Emperor Akbar used to live a lot with Birbal’s understanding and witty reply. Birbal used to solve any problem in a pinch. One day, being pleased with Birbal’s cleverness, Emperor Akbar announced a reward for him.
Much time passed and the emperor forgot about this announcement. On the other side, Birbal had been sitting waiting for the reward for a long time. Birbal was confused as to how to remind Emperor Akbar about the reward.
One evening Emperor Akbar was enjoying a walk on the banks of the river Yamuna when he saw a camel roaming there. Seeing the camel’s neck, the king asked Birbal, “Birbal, do you know why the camel’s neck is bent?”
On hearing the question of Emperor Akbar, Birbal got an opportunity to remind him about the reward. Birbal quickly replied, “Maharaj, actually this camel had forgotten its promise made to someone, since then its neck is like this. Birbal further said, “People believe that whoever forgets his promise, his neck turns like this.”
The king was surprised to hear Birbal’s words and he remembered his promise to Birbal. He asked Birbal to leave the palace soon. As soon as he reached the palace, Emperor Akbar rewarded Birbal and asked him, “My neck will not become like that of a camel, will it?” Birbal smiled and replied, “No, Maharaj.” Hearing this, both the king and Birbal laughed out loud.
In this way, without angering Emperor Akbar, Birbal reminded him of his promise and took his reward.
Learning from the story:
We learn from this story that we must fulfill our promise made to someone.
