In Emperor Akbar’s court, Birbal was known for his wit and intelligence, making him a special figure in the royal court. Some individuals, including Emperor Akbar’s relatives, harbored jealousy towards Birbal due to his cleverness. Despite their attempts to undermine him, Birbal always managed to outsmart them.
One day, during Birbal’s absence, Emperor Akbar’s brother-in-law, referred to as “sāle ṣāḥab,” approached the emperor and requested a position in the royal court. Emperor Akbar decided to test him and said, “This morning, I heard the sounds of kittens behind the palace. It seems a cat has given birth. Go and check to verify if this is true.”
Sāle ṣāḥab hurriedly went behind the palace and returned, confirming, “Your Majesty, your observation is correct. A cat has indeed given birth to kittens.”
Emperor Akbar then asked, “Alright, tell me how many kittens the cat has given birth to?” Sāle ṣāḥab replied, “I don’t know; I will go and find out right away, Your Majesty.”
After a brief interval, sāle ṣāḥab returned and stated, “Your Majesty, the cat has given birth to five kittens.”
Emperor Akbar continued, “Good, now tell me how many of them are male and how many are female?” Sāle ṣāḥab responded, “I haven’t seen them closely yet; I will go and check, Your Majesty.”
Once again, he went behind the palace and returned after some time, saying, “Your Majesty, out of the five kittens, three are male, and two are female.”
Emperor Akbar posed another question, “Alright, what is the color of the male kittens?” Sāle ṣāḥab replied, “I haven’t observed that yet; I will go and find out, Your Majesty.” However, Emperor Akbar interrupted and said, “Never mind, you can sit down.”
Meanwhile, Birbal had arrived at the royal court. Emperor Akbar briefed him about the situation and asked him to verify the information. After investigating, Birbal confirmed the cat’s delivery of five kittens, with three males and two females. Additionally, he specified that the color of the male kittens was black, and one of the female kittens was almond-colored.
Observing Birbal’s accurate responses, Emperor Akbar turned to sāle ṣāḥab and asked for his opinion. Sāle ṣāḥab, embarrassed and unable to provide any answers, remained silent.
The moral of the story is that we should not harbor jealousy towards someone else’s success.
