One bright morning in Emperor Akbar’s grand court, a proud scholar from a distant land arrived with a mysterious challenge.
He carried a sealed clay pot covered with thick cloth.
With confidence, he declared,
“Your Majesty, inside this pot is something. You may not open it, break it, or shake it. But you must tell me what it contains. If your court fails, I shall claim that no one here is truly wise.”
The court murmured.
Akbar, always fond of intellectual challenges, agreed.
The pot was placed in the center of the court.
Ministers began guessing.
“A precious stone.”
“A rare perfume.”
“A secret letter.”
Each time, the scholar smiled and shook his head.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Even the most learned men could not solve the puzzle.
Finally, Emperor Akbar turned toward Birbal.
“Birbal,” he said calmly, “what do you think?”
Birbal walked slowly toward the pot. He observed the scholar’s face more than the pot itself.
Then he asked gently,
“Respected scholar, did you seal this pot yourself?”
“Yes,” the scholar replied proudly.
“And has anyone opened it since?”
“No.”
Birbal nodded thoughtfully.
Then he turned to Akbar and said confidently,
“Your Majesty, the pot contains nothing.”
The entire court gasped.
The scholar’s smile disappeared.
Birbal continued,
“If there were truly something inside, the scholar would fear that we might guess correctly. But his confidence shows that the puzzle is not about what is inside — it is about our assumptions. The pot is empty.”
The scholar hesitated… then slowly removed the cloth and opened the pot.
It was completely empty.
The court burst into applause.
The scholar bowed his head.
“You are right, Birbal. I wished to test whether anyone would question the obvious.”
Emperor Akbar laughed heartily.
“Once again, Birbal proves that true wisdom lies not in complicated thinking, but in clear observation.”
And that is how The Puzzle That Confused the Entire Court became one of the most famous tales of Birbal’s intelligence.
🧠 Moral : The Puzzle That Confused the Entire Court
Sometimes the greatest wisdom lies in questioning what others take for granted.
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