Akbar the Great, Birbal’s Stories, and Mental Health

How Akbar and Birbal’s Stories Can Inspire Mental Health and Well-being in Modern Times

Akbar the Great was a significant emperor of the Mughal Empire. He was a wise, intelligent, and far-sighted ruler who managed his empire effectively. To govern the realm efficiently, Akbar appointed nine advisors, known as the “Navratnas” (Nine Gems).

In this column, we will discuss Raja Birbal, who was the most clever, intelligent, and beloved personality among all the advisors, known for his administrative skills and social fairness.

Besides being an advisor, Birbal was also a close friend of Emperor Akbar. He was a Brahmin and a scholar of Sanskrit. His real name was Mahesh Das. Birbal worked with Emperor Akbar for almost 30 years. Let’s delve into some interesting stories from their lives.

One day, Akbar and Birbal were walking in the garden, and Birbal was narrating a humorous story that amused Akbar greatly. Suddenly, Akbar noticed a bamboo stick lying on the ground. An idea to tease Birbal came to his mind. He showed Birbal the stick and asked, “Can you shorten this stick without cutting it?”

Birbal stopped telling the story and looked directly into Akbar’s eyes. Seeing Akbar’s mischievous smile, Birbal understood that Akbar was in a playful mood.

Nevertheless, there was only one possible solution to this question. Birbal glanced around and saw a gardener with a longer bamboo stick. He signaled to the gardener to come over.

When the gardener approached, Birbal took the longer stick from him and held it in his right hand. Then, he stood the original stick in his left hand, the one given by the emperor.

Birbal then asked the emperor to look around. “Does your stick look smaller now?” he said. “I didn’t cut it, but it appears shorter because I have a longer stick in my hand.” Hearing this, Akbar was very pleased and patted Birbal on the shoulder.

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One day, Emperor Akbar announced that a handsome reward would be given to anyone who could answer the following questions:

1. What is present today and will remain so in the future?
2. What is absent today but will remain so in the future?
3. What is present today but will become absent later?

No one could answer these clever questions except for Birbal.

Birbal told the emperor, “Your Majesty, to find the correct answers to these questions, it is necessary for both of us to go to the village.”

So, Akbar and Birbal disguised themselves as sages and wandered through the town’s market. They entered a shop where Birbal asked the shopkeeper, “We need a thousand rupees to build a school for children.”

The shopkeeper told his assistant to give the money to the sages.

Then Birbal said, “In exchange for the money, I will hit you on the head with my shoe.”

The shopkeeper’s assistants became angry upon hearing this, but the shopkeeper calmed them down and said, “Let me be hit with the shoe, as long as it ensures that the money is used for a good cause.”

With that, the shopkeeper bowed his head before Birbal, who then pretended to hit him. After that, Birbal and Akbar left the shop without saying anything further.

While they were walking away, Birbal broke the silence and said, “See, my lord, today the shopkeeper gave money with good intentions. In the future, this act will bear fruit.”

“This means he has secured his place in heaven after his death, and it also indicates that whatever he has today will benefit him tomorrow.”

Next, they came across a beggar who was giving away food in excess of his needs. Birbal asked the beggar, “Can you give us some food? We are hungry.”

But the beggar angrily replied, “Go away, you fools.” Birbal then said, “For the second question, this beggar is not earning God’s favor. This means he has nothing today, and he will have nothing tomorrow.”

After a while, they saw a hermit meditating under a tree. Birbal placed some money in front of him, but the hermit said, “Take it away; these are all distractions to me. I don’t need them.”

Birbal then told the emperor, “This means that right now, he is absent from worldly pleasures, but later he will certainly attain them. Today, he is sacrificing all happiness, but tomorrow, he will surely receive it.”

“And, my lord, the fourth example applies to you.”

“Due to your good deeds in the past, you are enjoying a prosperous life today. You have wealth, honor, and power. If you continue to rule justly and fairly, this will remain with you in the future. If your actions deteriorate and you do not preserve them for the future, it will all be taken away from you.”

The emperor was greatly pleased with Birbal’s wise and sincere answers.

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One day, a courtier entered the court carrying a jar.

The emperor asked, “What is inside the jar?”

The courtier replied, “Your Majesty, it is a mixture of sand and sugar.”

Akbar asked again, “What is it for?”

The courtier said, “Pardon me, Your Majesty, but we wish to test Birbal’s intelligence. We want him to separate the sugar from the sand without dissolving it.”

Akbar, smiling, said, “Birbal, every day brings a new challenge for you.”

“You must separate the sugar from the sand without using any liquid.”

Birbal responded, “Your Majesty, this is a very easy task, a child’s play.”

Birbal took a container and left the court. The courtiers followed him.

Birbal went to the garden and poured the mixture of sand and sugar near the trunk of a mango tree.

The courtiers asked, “Why did you do that?”

Birbal replied, “We will know the results tomorrow.”

The next day, they went back to the garden and saw that only the sand remained, while ants had carried away the sugar to their nests. Some ants were still busy transporting the remaining sugar.

The courtiers asked, “But all the sugar has disappeared?”

Birbal whispered in the courtier’s ear, “It has been separated.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

The emperor remarked, “If you want to find the sugar, go to the ants’ nests.”

All the courtiers roared with laughter.

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Dear friends, if you or your child are feeling mentally sluggish or depressed, reduce screen time, read such stories, and ask your child riddles. The results will surprise you.

The preparation for this column was based on the book *”Akbar-Birbal Stories”* by Kanwar Anil Kumar.