The story narrates an incident from the past when Emperor Akbar encountered a remarkably beautiful and well-trained parrot in the market. Impressed by the bird, Akbar decided to purchase it at a generous price and brought it to his royal palace, where he took great care of it. The parrot became a cherished companion to Akbar, who ordered special arrangements for its stay in the palace.
The parrot, trained to respond promptly, delighted Akbar with its interactions. The emperor became so attached to the parrot that it held great significance to him. Akbar instructed his servants to ensure the parrot’s well-being without any inconvenience.
Unexpectedly, one day, the beloved parrot passed away, creating panic among the palace servants due to Akbar’s warning of severe consequences for whoever delivered the news. After much contemplation, the servants decided to seek the help of Birbal, the wise advisor to the emperor, to break the news to Akbar.
Approaching Akbar, Birbal conveyed the distressing news, describing how the parrot exhibited no signs of life. When Akbar grew impatient and demanded to know what else was happening, Birbal calmly stated that the parrot was not alive. This revelation angered Akbar, who questioned why Birbal didn’t directly say that it was dead. Birbal, with clever wit, responded that he merely followed Akbar’s instructions, prompting the emperor to acknowledge Birbal’s cleverness and wisdom.
The story imparts the lesson that in challenging situations, one should refrain from panicking and instead use intelligence and wit to address and find solutions to problems.
