Once upon a time, Akbar and Birbal were engaged in a discussion. In a moment, Emperor Akbar remarked, “Birbal, in the world, there is one blind person behind every 100 individuals.” Hearing this, Birbal expressed disagreement, saying, “Your Majesty, according to my estimation, your assessment seems incorrect. In reality, the number of people who can see is much higher compared to blind individuals.”
Surprised by Birbal’s response, Emperor Akbar asked, “When we look around, the number of people we see is more than the blind. How can there be more blind people than those who see?”
To this, Birbal replied, “Your Majesty, when we look around, we see more people who can see. However, considering the total population, there are indeed more blind people.”
Upon hearing this, Emperor Akbar was astonished and said, “If you can prove this statement with evidence, I will accept it.” Birbal responded, “I will demonstrate and prove it to you, Your Majesty.”
After about two days, Birbal, still contemplating a plan, took two accountants with him and went to the market. In the market, Birbal ordered the accountants to sit on either side of him. The right-side accountant was instructed to prepare a list of blind people in Akbar’s kingdom, while the left-side accountant was to list those who could see.
Following Birbal’s orders, the accountants began their work, and as time passed, a crowd gathered, curious about Birbal’s activity. A man in the crowd approached Birbal and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Without saying anything, Birbal gestured to the accountant on his right to include the man in the list of blind people. As more people inquired about his actions, Birbal continued the process, pointing to the left-side accountant to include their names in the list of those who could see.
This continued throughout the day, with people questioning Birbal about his purpose. Witnessing this, the right-side accountant was compiling a list of blind individuals, and the left-side accountant was noting down the names of those who could see.
At the end of the day, news of these activities reached Emperor Akbar, and he went to the market to understand what Birbal was doing. Seeing Birbal weaving a mat in the middle of the market, the king asked, “Birbal, what are you doing?”
Without saying a word, Birbal signaled the right-side accountant to add Akbar’s name to the list of blind people. Upon hearing this, Akbar, slightly angered and astonished, inquired about the purpose behind Birbal’s actions.
To this, Birbal smilingly responded, “Your Majesty, you can see that I am weaving a mat. Yet, an individual who asks such questions can only be compared to a blind person.”
Upon hearing Birbal’s answer, Akbar understood that Birbal was demonstrating the foolishness of those who question evident truths. Amused, the king acknowledged Birbal’s wisdom and said, “Birbal, you can go to any extent to prove your point.”
Lesson from the story:
The tale of Akbar and Birbal’s encounter with the blind Baba teaches us that questioning evident truths, even after witnessing them, is a characteristic of a foolish person, akin to a blind individual.
