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.
Well, there's a story where Akbar asked Birbal to draw a line on the floor and make it shorter without erasing it. Birbal simply drew a longer line next to it. This shows Birbal's cleverness. It was a simple yet brilliant solution to Akbar's tricky question.
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.
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.
In one story, Akbar was angry with Birbal and sent him away. But soon he realized he couldn't do without Birbal's wisdom. He then set a condition for Birbal's return. He said Birbal had to bring a gift that could make him both laugh and cry at the same time. Birbal brought a group of dancers who were all dwarfs. Akbar laughed at their funny appearance but cried because they were physically different and he felt sorry for them.
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.
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.
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.
There was a time when Akbar and Birbal were walking in the garden. Akbar saw a mango tree full of ripe mangoes. He asked Birbal to count all the mangoes without touching any. Birbal thought for a while and then said, 'Your Majesty, there are as many mangoes as there are hairs on your beard.' Akbar laughed as he knew it was an impossible task to count the hairs on his beard and thus count the mangoes too.
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.