How Birbal Came to Court
A clever young man named Mahesh Das is promised a reward by the Emperor himself, but a greedy guard at the palace gate wants half of it. By Pagehush Retellings (2026). A traditional tale from the court of Emperor Akbar, retold in our own words.
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हिन्दी में पढ़ेंबीरबल दरबार में कैसे आए · वही कहानीLong ago, when Akbar was a young emperor, he loved to ride out alone into the countryside. One morning he galloped so far and so fast that, when he finally stopped, he had no idea where he was. Three roads met in front of him, and every one of them looked the same.
A boy was sitting on a wall nearby, swinging his legs.
“Which of these roads goes to Agra?” asked the Emperor.
The boy laughed. “None of them, sir. Roads don’t go anywhere. They stay right where they are. It’s people who go to Agra.”
For a moment Akbar didn’t know whether to be angry or amused. Then he laughed too. “Well answered. What is your name?”
“Mahesh Das. And yours, sir?”
“I am the Emperor Akbar.” He took a ring from his finger and pressed it into the boy’s hand. “Come to my court one day, Mahesh Das, and show me this ring. I will reward you.”
Years went by. Mahesh Das grew into a young man with a quick tongue and a quicker mind. One day he put on his best clothes, tucked the ring into his pocket, and walked all the way to the great palace at Fatehpur Sikri.
At the gate stood a guard with a thick moustache and a thicker belly. He looked Mahesh up and down. “And where do you think you’re going?”
“To see the Emperor. He promised me a reward.”
The guard’s eyes narrowed when he saw the royal ring. He could not refuse to let him in, but he could make a bargain. “Very well,” he said. “But whatever the Emperor gives you, half of it comes to me. Agreed?”
Mahesh thought for a moment, then smiled. “Agreed.”
Inside, the hall glittered with silk and gold. Mahesh bowed low before the throne and held up the ring. Akbar recognised it at once.
“The boy at the crossroads! The one who told me roads don’t go anywhere. Ask for anything you like.”
“Your Majesty,” said Mahesh, “I would like one hundred lashes with a whip.”
The whole court gasped. The Emperor frowned. “A hundred lashes? For a reward? Are you mad?”
“Not at all, Your Majesty. Only, I promised the guard at your gate half of whatever you gave me. So I would like him to have his fifty first.”
Akbar sent for the guard, who came in smiling and expecting gold. When he heard what his half of the reward would be, the smile slid off his face. He fell to his knees and confessed that he made every visitor pay him to get in.
The guard got his fifty lashes, and lost his post besides. As for Mahesh Das, the Emperor kept him at court from that day on, and gave him a new name: Birbal. In time he became the wisest of all Akbar’s ministers, and the only one who could make the Emperor laugh at himself.