63. Four Fools

One day Akbar was in a musing mood. He asked Birbal, 'Are there any fools in this world?'

Birbal agreed with him and said, 'My Majesty, this world has many fools'.

Akbar laughed and asked Birbal to bring four fools of the first order. Birbal asked time from the emperor and left.

Birbal started looking for fools. On his way back to home he saw a man. The man was carrying some clothes, betel leaves and sweets on a large plate. Birbal went near the man and asked in friendly, ‘Friend, where are you going? Whom are you are carrying these things for?’

The man replied, ‘My wife remarried my neighbor.  Now she has a child. I am carrying these clothes and sweets for the family’. Birbal laughed mutely at the fool and decided to take him to take to the king. He asked his address and name. Then they left.

Next day, Birbal saw a man on back of a buffalo. The man was carrying a bundle of grass on his head. Seeing the man, Birbal considered him a fool. He asked the man, ‘Friend, why are you carrying this bundle of grass on your head?’

The man replied, ‘My buffalo is pregnant. So I do not want to burden her with extra load. I am carrying it on my own head, instead of putting this bundle on her back’.

Birbal laughed close lipped. He asked the man his name and address and decided to take him to the court as second fool.

Next day, Birbal took these men to Akbar’s court. He said, ‘My Majesty, here are two greatest fools I met’.

Akbar contended, ‘Birbal, you agreed to bring four fools. Where are other two fools?’

Birbal folded his hands and bended before the king. He said, ‘Pardon me my Majesty, but the other tow fools are here in this court’.

Akbar looked in wonder. Birbal said, ‘My Majesty! Your asked me to bring these fools, therefore your are the third fool, and because I brought them, I am the fourth fool’. Akbar laughed a lot on Birbal’s statement. When Birbal explained how he decided that the two men were fools, Akbar could not stop laughing.