Birbal and the Three Questions

The royal court of Emperor Akbar was famous far and wide. One day, a highly educated and extremely arrogant scholar arrived from a distant land, claiming he was smarter than anyone in Akbar’s kingdom—especially the famous Birbal.

“If he is truly the smartest man alive,” the scholar sneered, “he must answer my three impossible questions.”

Akbar brought Birbal forward. Unfazed, Birbal told the scholar to ask his questions.

The scholar grinned and bellowed, “Question one! Where exactly is the center of the earth? Question two! Exactly how many stars are in the sky? And question three! What is the exact number of men and women in the entire world?”

The crowd gasped. These were impossible questions! But Birbal didn’t panic for a second. Without hesitating, he placed his long wooden walking stick firmly into the ground right in front of the scholar.

“Right here where my stick stands is the exact center of the earth,” Birbal replied confidently. “If you do not believe me, go ahead and measure the earth yourself to prove me wrong.”

The scholar stood blinking. He couldn’t possibly measure the entire earth.

Next, Birbal ordered a guard to bring forward a very hairy, fluffy sheep. “As for your second question, there are exactly as many stars in the sky as there are hairs on this sheep. Feel free to completely count them if you disagree.”

The scholar swallowed hard. Counting the hair on a moving sheep was impossible.

Finally, Birbal smiled warmly. “As for the number of men and women, the number is constantly changing every second as people are born and pass away. I cannot give an exact number unless we somehow gather every single living person in this one courtyard at the very same instant.”

The great scholar was left totally speechless. His arrogance melted away, and he bowed to Birbal, officially admitting defeat.

Moral of the Story: A clear mind can handle hard questions. Wit and logical thinking are often a stronger defense than trying to know everything.