Story 26 - Four Fools
Once Akbar asked Birbal to bring four fools of the
first order to him. He said - "It is not difficult because this world
is full of fools. Birbal said - "OK" and asked some time to find
them, which Akbar readily gave to him.
Now Birbal started looking for fools. He was going
somewhere that he saw a man carrying a large plate on which were kept some
clothes, betel leaves and sweets. He looked like a fool to Birbal, so he
asked him - "Where are you going to? And to whom you are carrying
this?" The man replied - "My wife has remarried. Now
they have a child so I am taking this gift for them." Birbal got
convinced that he was a fool, so he considered him a candidate to take to
the king.
At another time he saw a man riding a buffalo
carrying a bundle of grass on his head. Birbal thought he was also a fool,
so he asked him - "Why are you carrying this bundle on your
head?" The man replied - "In fact my buffalo is pregnant, so I
thought that she should not carry too much load, that is why I have put
this bundle on my own head instead of putting it on it." Birbal
considered him also a candidate to take to the king.
So next morning he took those people to Akbar's
court and presented them to him as the biggest fools. "But
these are only two fools; where are the other two? I asked you to bring
four fools." King asked. Birbal folded his hands and bending a little
said - "Jehaanpanaah, The third fool are you who asked me to bring
the fools; and the fourth fool is me who has brought these fools for
you."
When the king heard about them, he laughed a lot
on their foolishness.
The
End
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