Story For You

Parroting The Truth

A person was very fond of parrots. He used to train them and sell them to interested people. Once he got a good parrot. He trained the parrot to speck well and presented it to Emperor. Akbar likes the parrot because it repaid clearly to his questions. The king made special arrangements for the parrot‘s safety, security and care.

Akbar: Birbal, this is a lovely parrot. I have never seen one like this. See how its feathers sparkle.
Birbal: Yes your majesty, they shine like gold.
Akbar: How beautifully it speaks.
Birbal: Yes your majesty, its speech is brilliant.
Akbar: Inform everyone. It has to be taken care of well. The best of foods should be given to it. If by chance, something happens to the parrot, the person who informs me about it will be hanged to death first. Understand?
Birbal: We will take care, my lord.

Days Passed. Suddenly, one day the parrot died. The guard came running to Birbal.

Guard: My lord, what shall I do? The parrot has died.
Birbal: shhh. If you tell that, the king will have you put to death.
Guard: Please help me, sir I don’t know what to do I took care of it really well.
Birbal: Ok. Forget it. I will talk to the king.
Birbal went to akbar and pretended as if he was very sad.
Akbar: Birbal, what happened? You look sad?
Birbal: Your Parrot.
Akbar: What about the parrot?

Birbal again stammered.

Birbal: Your parrot, your majesty.
Akbar: Birbal, what happened to my parrot?
Birbal: Your parrot.
Akbar: I am asking you, what happened to my parrot? On the name of allah tell me the truth.
Birbal: Your majesty, your parrot neither eats anything, not drinks water, not speaks, not moves his feathers, not opens his eyes.
Akbar: What? Has the parrot died?
Birbal: Your majesty, I did not say it, you said it.
Akbar: Oh god, my parrot is no more.
Birbal: Its life on earth is over, my lord.
Akbar: Alright, what can we do about it but bear it.

The king remained calm after time he forget about it.
Akbar: I appreciate your intelligence, Birbal.
Birbal: Thank you, my lord.
Akbar appreciated Birbal’s commonsense and uncommon intelligence.

Testing Truth

In the city of Agra, a man by name Mustafa had a grudge against a man named Hasan. Mustafa was a rich man and he wanted to punish hasan. Mustafa accused him of stealing his necklace and reported the theft. The case was brought to the court. The judge knew hasan very well, and he also knew that he was not a thief.

Judge: Mustafa, why do you think that hasan has stolen your necklace?
Mustafa: You honour, I have seen him sitting the necklace.
Hasan: I am innocent, Your Honour. I do not know anything about his necklace.
Judge: Alright, if he is innocent, let him prove his innocence. He says that he has never seen the necklace. How can he prove this?
Mustafa: Let me bring the hot iron. If he can hold it in his bare hand, then I will agree that he has not stolen my necklace and that he is speaking the truth.
Judge: What do you mean?
Mustafa: If he is speaking the truth, he will not burn his hand. God will protect him.
Judge: He cannot accept that.
Mustafa: Your honour, I need my necklace back.

In this way, Hasan was being forced to catch hold of a hot iron rod to prove his innocence.

Hasan: My lord, I am a very poor man. I earn my livelihood with my hands. Please give me a day’s time.
Judge: Alright, you can come here after the day.
He went in search of birbal and explained him everything
Birbal: Hasan, don’t worry, I will be with you tomorrow. Go home peacefully, you have nothing to worry.

The next day, hasan went to the court. Birbal was with him.

Birbal: Your honour, Hassan is ready to take the test but there is a small request he is making.
Judge: What is that.
Birbal: If mustafa is speaking the truth, then the red hot iron should not burn his hands also. So let him bring that red hot iron with his own hands. if he does, so then I will ask hasan to hold the rod in his bare hands.

The judge felt relieved that the wily Mustafa had met his match. Mostafa was stunned.

Mustafa: You honour, give me a day’s time. let me search for the necklace and see if I can find it.
The judge smiled. He knew mustafa was backtracking.
Judge: Alright, Take your time.
Mostafa hurriedly left the place. The judge hugged birbal
Judge: You are really great birbal.
Hasan thanked birbal from the bottom of his heart.

Sweet Reply

Akbar used to ask his courtiers many odd questions to amuse himself. One day he entered the royal court, settled in his magnificent throne and looked at his courtiers.

Akbar: My dear courtiers, I will reward the person who answers my question.
The courtiers were very eager to answer the question. what punishment should be given to a person who pulls my mustache?
Courtiers: He should be beheaded, He should be flogged, He should be hanged.
Akbar: What do you think, Birbal?
Birbal kept quiet for a moment.
Birbal: Your majesty, he should be given sweets.

Courtiers Laughed.

Courtier: He think he is to smart. He creates a scene to attract majesty’s attention. He will get a lash from the emperor today.
Akbar: What birbal? Have you gone crazy? Do you know what you are saying?
Birbal: I am not crazy, your majesty, I know what I am saying.
Akbar: Then what do you mean by your statement?
Birbal: Because, your majesty, the only person who dare tug at your moustache is your grandson.
That was silence in the court. Was ingenuity.
Akbar Smiled.
Akbar: Good, Excellent, Wah. You receive a great gift today.
So pleased was the king with this answer, that he gave his glowing ring to Birbal as a reward.

Birbal Goes To Heavan

Because birbal was very wise and witty, and had the emperor’s confidence, the emperor’s courtiers and others were jealous of him and tried to find some way to degrade him. One day the court barber, who was very jealous of birbal, hatched a plot against him. When the king called him to trim his beard, he went and started doing his job.

Barber: Your majesty last night i dreamt of your father.
Akbar was surprised.
Akbar: Is it true?
Barber: My lord, I was the barber for your father too. He knew me well.
Akbar: What did he say to you ?
Barber: Your majesty he said that everything is good in paradise, but he feels a great absence of a good and humorous man who can amuse him.
Akbar: Who is very humorous here?
Barber: My Lord, you know that better than me.

The King thought hard but could think of no better man suiting the description than birbal. Naturally, the only way to go to heaven was through death. For a moment akbar was very sad to think that he would be losing such a good man. But considering that father needed bibal’s company, he made up his mind.

Akbar: Birbal is the right choice. He can make my father happy.
Barbr: You are right, My lord. He is very intelligent too.
Akbar: That’s true. I will speak to him.
He summoned birbal and birbal came to the court.
Akbar: Birbal, I think you love me very much and you can sacrifice anything for me.
Birbal tried to figure out what the emperor was driving at, but he could not guess his point.
Birbal: You know majesty, I do.
Akbar: Than birbal, please go to heaven to give company to my dear father.

Birbal understood that this was a plot, hatched by some jealous character to get rid of him. He was shocked, but took it in his stride.
Birbal: My lord, I will do so, but I need a few days to prepare myself to go to heaven.
Akbar: Certainly. You are doing such a great favour. I allow you one week to prepare yourself.

Birbal was worried. He thought somebody had planned very well and it seemed that he could not escape death. He also found out that the barber was responsible for this idea. Birbal thought hard and finally a solution was inside. He dug a ditch near his house which would serve as his grave, and dug a tunnel too which would open into a room of his house. After doing this, he returned to the imperial court.

Birbal: I am ready, Your majesty, but there are two conditions.
Akbar was happy that birbal was prepared to sacrifice his life for his sake though he was sorry to lose him.
Akbar: what are those conditions? tell me. I will try to fulfill them so that you can go to heaven to be with my dear father.
Birbal: Your majesty, I wish to be buried near my house and I want to be buried alive so that I can reach heaven alive to amuse your dear father.
The king found this logical and agreed.
Akbar: Alright, As you please.

So birbal was buried alive near his house. Of course he made his way to his house. Where he lived in confinement for six months.
After six months, he came out of hiding. Now he had a long beard and shabby hair. He sought permission to appear in the royal court. Looking at him akbar was shocked.

Akbar: How did you come back from heaven, Birbal?
Birbal: Your majesty, I was in heaven with your dear father. I had a very good time there with him.

He was so happy with my services. That he gave me special permission to return to earth.
Akbar was very anxious to know about his father.

Akbar: Did he send any message for me.
Birbal: Yes your majesty. He said that very few barber go to heaven you can make this out from my beard and shabby hair. So he also has a long beard and shabby hair. Your father needs a barber for him exclusively. So he has asked you to send your own barber to him immediately.
Akbar understood everything.
Akbar: Birbal you have been very understanding. I appreciate your patience.
He gave birbal a big prize and his barber the life sentence.

How Birbal Met Akbar

Akbar loved hunting and used to go for hunting even when he was young. As he grew up, he became a great rider and hunter and excelled all his courtiers.

One day when akbar went for hunting, he and some of the courtiers drove so fast that they left the others behind, As evening fell, akbar and his courtiers were very thirsty and hungry. They found that they had lost their way and sense of direction. At last they came to a junction of three roads.
The king was very happy to see the roads as he could reach his capital through one of them, but which road led to his capital Agra? They were all thinking about it and could not come to a conclusion. In the mean-time they saw a young boy coming along one road.

Akbar: Hey young boy, which road goes to agra?
The boy smiled.
Young Boy: Huzoor, Everybody knows that roads don’t move, so how can these roads go to agra or anywhere else ?The boy was cracking a jock but supported a serious expression. Everybody was silent, they didn’t say a word. Their intelligence and smartness of the boy somehow attracted Akbar.

Young Boy: Huzoor! you have to move, the roads don’t do they?
Akbar: You are right what is your name, young boy?
Young Boy: Mahesh Das! And who are you Huzuoor? What is your name?
The emperor took out his ring and gave it to the boy.
Akbar: You are talking to Emperor akbar the king of Hindustan. We need fearless people like you. You come to the court , with this ring. I will recognize you immediately. Now tell me the way to Agra. We have to reach there soon.

Mahesh Das bowed low and pointed towards the road going to Agra, And the king headed homewards. That is how the emperor Akbar met the future birbal.

Who Is Birbal ?

Mahesh Das, grew up to be a fine young man, Took all his savings, along with the ring given by emperor Akbar. Which he had received from the Emperor himself some time ago, bade his mother farewell and set out for the new capital of India – Fatehpur Sikri.

He was very much enchanted with the pomp and grandeur of the new capital. He went past the crowds and headed towards the red walls of the palace. The palace gates were richly ornamented, mahesh had never seen something like the grand entrance before. Mahesh wanted to enter the gate but the guard slashed the air with his spear and stopped him.

Guard: Where do you think you are going ?
Mahesh: Your Majesty, I have come to see the king.
Guard: Oh! Yeah, the king must be waiting for you ?
Mahesh smiled at this comment.
Mahesh: Yes sir and now I’m here.
Guard: You talk too much.
Mahesh: I’m sure you must have once fought wonderfully well on the Emperor’s frontiers, but do not risk your life by stopping me from entering the palace.
The guard kept quiet for a moment.
Guard: I will chop off your head, if you do not stop talking nonsense.

Having seen the ring with the seal of the Emperor on it, the guard won’t say a word. He had to let him in although he was not willing to do it.
Guard: You can turn on one condition.
Mahesh: what?
Guard: You should give me half of whatever you get from the emperor.
Mahesh: Agreed.

The guard let him go inside, Mahesh went on and on, and finally he could see the golden throne on which a man of simple elegance was sitting. He quickly recognized him as Emperor akbar. Pushing everyone aside, Mahesh went further and prostrated himself before the Emperor.

Mahesh: Your majesty I seek your mercy.
Akbar Smiled.
Akbar: What do you want young man?
Mahesh: Your Majesty, I have come here at your command.
He handed over the ring which had been given to him by akbar himself so many years before.

Akbar: Good, now what do you want? Tell me, I will try my best to fulfill your desire.
Mahesh remembered his promise to the guard.
Mahesh: My lord, I need one hundred lashes from you, That shall I want.
The emperor was shocked.
Akbar: But how can I do this to you ? You have done nothing wrong.
Mahesh: My lord, Please do not go back on your promise of fulfilling my heart’s desire. Please your majesty.
Akbar: I cannot do this, but…
Mahesh: Please, MyLord.
Akbar: Give him 100 lashes.

To the surprise of all, Mahesh endured every stroke without uttering a world. After the 50th whip, he suddenly shouted.

Mahesh: Stop Now.
Akbar: Why? What happened ?
Mahesh: My lord, when I was coming here, your guard did not allow me to come inside the palace, unless I promised him to give half of whatever I get from you. I have taken half of my share, now it is your guard’s turn to take his share.
Everybody burst out laughing.

Akbar: You are brave now as you were when you were a boy, You have grown into a clever young man. I was trying to weed out corrupt people from my court, but your little tricks has done, what I could not have done with several laws. From now on, because you are so wise You shall be called birbal and you shall stay by my side as my advisor.
Mahesh: Thank you.. Your highness.
That is how birbal was born.