It was afternoon, King Akbar was thinking something sitting in his court. Suddenly he remembered one thing Birbal had said. He remembered that once Birbal had told him a proverb, which went something like this – Lying down after eating and running away after hitting are the signs of a wise man.
The king started thinking, “It is now afternoon. Surely Birbal would be preparing to sleep after eating. Let’s prove her wrong today.” Thinking of this, he ordered a servant to convey the message to Birbal to be present in the court at this very moment.
Birbal was just sitting after having his meal that the servant reached Birbal after taking the order of the king. Birbal understood very well the intention of the king hidden behind the order. He said to the servant, “You wait for a while. I change clothes and walk with you.
Going inside, Birbal chose a tight pyjama for himself. Pajama was tight so he had to lie down on the bed to wear it. On the pretext of wearing pyjamas, he lay on the bed for a while and then went towards the court with the servant.
The king was waiting for Birbal in the court. As soon as they reached there, the king asked, “Why Birbal. Did you lie down after eating today or not? Birbal replied, “Yes Maharaj. Must have been lying down. The king got very angry after hearing this. He asked Birbal, “Does it mean that you disrespected my order. Why didn’t you appear before me at the same time? For this I punish you.
Birbal immediately replied, “Maharaj. It is true that I lay down for a while, but I have not disobeyed your order. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the servant about this. Yes, it is a different matter that I had to lie on the bed to wear this tight pyjama.
Akbar could not live without laughing after hearing this of Birbal and he let Birbal go from the court.
Learning from the story
From this story, we get to learn that one step taken by us while sensing the situation can save us from many troubles.
