Birbal's Khichri

On a cold winter day, Akbar and Birbal took a walk along the lake. A thought came into Birbal's mind that a man would do anything for money. He expressed his feelings to Akbar. The Emperor then put his fingers into the lake and immediately removed it because he shivered with cold.

Akbar said," I don't think a man would spend an entire night in the cold water of this lake for money."

Birbal replied,"I am sure I can find such a person."

Akbar then challenged Birbal to find such a person and said he would reward that person with a thousand gold coins.

Birbal searched far and wide until he found a poor man who was desperate enough to accept the challenge. The poor man entered the lake and Akbar had guards posted near him to make sure that he really did as promised.

The next morning the guards took the poor man to Akbar. The Emperor asked the poor man if he had indeed spent the night in the lake. The poor man replied that he did. Akbar then asked the poor man how he managed to spend the night in the lake. The poor man replied that there was a street lamp nearby and he kept his attention there on the lamp and away from the cold. Akbar then said that there would be no reward as the poor man had spent the night in the lake by the warmth of the street lamp. The poor man went to Birbal for help.

The next day, Birbal did not go to Court. Wondering where he was, Akbar sent a messenger to his home. The messenger came back saying that Birbal would come to Court once his Khichri was cooked. The Emperor waited for hours but Birbal did not come. Finally, Akbar decided to go to Birbal's house and see what he was up to.

He found Birbal sitting on the floor near some burning twigs and a utensil filled with kichri hanging five feet above the fire. The Emperor and his attendants couldn't help but laugh

Akbar then asked Birbal, "How can the khichri be cooked if it is so far away from the fire?"

Birbal answered, "The same way the poor man received heat from a street lamp that was more than a furlong away."

The Emperor realised his mistake and gave the poor man his reward.

Management Moral: Example is more effective than argument in any communication. If you have to explain your point of view in a presentation, it will meet with much better understanding if you use dramatic examples than if you use long-winding arguments to support it. There's a difference between making mistakes for our convenience. Our faulty behaviour becomes even more deplorable when we know that our "convenient mistakes" trample on the well-being and basic comfort of others and yet we stubbornly hold on to our behaviour pattern and have no scruples about causing misery to others as our own convenience comes first.

The Effects of Your Actions

One day Akbar was simply chatting with his friends. He had around him the very best, wisest, most creative people chosen from every part of the country. They were speaking, Akbar all of the sudden slapped Birbal for no apparent reason. Now one could slap the Emperor back, but the slap had to go somewhere.

So Birbal slapped the person who was standing right next to him.

Everybody thought, "This is strange!"

There was no reason in the first place for Akbar's slap.

Suddenly, as if some madness had seized Akbar, he has slapped poor Birbal. And the victim also reacted strangely. Rather than asking, "Why have you slapped me?" he simply slapped the man by his side! and that man, thinking perhaps this was the norm at the Court, slapped the next person. In a chain reaction, the slap went all around the Court.

That night, Akbar's wife slapped him! and he asked, "Why are you slapping me?"

She said," What a question - a Game is a Game."

He asked, "Who told you that this is a game?"

We have been hearing the whole day long that a great game has begun in the Court. The only rule is that you cannot hit the person back, you have to find somebody else to slap. And somebody has slapped me, so your slap has come back to you. The game is now complete!"

Management Moral:  All kinds of fashions, fads and practices have strange unexpected beginnings. A small gesture can have snowballing consequences. In this big world, thousands of insane games are going on in which we are all participants. The slap (or for that matter a good deed) is going to come back to you sooner or later. Good deeds will bring you its rewards, however, unexpected, and your misdeeds will eventually get you the punishment you desire.

Perhaps you have forgotten when you started it all. The world is big, it takes time to return. But everything comes back to its sources - that is one of the fundamental rules of life.

The Golden Gallows

One day Akbar came to Court in a very bad mood. Unlike his true self, that day he snapped at several courtiers. The courtiers were apprehensive and sat quietly, till the Emperor left the Court.

Later when Birbal met Akbar in private, he asked him the reason for his anger. "Oh Birbal, do not ask! It is my son-in-law. The scoundrel is really annoying," Akbar was furious once again.

Birbal tried to calm him down, "Your Majesty, if you tell me what has happened, may be we could find a solution to the problem."

"Birbal, it has been a year since I saw my daughter. My son-in-law does not send her here to see us," complained Akbar.

"That is not such a big problem. I will send somebody right away to bring Your Majesty's daughter here," assured Birbal.

"You think I haven't already done that? My son-in-law is a stubborn man! He refuses to sent my daughter to me. I simply detest such son-in-law. Now there is something you must do for me, Birbal. Please arrange to put up gallows in the open grounds of the city. I will send all the son-in-laws in my kingdom to the gallows", announced Akbar, seething with rage.

Birbal couldn't believe his ears. How could the Emperor go to this extreme! He tried to pacify Akbar, but to no avail.

For the first time the situation was truly out of his hands. Birbal couldn't think of anything to stop Akbar. So he went to the city grounds and made arrangements for the gallows.

After a week the gallows were ready and Birbal took Akbar on an inspection tour. Akbar was quite pleased, "And now I can eliminate all the son-in-laws in my kingdom. What a relief!"

After a while, Akbar noticed a set of golden and silver gallows. "Birbal, may I ask for whom those special gallows are meant for?"

Birbal replied plainly, "The golden gallows are for you, Your Majesty. And the silver one is for me."

Bewildered, Akbar said, "I didn't ask you to do any such things. Why should we go to the gallows?"

Birbal replied, "Your Majesty, you wish to send all the son-in-laws in this kingdom to the gallows. Both of us are also the son-in-law of somebody. How can we exclude ourselves? Since you are the Emperor I arranged for a grand golden gallows for you. The silver one is for me, your Majesty. Don't you think it is appropriate?"

Akbar was amused and impressed by Birbal's wisdom. "What would I ever do without you Birbal," so saying he laughed. He realised his mistake and revoked the order.

Management Moral: When you categorise people in haste and anger, make sure you don't fall into the same category. If we put ourselves in the shoes of the people under us on whom we pass judgement and rephrase it. The result of generalising the judgement we pass on one person, as applicable to a whole class of people, can be very damaging. In order to always be just, vividly imagine yourself in the shoes of your victim.

Poet Raidas

In the town of Agra lived a rich businessman. But he was also a miser. Various people used to flock outside his house everyday hoping for some kind of generosity, but they always had to return home disappointed. He used to ward them off with false promises, never living up to his word.

Then one day, a poet named Raidas arrived at his house and said that he wanted to read out his poems to the rich man. As the rich man was very fond of poetry, he welcomed him with open arms.

Raidas then recited all his poems one by one. The richman was very pleased and especially so when he heard the poem that Raidas had written on him, because he had been compared with Kubera, the God of Wealth. In those days it was a custom for rich men and kings to show their appreciation through a reward or gift, as that was the only means of earning for a poor poet. So the rich man promised Raidas some gifts and asked him to come and collect them the next day. Raidas was pleased.

The next morning when the poet arrived at the house, the rich man pretended that he had never laid eyes on him before. When Raidas reminded him of his promise, he said that although Raidas was a good poet he understood very little of human nature. And that if a rich businessman like him truly wanted to reward the poet, he would have done so the very same night. Raidas had been offered a reward not because he was really pleased or impressed, but simply to encourage him.

Raidas was extremely upset, but as there was nothing that he could do, he quietly left the house. On his way home he saw Birbal riding a horse. So he stopped him and asked for his help after narrating the whole incident.

Birbal took him to his house in order to come up with a plan. After giving it some thought he asked Raidas to go to a friend's house and request the friend to plan a dinner on the coming full moon night, where the rich man would also be invited. Birbal then asked Raidas to relax and leave the rest to him.

Raidas had a trusted friend whose name was Mayadas. So he  went up to him and told him the plan. The next day, Mayadas went to the rich man's house and invited him for dinner. The dinner had been planned for the coming full moon night. Mayadas said that he intended to serve his guests in vessels of gold, which the guests would get to take home after the meal. The rich man was thrilled to hear this and jumped at the offer.

After sunset on the full moon night, the rich man arrived at Mayadas house and was surprised to see no other guests there except Raidas. Anyway, they welcomed him and began a polite conversation. The rich man had come on a empty stomach and so was getting hungrier by the minute. Raidas and Mayadas were quite full, as they had eaten just before the rich man's arrival.

Finally, at midnight, the rich man could bear his hunger no longer and asked Mayadas to serve the food. Mayadas sounded extremely surprised and asked him what food he was talking about! Then rich man tried to remind him that he had been invited for dinner. At that point Raidas asked him for proof of the invitation. The rich man had no answer. Then Mayadas told him that he had just invited him to please him and had not really meant it. He then went on to say that even though they did not do anything good for other people, they also would never try to hurt another human being. He asked the rich man not to feel bad.

At that point Birbal walked into the room and reminded the rich man of the same treatment that he had himself meted out to Raidas. The rich man realised his mistake and begged for forgiveness. He said that Raidas was a good poet and had not asked him for any reward. He himself had promised to give him some gifts and then cheated him out of them. To make up for his mistake he took out the necklace that he was wearing and gifted it to Raidas. Then they all sat down to eat a healthy meal.

Raidas was all praise for Birbal and thanked him profusely. Emperor Akbar also invited Raidas to his Court and honoured him.

Management Moral: If you want to convince someone of your plight, put him in your shoes. Birbal put the rich man in the poet's position, making him experience hunger at first hand before he showed him the error. If you are a man of principles, you are bounded to consider justice as one of the important tenets in all your dealings.

By making amends at a late stage not all unpleasant consequences can be avoided, not for ourselves, and certainly not for our victims. Besides, our ways are very likely to become known to others and be a cause of embarrassment and shame.

 

Self Publicity

One day a Brahmin by the name of Sevaram asked Birbal for help. He said that his forefathers were great Sanskrit scholars and that people used to respectfully refer to them as Panditji. He said that he had no money nor need for wealth; he was content living a simple life. But he had just one wish. He wished people would refer to him as Panditji too. He asked Birbal how he could achieve this.

Birbal said that the task was fairly simple. If the Brahmin followed his advice word for word, this task could be achieved. Birbal advised the Brahmin to shout at anyone who called him Panditji from now on.

Now the children who lived in the same street as the Brahmin, did not like him since he scolded them often. They were just waiting for an opprtunity to get back at him. Birbal told the children that the Brahmin would get really irritated if they started calling him Pandiji. So the children began to tease him by yelling,"Panditji" whenever he appeared and, as advised by Birbal, the Brahmin responded by shouting at them. The children spread the word to all the other children in the neighbourhood that Sevaram hated being called Panditji, so they too joined in the chorus, calling him Panditji.

After a while, Sevaram got tired of scolding them but by now everyone was used to calling him Panditji. Hence the game was over but the name stuck!

Management Moral: If you want something about you widely known, make it known to gossips who will do your work for you free, particularly if you give it a newsy twist!

Greater than God?

One day, two poets from a faraway kingdom arrived at Akbar's Court. They delighted everyone with their songs and poems. The Emperor, who was always generous, rewarded them well. The poets had never seen so much gold before. They were overwhelmed. Then the Emperor ordered that they be given a set of princely clothes each.

Then one of the poets begged permission to offer a poem of thanks. Emperor Akbar nodded and the poet began his recitation. He spoke of the Emperor's bravery and kindness. He praised the Emperor's learning and wisdom.

He ended by saying that Emperor Akbar was the greatest king that had ever ruled. "Over this world or any other, He is greater than God Himself." With that, the poet bowed and left the hall.

There was a moment of silence. Many of those in the hall were shocked that the poet had compared a mortal to God.

Emperor Akbar looked around and his eyes began to twinkle mischievously. "So," he said, "it appears that I am now even greater than God."

All the people in the hall looked at their Emperor in horror. Had he really believed the poet's words" Surely not! And yet, they were not entirely sure. Emperor Akbar looked at his ministers and commanders, his nobles and his counsellors. He wondered if any of them would have the courage to speak the truth. The ministers, commanders, nobles and counsellors looked back at him. Nobody stirred.

"So," said the Emperor, beginning to feel irritated, "everyone present agrees that your Emperor is greater than God."

Nobody dared to disagree. Slowly, one by one, the courtiers bowed to show that they agreed. A low, shamed murmur of "Yes, Your Majesty," "It is so, Your Majesty," filled the hall.

Emperor Akbar thought that the courtiers were acting very foolishly. He turned to Birbal with a frown. "And you, Birbal. Do you agree too?" he asked.

"Oh,yes," Birbal replied immediately.

The Emperor's frown grew.

"Your Majesty, you can do something even God cannot!" Birbal said. "If any of your subjects displeases you, Your Majesty, you can send him on a pilgrimage or banish him from your empire, never to return. But God cannot. For God rules over the entire earth ant the sky and the heavens. There is no place in this world or any other that does not belong to God. So he cannot banish any of His creature."

Emperor Akbar's frown vanished. "Well said, Birbal!" he cried delightedly. And, from every corner of the Court, relieved courtiers began to smile weakly and then laugh. Birbal had done it again!

Management Moral: Never belittle your boss, but when you praise him, make the praise credible. This is not all that difficult. Even if your superiors know their shortcomings, it will not be appreciated if you adhere to your sincerity and confirm such shortcomings or dish out false praise - it would be wiser to evade such questions and focus on their positive characteristics, about which you may praise them as effusively as you want to!

Controversial Brinjal

Emperor Akbar was discussing about brinjals 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 impatiently saying that it was not good for health. So, Akbar asked him why he was saying such things, when he had actually sung the brinjal's praise only a few days ago.

Birbal replied that he had praised the brinjal only because his Emperor had praised it and criticised it when His Majesty had criticised it, as he was loyal to his Emperor and not to the brinjal! Birbal said, the brinjal could not make him a minister, no matter how much he praised it.

The Emperor was pleased by the bold and witty response.

Management Moral: It is important to know what to say when. Inappropriate comments can have unsavonry repercussions. Such comments should be reserved for private moments, if at all called for. But it is never inappropriate to make your loyalty known to your boss.

The Holy Book

Akbar once called Birbal and said to him, "Birbal it is said in one of your Hindu Holy Books that Lord Vishnu one day heard the agonised cry of one of His elephants and rushed to his aid. Why would a God with so many servants at his disposal, himself rush to the succour of the elephant?"

Birbal replied, "Your Majesty, give me few days to answer your question."

The Emperor granted him the request.

Birbal made a wax model of the Emperor's grandson and dressed him up in the grandson's clothes. He then told the servant in charge of the grandson to carry the doll out where the Emperor could see him and pretend to fall to the ground and throw the doll into the pond nearby, uttering a cry to draw the Emperor's attention. "If you do so, I shall reward you greatly."

The servant followed Birbal's instruction threw the doll into the pond and himself pretended to fall to the ground, uttering a plaintive cry.

When the Emperor heard the cry and saw his grandson fall into the pond, he rushed and jumped into the pond to rescue him.

Birbal stepped out of the bushes and lent a helping hand to the Emperor as he came out of the pond, asking him, "How did Your Majesty jump to the rescue of your grandson when you have so many servants to do this job for you? For the same reason Lord Vishnu rushes to save whoever seeks His help, because in his eyes all creatures are equally precious."

Management Moral: It is important to have the right sense of priorities, especially in treating your employees first as human being and only then as mere human resources. The degree of concern distinguishes a leader from a mere boss.

The Pot of Intelligence

 Hello Children! Here comes one more interesting story for you.

Akbar had great confidence in Birbal. But once, for some unknown reason, the Emperor was not very happy with him. Sensing this, Birbal decided to stay away from the Emperor for few days. He went to a small village and started living there.

One day, Akbar got a letter. One of his vassals, Raja Samant, had written, "Please send me a pot full of intelligence."

Akbar could not comprehend what it meant. He thought," If only Birbal was here, he would have explained it in a minute."

The Emperor came up with an idea to find out where Birbal might be. He invited the heads of the village and said, "I shall give a goat to each one of you. You must feed them well. Take good care of them. The cost is my responsibility. You must return the goats after one month. But when you return, the goats should weigh the same as they are today."

The village heads wondered how this would be possible.

Somehow, Birbal came to know about this. He went to see the Patel (village head).

"Patelji, do not worry about what the Emperor has said. Just take good care of the goat," said Birbal.

"In that case, the goat will grow fat."

"There is a solution for that. On the outskirts of the village, there is a lion in the cage. Tie up this goat just a little way of from the lion. Due to fear and insecurity, the goat will not gain an ounce of weight," said Birbal.

The Patel followed Birbal's instruction. After a month all goats were brought to the Emperor. Only one goat had not gained any weight. Akbar guessed that this was possible only with Birbal's help. He sent for Birbal and pacified him. Then he said, "Birbal, I need your advice. How can I sent a pot full of intelligence to someone?"

Birbal started working on it. First, he got a pot, filled it with soil and sowed a pumpkin seed in it. It sprouted and a pumpkin grew inside the pot. When the pumpkin filled the pot, Birbal cut of the plant. The pumpkin remained inside the pot. Birbal tied a cloth and covered the pot. He showed this to Akbar.

"O Sire, send this to Raja Samant with a letter. Say, this is full of intelligence. Take it out carefully. While removing the pumpkin, the pot should not break and the container should not get damaged. If anything contrary to this happens, you will have to pay a very heavy penalty."

The vassal received the pot and the letter. He realised what an impossible task it was. He came to Akbar's Court and apologised. He realised what a fool he was to ask for a pot of intelligence from an Emperor in whose kingdom a man like Birbal lived!"

Management Moral: Most problems have solutions. If you can't find them yourself, find someone who can! On the other hand, if you are as good as Birbal, make your abilities known, and become indispensable to your employer. As is obvious, your services will always be in demand and your prosperity will keep increasing.

The Pandit's Pot

A Pandit once went to Akbar's Court and told the Emperor he would like to test the intelligence of his Courtiers. Akbar gave him permission. The Courtiers gathered in the palace at the appointed hour. The Pandit kept a covered pot before them and asked them to tell him what it contained.

There was absolute silence. Then Birbal stepped forward, he uncovered the pot and said there was nothing in it.

"But you opened it!" said the Pandit.

"You did not say we should not open it," replied Birbal. The Pandit was disappointed. He bowed to the Emperor and walked away.

Management Moral: Very often our mind invents obstacles that do not exist. Don't assume rules that don't exist. The obvious solution often escapes the excessively preoccupied mind. Also, never underestimate the potential and capability of people around you. Each of us has our own resources.

The Well Water

A farmer and his neighbor, once went to Emperor Akbar's Court with a complaint.

"Your Majesty, I bought a well from him," said the farmer pointing to his neighbor, " and now he wants me to pay for the water."

"That's right, Your Majesty," said the neighbor. "I sold him the well but not the water".

The Emperor asked Birbal to settle the dispute.

"Didn't you say that you sold your well to this farmer?" Birbal asked the neighbor. "So the well belongs to him now, but you have kept your water in his well. Is that right? Well, in that case you will have to pay him rent or take your water out at once."

The neighbor realised that he was out witted. He quickly apologised and gave up his claim.

Management Moral: If you don't give people their due, you may be the loser. They may feel provoked to take away more than their due even what is rightfully yours! Whenever you draft or sign an agreement make sure all clauses are clear and that there is no scope for costly and time-consuming litigation.

Retrieving the Ring

Once Akbar threw his gold ring into a dry well and asked his minister's to retrieve it without climbing down into the well.

The ministers scratched their heads and thought deeply but soon had to admit defeat. Birbal, however, could never resist a challenge.

"Your Majesty, you shall get back your ring by sundown", he declared.

Birbal took some fresh cow-dung from the ground and threw it on top of the ring. He tied a stone to one end of a long piece of string and retaining the other end, threw the stone on the dung. After a while, when he felt sure that the cow-dung had dried completely, he pulled the string up. To everyone's surprise the cow-dung came up and stuck at the bottom was Emperor's ring.

Management Moral: If you exercise your imagination, develop enough interest and motivation to face every challenge and allow your creativity to always blossom, no problem will be too difficult to solve.

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 long discussion, the astrologers prophesied that all the Emperor's relatives would die before him.

Akbar was very upset by this interpretation and 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 and more fulfilled life than any of his relatives.

Akbar was pleased with Birbal's explanation and rewarded him handsomly.

Management Moral: There is always more than one way of expressing the truth. The worst shortcomings can be discussed with your subordinates without stepping on their corns or touching a raw nerve. It is a matter of seeing a glass as half full or half empty. The facts are the same. Your perception or interpretation can vary.

The Glutton

Here comes another witty interesting story for you children!!!!

Akbar had a real passion for food. In his royal kitchen were employed all kinds of master chefs, who made a variety of gourmet dishes. Often Akbar would throw a banquet for his courtiers to enjoy these meals in the palace gardens.

Once at one such banquet Birbal was seated next to Emperor Akbar. After the meal, bowls of pistachios were served to all. Both Birbal and Akbar went on eating the pistachios and they threw the shells under their chairs.

Soon there was heaps of  pistachio shells under their chairs. Akbar saw the heaps and thought of playing a trick on Birbal. He thought to himself, "For once let me outwit the clever Birbal."

Quitely, Akbar pushed his heap of shells under Birbal's chair with his foot. Birbal did not notice him do this. All of a sudden Akbar sprang from his chair and with a bewildered look he said aloud, "I don't believe this Birbal! How could you eat so many pistachios? You are really a glutton!"

All the courtiers heard this and looked at the big heap of pistachio shells under Birbal's chair. But Birbal was unperturbed; he knew that Akbar had played a trick on him. But the clever Birbal could not allow the Emperor and the courtier's to ridicule him.

Promptly, he said to Akbar, "Your Majesty, You are absolutely right, I am a glutton. It is true that I have eaten a lot of pistachios. But Your Majesty, you really surprised me! How could you eat the pistachios along with the shells?"

Birbal requested the courtiers to look under Akbar's chair. They did not see a single shell there and neither were there any shells in his bowls. The courtiers burst out laughing.

Akbar turned red in face. He had attempted to trick Birbal and in the end himself became the butt of ridicule!

Although truly embarrassed, he gently appreciated Birbal's wit and humor.

Management Moral: The ability and willingness to joke with each other improves our sense of humor and brings people closer. The closer you are, within limits obviously, the better you work together. Besides, humor relieves the monotony and tedium of routine work and adds spice to life.

However, the story also illustrates that if you really want to show off your wit at a party by outwitting someone, don't choose the wisest and wittiest person around or the joke will turn on you and your effort will be wasted!

Call him at Once

Hello Children, I am back again with another interesting story of Birbal!!!!!

One morning Akbar woke up early. Rubbing his fingers over his stubble he called out, "Is anyone there? Quick! Call him at once!"

The guard outside his chamber was thoroughly confused. He thought to himself, "Whom is the Emperor calling, he didn't name anybody in particular. The guard was too frightened to ask the Emperor to repeat his order. 

The guard sought the help of another guard. That guard in turn spoke to a third. The third mentioned it to a fourth. Finally all the guards inside the palace knew of the Emperor's order. There was utter confusion, as nobody knew whom the Emperor had called for.

At that time Birbal happened to be taking a walk in the garden. Seeing the guards in total confusion, he guessed the Emperor must have made a strange request. He called one of the guards and asked him "What is the matter? Why are all the guards running around confused?"

The guard  told Birbal about the Emperor's order. He said, "His Majesty has not mentioned anyone in particular. Whom should we call? We do not know what to do. If we do not get anyone, the Emperor will be very annoyed with us. What shall we do, Sir?"

"Hmmm! Tell me what the Emperor was doing when he gave the order" asked Birbal. The attendant pondered a while, "Nothing unusual Sir, he was just rubbing the stubble on his chin."

Birbal smiled, for he knew whom the Emperor wanted. He said to the guard, "Take the barber to the Emperor immediately".

The guard called the barber and took him immediately to the Emperor. The Emperor thought to himself, "How come the barber is here? I did not mention anyone in particular."

The Emperor asked the guard, "Tell me, was it your idea to call the barber or did someone help you?"

 "Your Majesty, it was Birbal's suggestion," said the guard.

Once again Akbar was impressed with Birbal's wisdom.

Management Moral: Some problems have obvious solutions if you know where to look for them. Presence of mind and observation can go a long way in getting you out of a tricky solution, which at first sight seems insurmountable.

Theft of Jewels

A merchant in Akbar's kingdom felt hot and decided to have a bath. He bundled up all the jewels he was wearing let them in a corner of his room along with his clothes and went for a bath. When he came out from his bath, he discovered that his jewels had vanished. He questioned all his servants but was unable to discover who had stolen the jewels. He decided to go to Akbar to have his problem solved. Akbar assigned the case to Birbal. Birbal called the merchant and asked him to bring all his servants to the Court next day.

When they appeared before him, Birbal handed each of the servants a stick and told them: "I have given each of you a stick of the same length. But they are magic sticks. Whenever they are in the possession of a thief they grow exactly by one inch a day. If you have stolen Your Masters jewels, your stick will grow by one inch when you come back tomorrow. So take them home and bring them back here tomorrow, at the same time." He then dismissed the servants.

The next day when the Court had assembled and the merchant's servants arrived with their sticks, Birbal collected all the sticks placed them next to each other. One stick was shorter by one inch. Birbal told the merchant, "The servant who brought this stick is the one who stole the jewels. He cut the stick so it would not show that it grew by one inch and he would not be caught".

He then told servants, "These are not magic sticks, but because you believed that they were, the guilty servant cut an inch off his stick".

Immediately, the servant who had stolen the jewels confessed and returned them.

Management Moral: Problem solving becomes easier if you learn ways to read the minds of those with whom you deal. Birbal knew the servant were superstitious and would believe his story about the magic properties of the sticks.

List of Fools

One day an Arab merchant arrived at the court of Akbar with a large consignment of horses of all ages and breeds and offered them for sale.

Akbar was very impressed with the quality of the horses, paid up the prices demanded for the ones he selected and ordered the merchant to send him some more of the best that he could find in Arabia. The merchant agreed and demanded an advance sum of Rs.2 lakhs for them. Akbar immediately ordered the Court treasurer to pay the amount and the merchant left promising to return as soon as he had acquired the horses, which had been ordered.

Some time later, Akbar asked Birbal to prepare a list of fools in his kingdom. Birbal replied, "Your Majesty, I have already made one" and handed him a long list. Akbar was astonished to find his own name headed the list.

Outraged, he shouted at Birbal, "How dare you put Your Emperor's name in the list of fools!"

Birbal replied evenly, "Last week Your Majesty gave Rs.2 lakhs to the Arab merchant without any guarantee that he would bring you the horses that you ordered and paid for. That justifies me putting your name at the top of the list of Fools"

Akbar asked him, "What if the merchant brings me the horses which I have ordered?"

"Then Your Majesty, I will replace Your name with his".

Akbar realised he had made a mistake in advancing the money and remained silent.

Management Moral: Don't take things at their face value and admit and learn from your mistakes even if you are shown up a fool by your subordinates. Also, the ability to trust is necessary in business and professional life but one has to be selective about whom, one puts his trust in. Judicious trust is an absolute must for both efficiency and effectiveness in management.

All For The Best

Birbal constantly asserted that everything happens for one's own good. Emperor Akbar, who was young, was distrustful of Birbal's wisdom and questioned the minister's constant, optimistic assertion.


One day while handling a sword, the Emperor chopped off the tip of his little finger. Birbal immediately told the Emperor not to worry, everything that happens has a purpose behind it and that purpose is for good. The Emperor became exceedingly angry with Birbal and threw him in jail.


The Emperor bandaged the little finger for few days and then as a diversion, went into the forest to hunt. He was later separated from his hunting party and eventually captured by a tribe of cannibals intending to make human sacrifice. The Emperor was bound like a sacrifice lamb and taken before the temple.When the temple priest examined him, the priest announced that he could not be sacrificed because he was not a perfect specimen,since the front portion of one finger was missing. As he was not fit to be sacrificed, the Emperor was released.


On his return, the Emperor thanked God for injuring his finger and thereby sparing his life then immediately went to the prison to meet Birbal.


"O, Birbal", please accept my apologies for imprisoning you. Now I understand how my injury was for the best. But tell me why did God allow me to imprison you? How is it for the best that you have been confines here due to my angry?


Birbal replied," Your Majesty, if I had not been in prison, you would surely have taken me with you when you went for hunting, and when the forest cannibals rejected you for their sacrifice, they would surely have found me an excellent substitute!"


Management Moral: It is helpful to see the good side of what appear to be bad events. It is a morale booster; it is also an aid to creativity, since it spurs you on to bounce back from ill fortune and get on optimistically with your life.


Belief in a higher power added to the belief that this power has our best interests in mind can help us feel more centred or better anchored whether in our personal lives or in a high responsible professional life.

Birbal's Journey To Paradise

The Akbar Court barber nursed his hatred for Birbal and plotted against him daily. One day he stuck upon a plan and so,when Emperor Akbar next called him to trim his beard,he said: "You know, Your Majesty,last night I dreamed about your Father".

The Great Mughal at once showed interest, "Tell me what he said to you".

"He said he is very happy in paradise,but he says that all the inhabitants of Heaven are terrible bores. He would like you to send someone who can talk to him and keep him amused".

Of course, no one possessed wit like Birbal and although Akbar prized him very much, to appear his poor father in Paradise, he would consent to give him up. Naturally, the only way of reaching Heaven is through Death.

When Birbal responded to the Emperor's summons, Akbar said : "I think you love me enough, Birbal, to make any sacrifice or my sake".

"You know I do Your Majesty" Birbal said.

"Then I would like you to go to Heaven and keep my dear Father company".

"Very Well", Birbal said, "but please give me few days to prepare".

"Certainly", said the Mughal, delighted, "You are doing me a great favour". "I will give you a week time".

Birbal went home and dug a deep pit,which would serve as his own grave.But he also excavated a secret tunnel that opened under the floor of his house,then he returned to the Emperial Court.

"Your Highness" he said, "in accordance with an old family tradition,I would like to be buried near my house and. if you don't mind,I would like to die by being buried alive. It is easier to get into Heaven that way, you know".

So, to the great happiness of the court barber, Birbal was buried alive. Ofcourse he made his way at once through the tunnel into his own house,were he stayed in concealment for over six months.

At the end of that time, with his hair and beard grown long and shaggy, he came out of hiding, and obtained an audience with the Great Mughal.

"Birbal" cried the Emperor. "Where have you come from?"

"From Paradise,Your Majesty. I spent such a lovely time with your Father that he gave me special permission to return to earth".

"Did he give you any message or his Son?"

"Just one,Your Highness, Do you see my whiskers and long hair? Well, it seems very few barbers make it to Heaven. Your Father asks you to send him yours at once".

Management Moral: Ill will begets ill will and can even lead to a chain reaction. Often you have to be innovative to combat it. Perhaps by using goodwill to beget goodwill, which would probably also result in its own chain reaction.