Retold by Amal Hewavissenti

In India there was once a very intelligent courtier named Birbal in Emperor Akbar's palace who had been deployed by the emperor to resolve any challenging matters brought to the palace by the common people. Most often, he had a very unusual approach to a ridding problem and came out with quick and inventive conclusions which surprised everybody around. Even though the emperor had maintained a strong discipline with his empire, trickery, cunning and sharp practices where rampart and as a result the victims came to the palace for justice. However, Birbal was so penetrative of trickery that he strategically brought the truth to light and was praised enthusiastically and publicly by the emperor.

There was a stringent moneylender who carried out the practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest and took pleasure in oppressing people. One day, he happened to lose his bag of gold coins on his way home from bazaar. The money lender immediately announced that he would promise a reward of ten gold coins to whoever found and returned the bag which was said to contain a hundred gold coins. A poor woodcutter, who found the bag, decided to hand it to the money lender and he imagined the ideal life that would await him once he received the ten gold coins in reward. Out of sheer honesty, the poor woodcutter paid a visit to the money lender to return the bag of coins and the money lender welcomed him with open arms. After opening the bag, the moneylender promptly began to count the coins and at the end, assumed a morose look to the wonderment of the woodcutter who was anticipating the reward. Having fixed a firm gaze on the woodcutter, the moneylender said in an assumed angry voice, "Your're an utterly crafty fellow. You have been restlessly eager to take your reward before hand.!" The woodcutter too flew into rage as he heard these words. "Do make yourself clear! You mean to say I took some of the contents in the bag?"

The money lender raised his voice even louder, "I really mean what I say. I can count only ninety gold coins in this bag. But it contained hundred gold coins when I lost it. It is quite clear that you've already taken ten gold coins, from this bag.

Then it is your reward and go home now without bothering me" The poor woodcutter denied having taken any coins, "I haven't taken any gold coins from the bag. I didn't even open your bag. Let's go to the king and get this matter settled."

After hearing the dispute, the emperor entrusted Birbal with the case and asked him to offer a solution. Birbal heard the both parties and sensed the flagrant dishonestly on the part of the moneylender. Birbal asked the woodcutter, "Is it you who found the lost bag of coins?" The woodcutter replied, "Yes. I found it on my way to the jungle." Then Birbal turned to the moneylender and asked "Are you quite sure that your bag contained hundred gold coins?" Then the happy moneylender said "Yes Sir". Birbal thought for a moment and concluded " This bag has only ninety gold coins. That means this is not your lost bag. Go and search your own bag of coins anywhere you lost it." Then Birbal turned to the woodcutter and said, "Take this bag home with you". Before the distraught money lender could open his mouth to reverse his claims, Birbal sent him out of the Court warning not to be caught again troubling poor people. The emperor, who had been listening to the trial from the very beginning, acclaimed Birbal's presence of mind.

A few days after this event, a rich merchant brought a strange complaint to Birbal. He said "Sir, I have got seven servants in my house to do house hold work. They've proved themselves honest and hard working so far. But one of them has betrayed all others by stealing my box of precious stones. Each denies having stolen the gems. I know the bad egg is only one of them. Please find out the real rogue in them.". Birbal was somewhat taken aback as he had not dealt with that type of case before but he assured the merchant, "I'll do you justice. I'll pay a call to your house tomorrow. Keep the seven servants under supervision till I come"

Birbal spent an almost sleepless night thinking incessantly about a possible solution to the problem. The following morning Birbal went to the merchant's house. He summoned all the seven servants into chamber and offered each a finely polished stick. Then he said "Mark this out well! I'll give each of you a stick. These are charmed sticks and have a mysterious magical power, in them. Now, all these sticks are equal in length and weight. When you go to bed tonight, keep them with you under the pillow. You'll have to return the sticks to me tomorrow morning. These sticks have been charmed in a way that if one stick happens to fall on to a thief's hand, it grows by an inch". The servant who had stolen the box thought of a crafty plan to get rid of the charge of theft. He thought to himself, "The courtier will find it impossible to track down the real stealer if I cut an inch out of this stick. Then this stick too will grow to the same length as those of my friends by tomorrow."

The next day, Birbal collected the sticks from the servants and he discerned that a stick given to one servant was shorter by one inch. It didn't take him long to figure out who the thief was and he promptly rounded up the thievish servant and explained matters to those present. The servant was forced into confessing his shameless thievery and returning the box of precious stones to the merchant. The emperor sent him to jail.

The emperor had a rare collection of magnificent flower pots which had been imported from other countries. The emperor Akbar was extremely proud of this choicest pots with exquisite decorations and enjoyed watching them arranged in front of him. One day a courtmaid broke one of the pots by accident and Akbar was so furious that he instantly imposed capital punishment on her. Just then Birbal came rushing to Akbar and pleaded, "Oh my lord, I humbly request you not to pass death sentence on her. I know very well the art of repairing broken pottery back to this original form. Emperor was enthralled to hear this open declaration made by his favourite courtier and he showed Birbal the fragments of the broken pot. The emperor said, "Here are nineteen pots. One flower pot from twenty flowerpots is broken. I'll reward you well if you manage to repair the flower pots. Do this now itself".

The emperor sat on the throne to inspect the work of reparation when Birbal began to fling the remaining flower pots on the floor. Birbal's seemingly disrespectful behaviour drove the emperor's anger out of bounds. Akbar yelled, You idiot! What do you think you've done? Are you insane enough to destroy an emperor's property in front of him?"

Birbal nonchalantly replied "My lord! This I think is my duty. Everyone of these flower pots would have taken one human life. Now I've destroyed all the flower pots but you can take only one life which is mine!"

The emperor was left answerless.