness in solving problems in an interesting way.
Some stories teach about kindness and fairness. Akbar, under Birbal's influence at times, learned to be more just in his decisions. It shows that a good leader should be fair to all his subjects.
There was a time when Akbar lost his ring. He suspected his servants. Birbal came and said he knew who had the ring. He called all the servants together and said, 'The ring is with a thief. And the thief has a straw in his nose.' All the servants started looking at each other's noses. One servant unconsciously touched his nose. Birbal pointed at him and said he was the thief. It turned out he was right.
Once Akbar and Birbal were taking a walk in the garden. Akbar saw a mango tree full of ripe mangoes. He said to Birbal, 'I want to know how many mangoes are there on this tree without counting them.' Birbal said, 'Your Majesty, there are as many mangoes as there are leaves on the tree.' Akbar was amused and realized Birbal's quick - thinking ability.
Once, Akbar got angry with his courtiers for some minor mistake. He wanted to punish them severely. Birbal came forward and said, 'Your Majesty, if you cut the branches of the tree (the courtiers), the tree (the kingdom) will not be able to grow properly. Forgive them and guide them instead.' Akbar, after thinking for a while, followed Birbal's advice and the courtiers were very grateful to Birbal for saving them.