Why is the Camel's Neck Crooked?

As you all know, Emperor Akbar was very impressed with Birbal's wisdom and greatly enjoyed his quick wit. One fine morning when Akbar was especially pleased with Birbal, as a gesture of appreciation, he promised to reward him with many valuable and beautiful gifts. However, many days passed, and still there was no sign of even one gift. Birbal was quite disappointed with the king. Then one day, when Akbar was strolling down the banks of River Yamuna with his ever faithful Birbal at his side, he happened to notice a camel passing by. He asked Birbal why the neck of the camel was crooked. Birbal thought for a second and promptly replied that it might be because the camel may have forgotten to honour a promise. The holy books mention that those who break their word get punished with a crooked neck; perhaps that was the reason for the camel's crooked neck. Akbar soon realised his folly of making a promise to Birbal for gifts and not honouring it. He was ashamed of himself. As soon as they returned to the palace he immediately gave Birbal his justly deserved reward. As you can see, Birbal always managed to get what he wanted without directly asking for it.

Birbals Painting Once Akbar told Birbal 'Birbal, make me a painting. Use imagination in it. To which the reply was 'But hoozoor, I am a minister, how can I possibly paint?'.The king was angry and said 'If I dont get a good painting by one week then you shall be hanged!'. The clever Birbal had an idea. After one week, he went to the court and with him he carried a covered frame. Akbar was happy to see that Birbal had obeyed him, until he opened the cover. The courtiers rushed to see what was wrong. What they saw made them feel very happy. At last, they would not see Birbal in court! The painting was nothing but ground and sky. There were a few specs of green on the ground. The Emperor, angrily, told Birbal 'what is this!' To which the reply was 'A cow eating grass hoozoor!'. Akbar said 'where is the cow and grass?' and Birbal told 'I used my imagination. The cow ate the grass and returned to its shed!'

Question For Question One day Akbar said to Birbal: "Can you tell me how many bangles your wife wears?" Birbal said he could not. "You cannot?" exclaimed Akbar. "You see her hands every day while she serves you food. Yet you do not know how many bangles she has on her hands? How is that?" "Let us go down to the garden, Your Majesty," said Birbal, "and I'll tell you." They went down the small staircase that led to the garden. Then Birbal turned to the emperor: "Your Majesty," he said, "You go up and down this staircase every day. Can you tell me how many steps there are in the staircase?" The emperor grinned sheepishly and quickly changed the subject.

Re?Union
One day, when Akbar and Birbal were in discussions, Birbal happened to pass a harmless comment about Akbars sense of humour. But Emperor Akbar was in a foul mood and took great offense to this remark. He asked Birbal, his court-jester, friend and confidant, to not only leave the palace but also to leave the walls of the city of Agra. Birbal was terribly hurt at being banished. A couple of days later, Akbar began to miss his best friend. He regretted his earlier decision of banishing him from the courts. He just could not do without Birbal and so sent out a search party to look for him. But Birbal had left town without letting anybody know of his destination. The soldiers searched high and low but were unable to find him anywhere. Then one day a wise saint came to visit the palace accompanied by two of his disciples. The disciples claimed that their teacher was the wisest man to walk the earth. Since Akbar was missing Birbal terribly he thought it would be a good idea to have a wise man that could keep him company. But he decided that he would first test the holy man?s wisdom. The saint had bright sparkling eyes, a thick beard and long hair. The next day, when they came to visit the court Akbar informed the holy man that since he was the wisest man on earth, he would like to test him. All his ministers would put forward a question and if his answers were satisfactory he would be made a minister. But if he could not, then he would be beheaded. The saint answered that he had never claimed to be the wisest man on earth, even though other people seemed to think so. Nor was he eager to display his cleverness but as he enjoyed answering questions, he was ready for the test.

One of the ministers, Raja Todarmal, began the round of questioning. He asked ? Who is a mans best friend on earth?? To which the wise saint replied, ?His own good sense?. Next Faizi asked which was the most superior thing on earth? ? Knowledge?, answered the saint. ?Which is the deepest trench in the world??, asked Abdul Fazal. And the saints answer was a womans heart? What is that which cannot be regained after it is lost?? questioned another courtier and the reply he received was life? What is undying in music? asked the court musician Tansen. The wise saint replied that it was the ?notes?. And then he asked? which is the sweetest and most melodious voice at night?time? And the answer he received was ?the voice that prays to God.? Maharaj Mansingh of Jaipur, who was a guest at the palace asked, ?what travels more speedily than the wind?? the saint replied that it was ?man?s thought?. He then asked, ?which was the sweetest thing on earth?? and the saint said that it was ?a baby?s smile?. Emperor Akbar and all his courtiers were very impressed with his answers, but wanted to test the saint himself. Firstly he asked what were the necessary requirements to rule over a kingdom, for which he was answered ?cleverness?. Then he asked what was the gravest enemy of a king. The saint replied that it was ? selfishness?. The emperor was pleased and offered the saint a seat of honour and asked him whether he could perform any miracles. The saint said that he could manifest any person the king wished to meet. Akbar was thrilled and immediately asked to meet his minister and best friend Birbal. The saint simply pulled off his artificial beard and hair much to the surprise of the other courtiers. Akbar was stunned and could not believe his eyes. He stepped down to embrace the saint because he was none other than Birbal. Akbar had tears in his eyes as he told Birbal that he had suspected it to be him and had therefore asked him whether he could perform miracles. He showered Birbal with many valuable gifts to show him how happy he was at his return.

The Musical Genius Famous musicians once gathered at Akbar's court for a competition. The one who could capture a bull's interest was to be declared the winner. One by one, they played the most heavenly music but the bull paid no attention. Then Birbal took the stage. His music sounded like the droning of mosquitoes and the mooing of cows. But to everyone's amazement the bull suddenly became alert and began to move in a lively manner. Akbar declared Birbal the winner.

Birbal, The Wise Ramu and Shamu both claimed ownership of the same mango tree. One day they approached Birbal and asked him to settle the dispute. Birbal said to them: "There is only one way to settle the matter. Pluck all the fruits on the tree and divide them equally between the two of you. Then cut down the tree and divide the wood". Ramu thought it was a fair judgement and said so. But Shamu was horrified. "Your Honour" he said to Birbal "I've tended that tree for seven years. I'd rather let Ramu have it than see it cut down." "Your concern for the tree has told me all I wanted to know" said Birbal, and declared Shamu the true owner of the tree.

Who Are Donkeys?

One fine day, Akbar, accompanied by his two sons and his clever Minister Birbal, went to the river to take a bath. They asked Birbal to hold their clothes while they were bathing and took off their clothes and stepped into the river. Birbal stood at the bank of the river, waiting for them, with their clothes on his shoulder. Looking at Birbal standing like this, Akbar felt like teasing him and remarked that Birbal looked like a washerman's donkey with a load of clothes. Birbal quickly retorted that he was carrying the load of not just one donkey, but actually three. The emperor was speechless.

Honest Birbal
One fine day, Emperor Akbar was discussing the brinjal with Birbal. He told him what a delicious and nutritious vegetable it was. Much to Akbar's surprise, Birbal thoroughly agreed with him and even sang two songs in praise of the humble brinjal.

After a couple of days, the royal chef cooked brinjal curry for lunch. Birbal was also eating at the palace that day. When the brinjal curry was served to Akbar, he refused it saying that it was a tasteless, stale vegetable, full of seeds and lacking proper nutrition. He then asked that it be served to Birbal who loved brinjals. But Birbal, too, refused it saying that it was not good for health. So Akbar impatiently asked him why he was saying such things when he sang the brinjals praise, not a few days ago. Birbal replied that he had praised the brinjal only because his emperor had praised it and criticized it when his majesty had criticized it, as he was loyal to his emperor and to not the brinjal. He said that the brinjal could not make him a minister no matter how much he praised it. He went on to say that he was his majesty's obedient servant, and not that of the brinjal. The emperor was pleased by his honest, bold, and witty response.

Limping Horse A noblemans prized racehorse began to limp for no apparent reason. Veterinarians who were called found nothing wrong with the leg - no fracture, no sprain, no soreness - and they were baffled. The nobleman finally consulted a sage, a man known for his wisdom. Has anything changed for the horse in the last few months? he asked. I changed his trainer a few weeks ago, said the nobleman. Does the horse get on well with his new trainer? Very well! In fact, hes devoted to him. Does the trainer limp? Uh yes, he does. The reason for the horses limp is clear, said the sage. Hes imitating his handler. We all tend to imitate those whom we admire. The company we keep has a great influence on us. The nobleman put the horse in the charge of another trainer, and the horse soon stopped limping.

Akbar's Dream
One night, Emperor Akbar dreamt that he had lost all his teeth, except one. The next morning he invited all the astrologers of his kingdom to interpret this dream. After a long discussion, the astrologers prophesized that all his relatives would die before him. Akbar was very upset by this interpretation and so sent away all the astrologers without any reward. Later that day, Birbal entered the court. Akbar related his dream and asked him to interpret it. After thinking for a while Birbal replied that the Emperor would live a longer & more fulfilled life than any of his relatives. Akbar was pleased with Birbal's explanation and rewarded him handsomely.

Birbal's Sweet Reply One day the Emperor Akbar startled his courtiers with a strange question. "If somebody pulled my whiskers what sort of punishment should be given him?" he asked. "He should be flogged!" said one courtier. "He should be hanged!" said another. "He should be beheaded!" said a third. "And what about you, Birbal?" asked the emperor. "What do you think would be the right thing thing to do if somebody pulled my whiskers?" "He should be given sweets," said Birbal. "Sweets?" gasped the other couriers. "Yes, said Birbal. "Sweets, because the only one who would dare pull His Majesty's whiskers is his grandson." So pleased was the emperor with the answer that he pulled off his ring and gave it to Birbal as a reward.

Tit-Bits
Emperor Akbar's court was famous for its witty question and answer sessions. On one of these occasions, the Emperor asked Birbal if there was anything that the sun and the moon could not see. Birbal's reply was 'darkness'. Akbar was pleased. Next, he asked what was the difference between a truth and a lie. To which Birbal replied that it was the distance between the ears and the eyes because what you see with your eyes is true, but what you hear with your ears is generally false. Akbar was satisfied. Lastly, Emperor Akbar drew a line on the floor and asked Birbal to shorten it without wiping out the ends. Birbal drew a longer line below the line drawn by Akbar and remarked that though he had not rubbed off the original line he had definitely succeeded in making it shorter.

Birbal, The Child Birbal arrived late for a function and the emperor was displeased. "My child was crying and I had to placate him," explained the courtier. "Does it take so long to calm down a child?" asked the emperor. "It appears you know nothing about child rearing. Now you pretend to be a child and I shall act as your father and I will show you how you should have dealt with your child. Go on, ask me for whatever he asked of you." "I want a cow," said Birbal. Akbar ordered a cow to be brought to the palace. "I want its milk. I want its milk," said Birbal, imitating the voice of a small child. "Milk the cow and give to him," said Akbar to his servants. The cow was milked and the milk was offered to Birbal. He drank a little and then handed the bowl back to Akbar. "Now put the rest of it back into the cow, put it back, put in back, put it back..." wailed Birbal. The emperor was flabbergasted and quietly left the room.

Just One Question One Day a scholar came to the court of Emperor Akbar and challenged Birbal to answer his questions and thus prove that he was as clever as people said he was. He asked Birbal: "Would you prefer to answer a hundred easy questions or just a single difficult one?" Both the emperor and Birbal had had a difficult day and were impatient to leave. "Ask me one difficult question," sad Birbal. "Well, then, tell me," said the man, "which came first into the world, the chicken or the egg?" "The chicken," replied Birbal. "How do you know?" asked the scholar, a note of triumph in his voice. "We had agreed you would ask only one question and you have already asked it" said Birbal and he and the emperor walked away leaving the scholar gaping.

The Cock And The Hen

Since Birbal always outwitted Akbar, Akbar thought of a plan to make Birbal look like a fool. He gave one egg to each of his ministers before Birbal reached the court one morning. So when Birbal arrived, the king narrated a dream he had had the previous night saying that he would be able to judge the honesty of his ministers if they were able to bring back an egg from the royal garden pond. So, Akbar asked all his courtiers to go to the pond, one at a time and return with an egg. So, one by one, all his ministers went to the pond and returned with the egg which he had previously given them. Then it was Birbal's turn. He jumped into the pond and could find no eggs. He finally realized that the King was trying to play a trick on him. So he entered the court crowing like a cock. The Emperor asked him to stop making that irritating noise and then asked him for the egg. Birbal smiled and replied that only hens lay eggs, and as he was a cock, he could not produce an egg.

Everyone laughed loudly and the King realized that Birbal could never be easily fooled

The Emperor's Servant One day Akbar and Birbal were riding through the countryside and they happened to pass by a cabbage patch. "Cabbages are such delightful vegetables!" said Akbar. "I just love cabbage." "The cabbage is king of vegetables!" said Birbal. A few weeks later they were riding past the cabbage patch again. This time however, the emperor made a face when he saw the vegetables. "I used to love cabbage but now I have no taste for it." said Akbar. "The cabbage is a tasteless vegetable" agreed Birbal. The emperor was astonished. "But the last time you said it was the king of vegetables!" he said. "I did," admitted Birbal. "But I am your servant Your Majesty, not the cabbage's."

The Loyal Gardener One day the Emperor Akbar stumbled on a rock in his garden. He was in a foul mood that day and the accident made him so angry that he ordered the gardeners arrest and execution. The next day when the gardener was asked what his last wish was before he was hanged, he requested an audience with the emperor. This wish was granted, but when the man neared the throne he loudly cleared his throat and spat at the emperors feet. The emperor was taken aback and demanded to know why he had done such a thing. The gardener had acted on Birbals advice and now Birbal stepped forward in the mans defence. "Your Majesty," he said, "there could be no person more loyal to you than this unfortunate man. Fearing that people would say you hanged him for a trifle, he has gone out of his way to give you a genuine reason for hanging him." The emperor, realising that he had been about to do a great injustice, set the man free.

The Wicked Barber?s Plight

As we all know, Birbal was not only Emperor Akbar?s favourite minister but also a minister dearly loved by most of the commoners, because of his ready wit and wisdom. People used to come to him from far and wide for advise on personal matters too. However, there was a group of ministers that were jealous of his growing popularity and disliked him intensely. They outwardly showered him with praise and compliments, but on the inside they began to hatch a plot to kill him. One day they approached the king?s barber with a plan. As the barber was extremely close to the king, they asked him to help them get rid of Birbal permanently. And of course, they promised him a huge sum of money in return. The wicked barber readily agreed. The next time the king required his services, the barber started a conversation about the emperor?s father who he also used to serve. He sang praises of his fine, silkysmooth hair. And then as an afterthought he asked the king that as he was enjoying such great prosperity, had he made an attempt to do anything for the welfare of his ancestors? The king was furious at such impertinent stupidity and told the barber that it was not possible to do anything because they were already dead. The barber mentioned that he knew of a magician who could come of help. The magician could send a person up to heaven to enquire about his father?s welfare. But of course this person would have to be chosen carefully; he would have to be intelligent enough to follow the magicians instructions as well as make on-the-spot decisions. He must be wise, intelligent and responsible. The barber then suggested the best person for the job ? the wisest of all ministers, Birbal. The king was very excited about hearing from his dead father and asked the barber to go ahead and make the arrangements immediately. He asked him what was needed to be done. The barber explained that they would take Birbal in a procession to the burial grounds and light a pyre. The magician would then chant some ? mantras? as Birbal would ascend to the heavens through the smoke. The chantings would help protect Birbal from the fire. The king happily informed Birbal of this plan. Birbal said that he thought it a brilliant idea and wanted to know the brain behind it. When learning that it was the barber?s idea, he agreed to go to heaven on condition that he be given a large some of money for the long journey as well as one month?s time to settle his family so that they had no trouble while he was gone. The king agreed to both conditions. In the duration of this month, he got a few trustworthy men to build a tunnel from the funeral grounds to his house. And on the day of the ascension, after the pyre had been lit, Birbal escaped through the concealed door of the tunnel. He disappeared in

to his house where he hid for a few months while his hair and beard grew long and unruly. In the meantime his enemies were rejoicing as they thought that they had seen the last of Birbal. Then one day after many, many months Birbal arrived at the palace with news of the king?s father. The king was extremely pleased to see him and ready with a barrage of questions. Birbal told the king that his father was in the best of spirits and had been provided with all the comforts except one. The king wanted to know what was lacking because now he thought he had found a way to send things and people to heaven. Birbal answered that there were no barbers in heaven, which is why even he was forced to grow his own beard. He said that his father had asked for a good barber. So the king decided to send his own barber to serve his father in heaven. He called both the barber and the magician to prepare to send him to heaven. The barber could say absolutely nothing in his own defence as he was caught in his own trap. And once the pyre was lit he died on the spot. Nobody dared to conspire against Birbal again.