Akbar Birbal Stories | अकबर बीरबल की कहानियाँ

1. 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.

2. The Well Dispute

Once there was a complaint at King Akbar's court. There were two neighbours who shared their garden. In that garden, there was a well that was possessed by Iqbal khan. His neighbour, who was a farmer wanted to buy the well for irrigation purpose. Therefore they signed an agreement between them, after which the farmer owned the well. Even after selling the well to the farmer, Iqbal continued to fetch water from the well. Angered by this, the farmer had come to get justice from King Akbar. King Akbar asked Iqbal the reason for fetching water from the well even after selling it to the farmer.

Iqbal replied that he had sold only the well to the farmer but not the water inside it. King Akbar wanted Raja Birbal who was present in the court listening to the problem to solve the dispute. Birbal came forward and gave a solution. He said " Iqbal, You say that you have sold only the well to the farmer. And you claim that the water is yours. Then how come you can keep your water inside another person's well without paying rent?" Iqbal's trickery was countered thus in a tricky way. The farmer got justice and Birbal was fairly rewarded.

3. The Sadhu

Akbar came to the throne when he was only thirteen years old. In the years that followed, he built on of the greatest empires of his time. He lived in unimaginable splendor. He was surrounded by courtiers who agreed with every word he said, who flattered him and treated him as if he were a god. Perhaps it was not surprising that Emperor Akbar was sometimes arrogant and behaved as if the whole world belonged to him.

One day, Birbal decided to make the great emperor stop and think about life.

That evening as the emperor was going towards his palace, he noticed a Sadhu lying in the centre of his garden. He could not believe his eyes. A strange Sadhu, in ragged clothes, right in the middle of the palace garden? The guards would have to be punished for this, thought the emperor furiously as he walked over to that Sadhu and prodded him with the tip of his embroidered slipper.

"Here, fellow!" he cried. "What are you doing here? Get up and go away at once!"

That Sadhu opened his eyes. Then he sat up slowly. "Huzoor," he said in a sleepy voice. "Is this your garden, then?"

4. Mughal Empire

Akbar was one of the greatest emperors of the Mughal dynasty. It was during the reign of Akbar that the rule of the Mughals truly began, for both Babur and Humayun had ruled for extremely short and interrupted periods. Akbar was a minor at the time of his father's death, and was under the guardianship of Bairam Khan. Soon after succeeding to the throne Akbar had to firmly establish Mughal authority and regain the territories it had lost. His enemies challenged his rule and another historic battle was fought at Panipat, one in which Akbar emerged victorious and firmly established the Mughal power as the dominant power in India. Akbar was still under the guardianship of Bairam but now wished to become a full fledged king in his own right. Bairam while providing invaluable service had begun behaving in a high handed manner which had resulted in many enemies. In 1560 Akbar expressed his desire to take over, to Bairam, who reluctantly agreed and prepared to leave the empire. Akbar made the tactical mistake of appointing Pir Muhammad, an enemy of Bairam's to oversee his move out of Mughal territory. Bairam considered this an insult and rose against Akbar. He was however defeated but allowed to continue out of the empire by Akbar, because of the tremendous services he had rendered. Tragically however Bairam was killed by an Afghan who held a personal grudge against him. Luckily his family escaped and his son Abdur Rahim was taken in by Akbar and rose later on to become an important noble of the empire. After assuming control from Bairam Akbar did not immediately get full control of the empire. His foster mother Maham Anaga and her son Adam Khan and some of her family were exercising an undue influence on the state. Adam Khan led some conquests which although successful were brutal. Akbar unable to tolerate their actions put Adam Khan to death in 1562. His foster mother died of grief forty days later. Akbar at the young age of fourteen was now finally in control of his empire.Akbar began a process of consolidation and expansion. He extended the empire's frontiers and they covered almost the entire country, even reaching deep into the south. < He set up the Mughal administration, drawing heavily on the institutions and concepts that Sher Shah had used. Under Akbar the Mughal empire reached its peak, with its influence extending to almost all parts of the country as well as major developments taking place in the arts and the economy. Akbar ruled for a period of 51 years which was the longest reign amongst the Mughal emperors.

Akbar was one of the most able rulers amongst the Mughals and one of the greatest emperors in Indian history. Akbar was a very wise and open minded ruler with a sound character. He was an able administrator as well as a capable soldier. He possesed tremendous courage, often risking his life and was also extremely strong. He was kind and just and despite being a great conqueror he was not cruel to those whom he had defeated. Akbar was not vengeful and usually forgave people who rebelled against him,except in certain cases when it was not possible. Akbar possessed tremendous self control and had excellent manners. He is said to have been very charming and was praised by all those who came into contact with him. Akbar had a wise and able courtier called Birbal, and there are many stories about the interactions between Akbar and Birbal, who would often provide sound insights into the various problems the emperor was facing. Akbar was also very popular amongst his subjects who considered him not only the ruler of Delhi but of the entire universe. Akbar also closely monitored his diet and ate moderately. While Akbar did not know how to read and write, one cannot say that he was not a learned man. He had a keen interest in literature and philosophy and was gifted with a brilliant mind and incredible memory. He maintained a large library of books and engaged people to read books to him. His understanding of what he heard was so great that it was said that he could talk so effortlessly on those subjects that one could never get the impression that he was illiterate. Akbar was also a keen patron of art and architecture and many such works flourished in his time.

Akbar was extremely tolerant to religion evident in the fact that he married a Hindu princess. He realized that it was foolish to ill-treat Hindus who formed a majority in his empire. He made significant efforts to treat them at par and soon they too were being appointed to high posts. Akbar treated religion with an extremely open mind and spent a lot of time studying the various beliefs of the different religions. This eventually resulted in the creation of a new religion of his own called Din-I-illahi . This combined features from various religions and stressed on the idea of that regardless of what religion you follow, God is one. Being a supreme believer in universal tolerance, Akbar made no attempt to force people to convert to his religion but tried to appeal to the inner feelings of each person.

Akbar's last years brought great grief to him. A beloved friend and notable poet Faizi died in 1595. Akbar's son Salim (later to be known as Jehangir) eager to take over the throne set himself up as an independent king and began plotting to overthrow Akbar. Salim caused much pain to his father when he got another close friend and poet, Abul Fazl murdered. Father and son spent the last couple of years see- sawing between peace and war but finally after Akbar died a natural death, Salim succeeded to the throne. Akbar was a great person and a great king. During his time the country reached a level of prosperity it had not seen and would not see for a long time. Being an able statesmen, he set an example for the other leaders that would follow.

There are many stories about the interactions between Akbar and Birbal, who would often provide sound insights into the various problems the emperor was facing. Akbar was also very popular amongst his subjects who considered him not only the ruler of Delhi but of the entire universe. Akbar also closely monitored his diet and ate moderately. While Akbar did not know how to read and write, one cannot say that he was not a learned man. He had a keen interest in literature and philosophy and was gifted with a brilliant mind and incredible memory. He maintained a large library of books and engaged people to read books to him. His understanding of what he heard was so great that it was said that he could talk so effortlessly on those subjects that one could never get the impression that he was illiterate. Akbar was also a keen patron of art and architecture and many such works flourished in his time.

Akbar was extremely tolerant to religion evident in the fact that he married a Hindu princess. He realized that it was foolish to ill-treat Hindus who formed a majority in his empire. He made significant efforts to treat them at par and soon they too were being appointed to high posts. Akbar treated religion with an extremely open mind and spent a lot of time studying the various beliefs of the different religions. This eventually resulted in the creation of a new religion of his own called Din-I-illahi . This combined features from various religions and stressed on the idea of that regardless of what religion you follow, God is one. Being a supreme believer in universal tolerance, Akbar made no attempt to force people to convert to his religion but tried to appeal to the inner feelings of each person.

Akbar's last years brought great grief to him. A beloved friend and notable poet Faizi died in 1595. Akbar's son Salim (later to be known as Jehangir) eager to take over the throne set himself up as an independent king and began plotting to overthrow Akbar. Salim caused much pain to his father when he got another close friend and poet, Abul Fazl murdered. Father and son spent the last couple of years see- sawing between peace and war but finally after Akbar died a natural death, Salim succeeded to the throne. Akbar was a great person and a great king. During his time the country reached a level of prosperity it had not seen and would not see for a long time. Being an able statesmen, he set an example for the other leaders that would follow.

5. The True King

The King of Iran had heard that Birbal was one of the wisest men in the East and desirous of meeting him sent him an invitation to visit his country.

In due course, Birbal arrived in Iran. When he entered the palace he was flabbergasted to find not one but six kings seated there. All looked alike. All were dressed in kingly robes. Who was the real king?

The very next moment he got his answer. Confidently, he approached the king and bowed to him.

"But how did you identify me?" the king asked, puzzled.

Birbal smiled and explained: "The false kings were all looking at you, while you yourself looked straight ahead. Even in regal robes, the common people will always look to their king for support."

Overjoyed, the king embraced Birbal and showered him with gifts.

6. 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.

7. Birbal Turns Tables

Once Emperor Akbar was narrating his dream in the court. The dream began with Akbar and Birbal walking towards each other on a dark night. It was so dark that they could not see each other, and so collided and fell. The Emperor said - "Fortunately for me, I fell into a sea of Paayzam (an Indian sweets made with milk and semolina), but guess what Birbal fell into?" Courtiers asked curiously - "What, Your Majesty?"

"A gutter." The whole court resounded with laughter. The Emperor was thrilled that at least for once he had been able to score over Birbal.

But Birbal was unperturbed. As the laughter had died down, he said - "Your Majesty, Strangely enough, I too had the same dream, but unlike you I slept on till the end. When you climbed out of that pool of delicious Paayazam, and I climbed out of that stinking gutter, we found that there was no water with which to clean ourselves and so guess what we did?" Asked the Emperor - "What did we do, Birbal?" Birbal said smilingly - "We licked each other to clean each other."

The Emperor got red with embarrassment and resolved never to let Birbal down again.

8. Back to Square One

As usual a lot of people were present in Akbar's durbar.

A famous astrologer had come from a far away country.

He was talking about the Solar System and the Earth's shape.

At one point Akbar said, "If the earth is round, and if one travel strait towards one direction, he will come back to the same spot from where he has started the journey."

"Theoretically it is correct", said the astrologer.

"Why not in real life?", asked the king.

"One has to cross oceans, mountains and forests to keep the path straight." the astrologer said. 

"Sail through the oceans, make tunnels in the mountains and use elephants to cross the forests." Akbar found the solution.

"Still it is impossible" said the astrologer.

"Why?" Asked Akbar.

"It may take years to complete the whole journey" said the astrologer

"Years? How many?" asked Akbar.

"I don't know. May be a hundred years or more" said the astrologer

"Don't worry I will ask my ministers. They have an answer for everything" Akbar looked at the ministers.

"Impossible to calculate"

"Around 25 years"

"Fifty years or less"

"80 days"

"Why Birbal, you haven't uttered a word" the king showed his surprise at Birbal's silence. 

"I was just calculating the time required to go round the earth" explained Birbal.

"And did you get the answer?" asked the king.

"Sure." Said Birbal "It will take just one day."

"Just one day! Birbal it is Impossible! Even it will take more than one day to cross our country." Said Akbar.

"It is possible. Provided you travel at the speed of the Sun" said Birbal with a smile.

9. Birbal, can you Identify The Guest

Once Birbal was invited for dinner by a rich man. When Birbal reached there, he found himself in a large crowd. The host greeted him warmly and took him inside. Birbal said, "I did not know that there will be so many guests in this gathering." The host replied politely, "They are not guests, Sir. They are my employees except one who is the only other guest here besides you. Could you tell who is that other one guest here?"

"Maybe, I could. Tell them a joke, and I will observe them." The rich man told the joke and everybody laughed uproariously. Perhaps this was the worst joke Birbal had ever heard in his life. Now the rich man asked Birbal, "I have told the joke, now you tell me who is the other guest here?" Birbal pointed out towards a man and said, "He is that other guest." The rich man was very surprised hearing this that how could he recognize the other guest. He said to him, "You are right Birbal, but how did you recognize him?"

Birbal said, "Because only employees can laugh on such a joke. He was the only person who did not even smile on your joke, so I immediately recognized him as the other guest."

10. Birbal Gave Birth to the Child

Once somebody had a wound in the palace of the Emperor. The royal Vaidya was called and he suggested that if the milk of a camel is applied on the wound, it will be cured soon. The Emperor announced it in his court that he needed camel's milk. Everybody was surprised to hear this but could not say anything.

A couple of days passed but nobody could find camel's milk. So Birbal was assigned this work. Birbal tried his best to explain to the Emperor that there is no such thing like camel's milk, but he said - "When Raaj Vaidya has asked for it, it must exist. Bring it from anywhere." Birbal got very upset. He went home and thought how to tell the Emperor that there is no such thing like camel's milk.

Thinking this a couple of days passed and Birbal did not go to the court also. Akbar got worried what has happened to Birbal? He sent somebody to his house to see why he did not come the court. When he went there, he met his daughter washing Birbal's clothes just outside the house. She greeted the servant. The servant asked her - "What happened Birbal has not come to the court?" The daughter replied - "Last night Birbal had a child." The servant could not digest this statement but he came back and told this to the Emperor. The Emperor also could not understand this, so he himself decided to to his house and find out the truth.

Seeing the Emperor coming Birbal greeted him. The Emperor asked him - "Birbal, What is this? Can a man give birth to child?"

Birbal politely replied - "Huzoor, When a camel can have milk, why can't a man give birth to a child?"

The Emperor understood that he was caught unaware. He returned to his palace and cancelled his orders.