Birbal’s Rice Story

When Akbar was ruling a kingdom, he had Birbal as an advisor in his court. They were very close and used to express feelings with each other the same as friends.

One day, in the winter season, both went for a walk along a lake. Suddenly, while they were walking along, a thought came to Birbal that a man would do anything for money. He shared his opinion with Akbar.

After hearing those words, Akbar put his finger into the lake and removed it immediately due to a cold feeling. He said, “Birbal, I don’t think that any person would spend the whole night in this lake of cold water for the sake of money.”

Birbal replied that he could find such a person. Akbar challenged Birbal to find such a person and told him that he would reward the person with ten thousand gold coins.

Birbal searched for a long while until he found a poor person who was desperate enough to agree with the challenge. He took the poor man to the lake and made him enter the lake. Akbar appointed guards near him to ensure the poor man did as promised. The guards took the poor man to Akbar’s court the following day.

Akbar asked the poor man if he had spent the whole night in the lake. The poor man replied, “Yes!” Akbar questioned him on how he managed to do that.

The poor man answered that a street lamp was nearby, and he kept his attention on the lamp and away from the cold. Then, Akbar said there would not be any reward as the poor man had survived the night in the lake by the warmth of the street lamp. The poor man went to Birbal for help.

Birbal did not go to court the next day. The king wondered where Birbal was and sent a messenger to his home. The messenger returned, saying that Birbal would come once his rice was cooked. The king waited for hours, but Birbal did not come. Finally, the king decided to go to Birbal’s home and see what he was up to.

He found Birbal sitting on the floor near some burning twigs and a bowl filled with rice hanging five feet above the fire. The king and his attendants could not help but laugh.

Akbar asked Birbal, “How can the rice be cooked if it is so far from the fire?” Birbal answered, “The same way the poor man received heat from a street lamp over a furlong away.”

The King, Akbar, understood his mistake and rewarded the poor man.

Moral of the Birbal’s Rice Story

A small ray of hope is sufficient to inspire the one ready to work hard to turn his dream into a reality.