BIRBAL COUNTS THE CROWS

 Many courtiers were jealous of Birbal. One day, they came up to Akbar and asked, "You're Majesty, why do you always seek Birbal advice on all matters?"

Akbar replied, 'Because Birbal always has the right solutions."

The jealous courtiers said, "You can trust us too."

Akbar said, "All right. Can you find out the number of crows in Agra?"

A surprised courtier said, 'How can we tell, My Lord? Crows keep flying around. They all look alike and it would be absurd to count them."

Another courters said, "I don't think that anyone can answer this, My Lord, not even Birbal."

Akbar asked, "Birbal can you tell us?" Birbal replied, "Yes, My lord. There are thirty-three thousand, nine hundred and twenty-one crows in Agra."

The courtiers were surprised and asked, "How can you be so sure, Birbal?"

Birbal replied confidently, "I am sure. You can go and count the crows."

Courters asked, "What if there are more?"

another courters asked, "But what if there are less crows than you say?"

Birbal said, "Of course, there could be less crows because many of the crows of Agra would have gone to their friends and relatives in other places."

Akbar burst out laughing and said to the other courtiers, "Now do you see why I trust Birbal more than anyone else. He has a clever and ready answer to all questions?"

  

THE MATGIC OF SUNLIGHT

One day, Emperor Akbar asked his courtier, "Can anyone name the whitest and the brightest thing in the world?"

A courtier said "Your Majesty, I think   milk is the whitest of all things."

Another said, "I think that cotton wool is the whitest." Yet another courtier thought snow to be the whitest.

Akbar turned to Birbal and asked, "I want to know what you think is the most white and bright thing in the world?"

Birbal said, "Sunlight, Your Majesty."

The courtiers didn't agree so Akbar said, "You will have to prove this," and saying this Akbar went to his chambers to take a nap. As the day was brought and hot, Akbar ordered the curtains in his room to be drawn to make his room dark.

When Akbar woke up in the early evening, he could not see anything. He called for his servants but no one came.

Suddenly, he heard Bubal speak up, "My Lord, could you please tell me if you find the quality of cotton wool kept in the room, fine enough to be woven into a new robe for you."

Akbar replied, "But I can't see a thing. Where is the cotton wool?"

"Never mind, My Lord," replied Birbal. "Please have the glass of milk specially prepared for you."

But Akbar could not see the glass either and told Birbal to stop troubling him.

Then Birbal removed the heavy drapes from the window, and sunlight flooded the room. Akbar could now clearly see the cotton wool and the milk kept on the table right in front of him!

Birbal said, "Pardon me for troubling you. I did all this to prove that neither the cotton wool, the snow nor the milk, but the sunlight is the whitest and brightest of all the things. You could see neither of them till sunlight come into the room."

Akbar agreed, "Birbal, you have again proved yourself right."