Verbal, Heat And Fire
Once upon a bitter winter day, Emperor Akbar and his beloved companion Birbal were walking by a lake. Both were walking silently. Birbal suddenly felt that a man can actually do anything for money. He told this to Emperor Akbar.
Akbar felt that Birbal’s words were not right, a man will not do anything for money. Akbar then went to the lake and dipped his finger in the lake water and immediately took it out because he was shivering from the cold. Akbar said, I don’t think anyone can stand in this cold water of the lake all night for money.
Birbal replied, I am sure I can find someone like that.
Akbar immediately challenged Birbal. He said that if such a person is found, he will give him a cash reward of 1000 gold coins.
Birbal started searching where such people could be found. Searching found a very poor man in a remote part of the state who eagerly accepted the challenge.
As evening fell on a certain day, the poor man went down to the lake. Emperor Akbar appointed some watchmen there to keep an eye on the man who stood in the water all night as promised.
The next morning the guards took the man to Emperor Akbar. Akbar asked him if he had been standing in the water all night. The man replied, yes, he was.
Akbar then asked, how could he do this? How could he stand in the lake all night in such a cold?
The man replied, there was a street lamp near by the road, I turned my attention from the cold water to that lamp all night.
Hearing this, Emperor Akbar said that no reward would be given to him, because he was able to stand in the water of the lake all night due to the heat of the roadside lamp.
Disappointed from the emperor’s court, the man went to Birbal. Birbal told everything.
The next day Birbal did not go to the emperor’s court again. On the other hand, the emperor needs Birbal. He sent an emissary to summon Birbal. Birbal sent the messenger back saying that he was cooking khichuri, he would come only when the khichuri was done. The emperor waited for several hours, but Birbal was nowhere to be seen.
In the end, the Emperor was forced to go to Birbal’s house himself. He went and saw Birbal sitting next to a stove on fire, and khichuri was being cooked in a pot five feet above the stove. Seeing this scene, the Emperor and his companions burst out laughing.
Emperor Akbar asked Birbal, how will khichuri be cooked if it is so high above the fire? Birbal you explain to me.
Very simple, replied Birbal. Khichuri will be cooked in the same way as the man in the water got heat from that lamp on the street last night from even further away.
At these words of Birbal, the emperor realized the error of his reasoning, and gave the poor man his due.
Two important insights emerge from this story of Birbal.
We have to look for solutions to any problems that arise in our lives—social, personal, professional. Effective solutions can be found by looking for solutions in the way that problems arise.
There is also another important lesson to be learned from this story. That is, for the person who wants to make his dream come true by working hard, even if it is very little, a little light of hope is enough.