Stories of Birbal
Birbal visit to Heaven?
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Because Birbal was very wise and witty, the
Emperor's courtiers and other people used to be jealous with him and used to
find some way to degrade him.
One day the court barber, who was very jealous
with Birbal, plotted a plan against him. So when the King called him again to
trim his beard, he went and started trimming his beard. He said, "Sir, last
night I dreamed about your father." The King got interested, so he asked,
"What did he say to you?"
"Sir, he said to me, that everything is
good in paradise, but he feels a great absence of a good humorous man who
can amuse him." The King thought and thought, but nobody else he could
think of except Birbal who could perform this kind of duty very well. And,
naturally, the only way to go to heaven was through death. For a moment, Akbar
was very sad to lose such a good man, but thinking of his father, he made up his
mind.
He summoned Birbal and said, "I think
Birbal you love me very much and you can sacrifice anything for me." Birbal
tried to understand his point but couldn't guess. He said, "You know
Majesty, I do." "Then Birbal, please go to heaven to give company to
my dear father." Birbal understood that this was a wicked plan of somebody
to kill him. He said to Emperor politely, "I will do so, but I need a few
days to prepare myself to go to heaven." The King said, "Certainly.
You are giving me such a great favor, I allow you one week to prepare
yourself."
Now Birbal was worried. He thought, somebody
has planned very well and he could not escape from this plan. He thought and
thought. And then he found a way. He dug a ditch near his house which would
serve as his grave, and dug a tunnel too which would open in a room of his
house. After doing this, he returned to the Imperial Court. He said, " I am
ready, His Majesty, but there two conditions." Akbar was so happy to hear
this that he forgot that Birbal could put some odd conditions to him. He asked,
"What are those conditions? Tell me soon. I will try to fulfill them so
that you can go to heaven to be with my dear father."
Birbal said, "His majesty, I wish to be
buried near my house. And I want to be buried alive so that I can reach heaven
alive to amuse your dear father." The King found this logical and agreed up
on them immediately.
So Birbal was buried alive near his house. Of
course he made his way to his house where he lived in confinement for six
months. After six months, he came out of hiding with grown beard and shabby hair
and asked the permission to appear in the Royal Court.
Looking at him Akbar cried, "Where have
you been Birbal?" Birbal said, "Your Majesty, I was in Heaven with
your dear father. I had a very good time there with your father. He was so happy
with my services that he gave me special permission to return to Earth."
Akbar was very anxious to know about his father, he asked, "Did he send any
message for me?" Birbal said, "Yes Your Majesty, he said that very few
barber can make it to go to Heaven, you can make out this from my grown beard
and shabby hair, so he has asked to send your own barber to him immediately.
Akbar understood everything. He gave Birbal a
big prize, and his barber the life sentence.
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