One day Akbar was walking with Birbal in the royal garden. They talked and laughed. Akbar always enjoyed the company of Birbal. He liked Birbal for his unparalleled wit, unexpected logic and great sense of humor.
Akbar started talking about destiny and luck. He sighted his palms and said, 'I wonder how these lines on palms decide our future'. Birbal agreed saying, 'Indeed!'.
But suddenly, as it happen with many people, Akbar's mind wandered, and his palms caught his attention in a different direction. He again looked surprisingly at his palms and asked Birbal, 'It is surprising the way God has made us. I wonder if our had hair like entire human has. Do you know why our palms have no hair?'
Birbal gave a polished reply. He said, 'My Majesty, you are generous king. Everyday you donate liberally for fulfilling needs of destitute. How can hair grow to ruin such a noble task - it cannot!'. Birbal smiled appreciatively.
Though Birbal's reply pleased Akbar, he counter questioned him, 'Then why is there no hair on your palms? I want to understand this Birbal'.
Birbal said, 'My Majesty, I serve a bestowing king like you. How can my palms accept your rewards with hair? To honor your regards, my hands should be clean and empty. Hence my intelligent palms can never have hair'.
Akbar smiled mockingly. He said, 'Birbal, what would you say about the palms of my other courtiers? Why is there no hair on their palms?'
Birbal always had a ready answer to such uneven questions. He said, 'My Majesty, when you honor and reward me, the other courtiers watch in envy and disappointment. They rub their empty hands in want of some share every time, due to which hair fails to grow on their palms!'
Akbar laughed out heartily and appreciated Birbal for his unusual humorous answers.
No comments :
Post a Comment