Story 11 - Flowers for Akbar
One day Akbar was taking a walk in his Royal gardens with several
courtiers. Many flowers were flowering at that time of season. A poet pointed out towards
a beautiful flower and said, "Look Jahaanpanaah, how beautiful flower that is? No man
can produce such a beautiful thing as this." Birbal was also there. He said, "I
don't agree with this, sometimes man can make more beautiful things than this." Akbar
said, "Oh no Birbal, you are talking nonsense. This flower is really very
beautiful."
After a few days, Birbal presented Akbar a very skilled craftsman
from Agra. He presented a beautiful carved marble bouquet of flowers. The Emperor was very
happy to see it, and gave him one thousand gold coins.
Just then a boy came and presented the Emperor a beautiful
bouquet
of real flowers. The Emperor was very happy to see it too, so he gave a silver coin to the
boy. Birbal said, "So the carving was more beautiful than the real thing."
Akbar understood that he had fallen in the hands of his witty
minister once again.
The
End
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