One day
Emperor Akbar was taking a stroll around his royal garden. His best companion,
Birbal was only a step behind the Jahanpannah. Akbar turned towards Birbal and
asked told him that the beautiful flowers that had bloomed in plenty around his
garden made him feel happy.
“Birbal, these
flowers make me lose my belief in mankind. No man on earth can make beautiful
things as these” observed the King.Birbal
thought for a few seconds before replying. “I don’t think so, your Majesty. Man
made things are also beautiful. In fact, there are times when man made things
look more beautiful than the natural ones” concluded Birbal.
The King was
enraged by Birbal’s observations. “Prove it” challenged the King to which
Birbal nodded his head.Without
another word being spoken, the two parted ways. Birbal did not attend court for
a couple of days.A week
later, an artist entered King Akbar’s court and presented a beautiful flower to
the King. The King was very pleased with the flower as it was a very rare
variety. He ordered his ministers to give a gold coin to the man who brought
it.
Couple of days later another craftsman reached the court of Emperor Akbar. With him he carried a bouquet of flowers carved out of pure white marble. The emperor was absolutely impressed that he swiftly walked across to the craftsman, who handed over the piece of art to the King.
Couple of days later another craftsman reached the court of Emperor Akbar. With him he carried a bouquet of flowers carved out of pure white marble. The emperor was absolutely impressed that he swiftly walked across to the craftsman, who handed over the piece of art to the King.
He slowly
walked back to his throne admiring the craftsmanship and the intricacy of the
carving. He ordered his ministers to make a platform for the marble bouquet and
exhibit it in the courtroom. “Ensure that the platform has a glass covering to
protect the artifact” ordered the King.
The Emperor
then turned towards one of his ministers and told him to present the craftsman
with 1000 gold coins for the beautiful masterpiece.At this
moment, Birbal entered the court and presented himself before the King.
“Your
Majesty, hope you are satisfied with the proof” he said keeping his voice as
neutral as he could.
Akbar’s
pride at Birbal’s intelligence knew no bounds!
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