Once, Emperor Akbar was discussing a specific topic in his court. He sought the opinions of all the people present in the royal court on that subject. The ministers in the court, based on their individual intellects, provided their answers. To the surprise of Emperor Akbar, he found that everyone had different opinions. Perplexed by this, Emperor Akbar asked Birbal about the reason behind this diversity and questioned, ‘Why is everyone’s thinking not the same?’
In response to the Emperor’s question, Birbal smiled and said, ‘Your Majesty, indeed, people’s thinking may differ in various matters, but on certain special topics, everyone’s thinking tends to be the same.’ With this statement, the court proceedings concluded, and everyone left to attend to their respective duties.
That evening, Emperor Akbar and Birbal went for a stroll in the royal garden. They revisited the same question, and Akbar reiterated, ‘Birbal, I asked you why everyone’s thinking is not the same. Answer this question for me.’ With this, another debate arose between Akbar and Birbal on this issue. Despite numerous attempts, Akbar couldn’t grasp Birbal’s explanation, so he devised a strategy to clarify his point.
Birbal said, ‘Your Majesty, I will prove to you that in some matters, everyone’s thinking is the same. Just issue a decree.’ The decree suggested that on the upcoming new moon night, everyone should bring a pot of milk from their homes and pour it into the dried wells in the royal garden. Those who disobeyed the decree would face severe punishment.
Although Akbar found Birbal’s suggestion foolish, he agreed to issue the royal decree. Soldiers were dispatched throughout the kingdom to spread the word about the decree. The entire kingdom engaged in discussions about the absurdity of pouring milk into dried wells. Yet, because it was a royal decree, everyone was prepared to comply.
On the night of the new moon, people gathered near the wells, each with a pot of milk. They poured the milk into the wells and then returned home. Emperor Akbar and Birbal, concealed and observing, witnessed this unusual sight.
After everyone had poured their milk into the wells, Birbal took Akbar closer to one well and said, ‘Your Majesty, did the wells fill with milk as per your decree?’ Akbar, peering into the well, saw that it was filled with water, not milk. Amazed and somewhat displeased, Akbar questioned Birbal, ‘I ordered the wells to be filled with milk, so why is there water in the wells?’
In response to the Emperor’s query, Birbal, with a smile, said, ‘Your Majesty, people thought it was futile to pour milk into the wells, so they decided to pour water instead. Each one thought that on the night of the new moon, it would be pitch dark, and only the pot would be visible, not whether it contained milk or water.’
With this explanation, Birbal demonstrated that in certain matters, everyone’s thinking becomes uniform. Emperor Akbar finally understood Birbal’s point.
Lesson from the story:
This story teaches us that in some situations, people’s thinking becomes similar, and understanding this can be key to effective communication and decision-making.
