In a grand kingdom ruled by Emperor Akbar, a beloved minister named Birbal found himself at odds with the Emperor one fateful day. After an argument, Akbar, in a fit of anger, commanded Birbal to leave the court and never return. Heartbroken yet obedient, Birbal left the palace and began working on a farm in a remote village, adopting a new name to hide his identity.
Days turned into weeks, and as time passed, Akbar realized just how much he missed Birbal’s wisdom and counsel. Without him, the Emperor faced numerous challenges that felt insurmountable. Consumed by regret, he decided to send his soldiers to search for Birbal, but they returned empty-handed; no one knew where the clever minister had gone.
Desperate for a solution, Akbar devised a clever plan. He announced that every village leader must send him a pot filled with “wit” within a month. If they could not fill the pot with wit, they were to fill it with gold and jewels instead.
When this decree reached Birbal’s village, the villagers were baffled. They gathered in the town square, debating how to fulfill the Emperor’s unusual request. After much discussion, Birbal, still incognito, spoke up. “I can fill the pot with wit,” he assured them. The villagers, not knowing who he was, agreed to let him handle the situation.
Birbal took the empty pot and returned to the farm. There, he had been growing pumpkins. He selected a small pumpkin and placed it gently into the pot without cutting it from the vine. Over the next few weeks, he nurtured the pumpkin, ensuring it received plenty of sunlight and water. As time passed, the pumpkin grew and eventually filled the pot completely.
When the time came to present the pot, Birbal cut the pumpkin from the vine, sealed it inside the pot, and sent it back to the Emperor with a note that read, “Your Majesty, please remove the wit without breaking the pot.”
Intrigued, Akbar received the pot and examined its contents. He quickly realized that the cleverness of the situation bore the signature of Birbal. Overjoyed, he traveled to the village, eager to bring his wise minister back to the court.
Moral:
Think creatively when faced with challenges. Sometimes, the simplest solutions can emerge from unexpected ideas.
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