Birbal The Wise Man

In the town of Agra there lived a rich businessman. But he was also quite a miser. Various people used to flock outside his house everyday hoping for some kind of generosity, but they always had to return home disappointed. He used to ward them off with false promises and then never live up to his word. 

Then one day, a poet named Raidas arrived at his house and said that he wanted to read out his poems to the rich man. As the rich man was very fond of poetry, he welcomed him in with open arms.

Raidas started to recite all his poems one by one. The rich man was very pleased and especially so when he heard the poem that Raidas had written on him, because he had been compared with ‘Kubera’, the god of wealth. In those days it was a custom for rich men and kings to show their appreciation through a reward or a gift, as that was the only means of earning that a poor poet possessed. So the rich man promised Raidas some gifts and asked him to come and collect them the next day. Raidas was pleased. 

The next morning when he arrived at the house, the rich man pretended that he had never laid eyes on him before. When Raidas reminded him of his promise, he said that although Raidas was a good poet he understood very little of human nature. And that if rich businessman truly wanted to reward him, he would have done so the very same night.  Raidas had been offered a reward not because he was really pleased or impressed, but to simply encourage him.

Raidas was extremely upset, but as there was nothing that he could do, he quietly left the house. On his way home he saw Birbal riding a horse. So he stopped him and asked for his help after narrating the whole incident. Birbal took him to his own house in order to come up with a plan. After giving it some thought he asked Raidas to go to a friend’s house with five gold coins and request the friend to plan a dinner on the coming full moon night, where the rich man would also be invited. Birbal then asked Raidas to relax and leave the rest to him.

Raidas had one trustworthy friend whose name was Mayadas. So he went up to him and told him the plan.. The next day, Mayadas went to the rich man’s house and invited him for dinner.  The dinner has been planned for the coming full moon night. He said that he intended to serve his guests in vessels of gold, which the guests would get to take home after the meal. The rich man was thrilled to hear this and jumped at the offer.

After sunset on the full moon night, the rich man arrived at Mayadas’ house and was surprised to see no other guests there but Raidas. Anyhow, they welcomed him in and started a polite conversation. The rich man had come on an empty stomach and so was getting hungrier by the minute. Raidas and Mayadas were quite full as they had eaten just before the rich man’s arrival. 

Finally at midnight the rich man could bear his hunger no longer and asked Mayadas to serve the food. Mayadas sounded extremely surprised when he asked him what food was he talking about. The rich man tried to remind him that he had been invited for dinner. At this point Raidas asked him for proof of the invitation. The rich man had no answer. Then Mayadas told him that he had just invited him to please him and had not really meant it. He then went on to say that even though they did not do anything good for other people they also would never try to hurt another human being. He asked the rich man not to feel bad. 

At that point Birbal walked into the room and reminded the rich man of the same treatment that he had himself meted out to Raidas. The rich man realised his mistake and begged for forgiveness. He said that Raidas was a good poet and had not asked him for any reward. He himself had promised to give him some gifts and then cheated him out of them. To make up for his mistake he took out the necklace that he was wearing and gifted it to Raidas. Then they all sat down to eat a happy meal. 

Raidas was all praise for Birbal and thanked him profusely. Emperor Akbar also invited him to his court and honoured him, all thanks to Birbal. 

Birbal really was a wise man.

Birbal turns table

Birbal Turns Tables

Once Emperor Akbar was narrating his dream in the court. The dream began with Akbar and Birbal walking towards each other on a dark night. It was so dark that they could not see each other, and so collided and fell. The Emperor said - "Fortunately for me, I fell into a sea of Paayzam (an Indian sweets made with milk and semolina), but guess what Birbal fell into?" Courtiers asked curiously - "What, Your Majesty?"

"A gutter." The whole court resounded with laughter. The Emperor was thrilled that at least for once he had been able to score over Birbal.

But Birbal was unperturbed. As the laughter had died down, he said - "Your Majesty, Strangely enough, I too had the same dream, but unlike you I slept on till the end. When you climbed out of that pool of delicious Paayazam, and I climbed out of that stinking gutter, we found that there was no water with which to clean ourselves and so guess what we did?" Asked the Emperor - "What did we do, Birbal?" Birbal said smilingly - "We licked each other to clean each other."

The Emperor got red with embarrassment and resolved never to let Birbal down again.

Cooking The Khichdi

On a cold winter day Akbar and Birbal took a walk along the lake. A thought came to Birbal that a man would do anything for money. He expressed his feelings to Akbar. Akbar then put his finger into the lake and immediately removed it because he shivered with cold.

Akbar said “I don’t think a man would spend an entire night in the cold water of this lake for money.”

Birbal replied “I am sure I can find such a person.”

Akbar then challenged Birbal into finding such a person and said that he would reward the person with a thousand gold coins.

Birbal searched far and wide until he found a poor man who was desperate enough to accept the challenge. The poor man entered the lake and Akbar had guards posted near him to make sure that he really did as promised.

The next morning the guards took the poor man to Akbar. Akbar asked the poor man if he had indeed spent the night in the lake. The poor man replied that he had. Akbar then asked the poor man how he managed to spend the night in the lake. The poor man replied that there was a street lamp near by and he kept his attention affixed on the lamp and away from the cold. Akbar then said that there would be no reward as the poor man had survived the night in the lake by the warmth of the street lamp. The poor man went to Birbal for help.

The next day, Birbal did not go to court. The king wondering where he was sent a messenger to his home. The messenger came back saying that Birbal would come once his Khichri was cooked. The king waited hours but Birbal did not come. Finally the king decided to go to Birbal’s house and see what he was upto.

He found Birbal sitting on the floor near some burning twigs and a bowl filled with Khichri hanging five feet above the fire. The king and his attendants couldn’t help but laugh.

Akbar then said to Birbal “How can the Khichri be cooked if it so far away from the fire?”

Birbal answered “The same way the poor man received heat from a street lamp that was more than a furlong away.”

The King understood his mistake and gave the poor man his reward.

Birbal as a guest

Birbal, can you Identify The Guest

Once Birbal was invited for dinner by a rich man. When Birbal reached there, he found himself in a large crowd. The host greeted him warmly and took him inside. Birbal said, "I did not know that there will be so many guests in this gathering." The host replied politely, "They are not guests, Sir. They are my employees except one who is the only other guest here besides you. Could you tell who is that other one guest here?"

"Maybe, I could. Tell them a joke, and I will observe them." The rich man told the joke and everybody laughed uproariously. Perhaps this was the worst joke Birbal had ever heard in his life. Now the rich man asked Birbal, "I have told the joke, now you tell me who is the other guest here?" Birbal pointed out towards a man and said, "He is that other guest."  The rich man was very surprised hearing this that how could he recognize the other guest. He said to him, "You are right Birbal, but how did you recognize him?"

Birbal said, "Because only employees can laugh on such a joke. He was the only person who did not even smile on your joke, so I immediately recognized him as the other guest."

Just One Question

One Day a scholar came to the court of Emperor Akbar and challenged Birbal to answer his questions and thus prove that he was as clever as people said he was.

He asked Birbal: "Would you prefer to answer a hundred easy questions or just a single difficult one?"

Both the emperor and Birbal had had a difficult day and were impatient to leave.

"Ask me one difficult question," sad Birbal.

"Well, then, tell me," said the man, "which came first into the world, the chicken or the egg?"

"The chicken," replied Birbal.

"How do you know?" asked the scholar, a note of triumph in his voice.

"We had agreed you would ask only one question and you have already asked it" said Birbal and he and the emperor walked away leaving the scholar gaping.

List of blinds

Once King Akbar questioned Birbal if he knows the number of blind citizens of their kingdom.

Birbal had requested Akbar to give him a week’s time.

The next day Birbal was found to be mending shoes in the town market. People were astonished to see Birbal doing such work. Many of them started to question "Birbal!! What are you doing?"

Once when he was asked this question by someone he started writing something. It continued for a week when on the 7th day King Akbar himself asked Birbal the same question.

Giving him no answer, Birbal reported at the court the next day and handed over a note to King Akbar. Akbar read the note when he found that it was the big list of people who were blind.

Emperor Akbar was stunned when he found his own name in the list. Angered by this, Akbar asked Birbal the reason for writing his name in the list.

Birbal said "O! My majesty! Like all other people you also saw me mending the slippers but you still asked me what I was doing. Therefore I had to include your name too."

Akbar started laughing at this and everyone enjoyed Birbal's sense of humor.

Noble Beggar

One day the Emperor asked Birbal, "Birbal, is it possible to be the both "noblest" and the "lowest" together?" Birbal said, "Yes, Jahaanpanaah"  "Then bring me such a person."

Birbal went and returned next day with a beggar and presenting him to Akbar said, "This is the lowest among all of your subjects, Jehanpanah" Akbar asked, "Good, that may be true, but I don't see that how he can be the noblest?"

"He has been given the honor of having an audience with the Emperor, that makes him the noblest among the beggars, Jahaapanaah."

Birbal Imagination

Once Akbar told Birbal 'Birbal, make me a painting. Use imagination in it.

To which the reply was 'But hoozoor, I am a minister, how can I possibly paint?’

The king was angry and said 'If I don’t get a good painting by one week then you shall be hanged!’

The clever Birbal had an idea.

After one week, he went to the court and with him he carried a covered frame.

Akbar was happy to see that Birbal had obeyed him, until he opened the cover. The courtiers rushed to see what was wrong. What they saw made them feel very happy.

At last, they would not see Birbal in court! The painting was nothing but ground and sky. There were a few specs of green on the ground.

The Emperor, angrily, told Birbal 'what is this?' To which the reply was 'A cow eating grass hoozoor!’

Akbar said 'where is the cow and grass?' and Birbal told 'I used my imagination. The cow ate the grass and returned to its shed!'

Akbar started laughing hearing that. As Birbal again pulled a fast on him. He rewarded him for using his intelligence.

Question for Question

Question for Questionlo

One day Akbar asked Birbal, "Birbal, can you tell me how many bangles are on your wife's hand?"  Birbal said, "No, Huzoor, I cannot."  "You cannot? Although everyday you see her hand, still you cannot tell how many bangles are on her hand. How is that?" said Akbar.

Birbal said, "Let's go to the garden, Your Majesty. And I will tell you "How is that" and they both went to the garden. They both went down a small staircase which led to the garden. After reaching in the garden Birbal asked, "You daily climb up and down this small staircase, could you tell how many steps it has?"

Akbar smiled and then changed the subject.

A blind saint

There lived a blind saint in an ashram in the kingdom of Emperor Akbar.

He was believed to prophecy the future correctly.

Once he had a visitor who had come to treat their niece. The child's parents were killed in front of the girl's eyes. Once she saw the saint, she started to scream loudly saying that that saint was the culprit.

Angered by the girl's words, the saint demanded the couple to get away with their child.

The whole day the girl cried which made the couple to realize that the girl was not lying.

Therefore, they decided to seek the help of Birbal.

Birbal consoled them and asked them to wait at the Emperor's assembly. Birbal had invited the saint to Akbar's court too.

Then in front of all the ministers he drew a sword and neared the saint to kill him. The saint in bewilderment immediately drew another sword and began to fight. Thus by this act of the saint it was proved that he wasn’t blind.

Therefore, Akbar demanded to hang the culprit and rewarded the girl for her bravery for telling the truth even at the critical situation

Milk mask.

Yeast-Based Anti-Aging Facial Mask

Yeast is a single-cell organism loaded with nutrients essential for
its survival and superfast proliferation. With the help of the remaining
ingredients in this formula, such as milk and honey, this mask will act as a youth
booster for your skin.

With the help of the remaining

ingredients in this formula, such as milk and honey, this mask will act as a youth

booster for your skin.

Because of its higher fat content, whole milk brings more softness to your

skin than skim milk, because the saturated fats in whole milk will help lock in

skin moisture. Honey is a proven emollient, which draws moisture to the skin,

Honey is a proven emollient, which draws moisture to the skin,

and has established anti-aging properties.

Rice and rice derivatives are gaining popularity in the cosmetics industry for

all the benefits they can offer. Rice flour will help give the mask some elasticity

for easier spreading and will also allow scrubbing and removal of dead skin cells

and impurities.

Although not essential to the formula, a few drops of vanilla will add a nice,

pleasant smell.

Make this mask once or twice a week for a month to plump skin and restore

its glow.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ounces (60 ml) whole organic milk
• 1 small packet dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3–5 drops vanilla extract (optional)
• 3 tablespoons rice flour

Note: Almond milk can be used instead of whole milk as a vegan
alternative, but the creaminess of the preparation will not be the same.

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Start by warming milk in the microwave or in a pan, making sure not to overheat it.

2. Sprinkle the content of the yeast packet over the warmed milk and mix with a fork.

• 3. Add honey and vanilla extract and mix again. The warm milk will help
• dissolve the honey and will aid in the yeast proliferation. Dip a cotton ball into the mixture and apply to the face and neck.
• 4. Add rice flour to the remaining mix, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well, until

mixture thickens.

• 5. You can now apply another thicker coat on the face and neck and allow the

mask to dry over 15 minutes.

• 6. Scrub with your fingers (over the sink) to remove the brittle mask. Finish by
• washing your face with warm water, and follow with a facial cream.

Coco-belle-mask 

This mask combines the benefits of coconut, royal jelly, and
almond milk to moisturize and nourish your skin

.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons thinly shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon royal jelly
• 1 tablespoon vanilla-flavored almond milk

• INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Mix coconut shreds with royal jelly or honey.
• 2. Add almond milk to the mixture to achieve a pleasant and desirable texture.
• Then spread on cleansed face and neck and wait for your skin to soak in the
• nutrients of this mask for 15 minutes.
• 3. Rinse with chlorine-free water and pat your face dry with a towel.

The Choice of Birbal

One day Emperor Akbar asked Birbal what he would choose if he were given a choice between justice and a gold coin.

“The gold coin,” said Birbal. Akbar was taken aback.

“You would prefer a gold coin to justice?” he asked, incredulously.

“Yes Jahaanpanaah,” said Birbal. 

The other courtiers were also amazed by Birbal’s display of idiocy. For years they had been trying to discredit Birbal in the emperor’s eyes but without success and now the man had gone and done it himself. They could not believe their good fortune.

“I would have been dismayed if even the lowliest of my servants had said this,” continued the Emperor. “But coming from you? It’s. . . it’s shocking - and sad. I did not know you were so debased!”

“One asks only for what one does not have, Your Majesty.” said Birbal, quietly. “You have seen to it that in our country justice is available to everybody. So as the justice is already available to me also; and as I’m always short of money I said I would choose the gold coin.”

The emperor was so pleased with Birbal’s reply that he gave him not only one but a thousand gold coins.

Tofee fruit

Fruit full tofees

Real toffee is made by boiling butter, sugar, and other ingredients to
300°F. To make a softer version, this recipe calls for boiling similar
ingredients to a much lower temperature. The result is really fudge,
which then has to be stirred to get that soft, melt-in-your mouth
texture. The butter flavoring gives the candy a more toffee-like flavor.

Ingredients 

• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavoring, optional

            Preparation                       method

1. Place the brown sugar, milk, heavy cream, corn syrup, salt, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan (use at least a 4-quart pan to allow the mixture to
expand). Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. The mixture will appear
curdled but will smooth out as it cooks. Wash down the sides of the pan
with a pastry brush dipped in hot water and clip a candy thermometer to the
side of the pan.
2. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches
238°F, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat immediately.
Continue stirring until the temperature drops to 236°F, then set aside and
cool to 120°F.
3. Add the vanilla and butter flavoring, if using, and stir vigorously with a
wooden spoon until the mixture turns opaque and crumbly. Scrape the
mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap, cover completely, and knead gently for
a few minutes to soften it.
4. Using a small cookie scoop or your fingers, scoop out or pinch off 1 1/2–
inch pieces of the mixture, keeping it covered as you work to prevent it
from drying out. Roll the pieces into small logs to resemble dates and lay
them on a sheet of parchment.
5. Transfer the toffee fruit to an airtight container.

 The candies will keep,
stored properly, for several weeks, though they’ll never last that long.

Makes about 30 fruits

Full Moon, Quarter Moon

Once Birbal went to Persia at the invitation of that country's King. Parties were extended in his honor and rich gifts heaped up near him. On the eve of his departure to home, a nobleman asked him as how he would compare the king of Persia with his own King. Birbal said - "Your King is the full Moon, whereas mine could be like a quarter Moon." The Persians got very happy to hear this analogy.

Now Birbal got home and he found that Emperor Akbar was furious with him. He demanded angrily - "How could you belittle your own king? You are a traitor." Birbal said politely - "No, Your Majesty, no. I cannot belittle you. What I said there meant - "The Full Moon diminishes and disappears onward, while the quartered Moon grows gradually day by day. What I, in fact, wanted to tell the world that your power is growing day by day while the King of Persia's is about to decline now."

Akbar grunted in satisfaction and welcomed Birbal back from his journey with a warm embrace.

• 

Beauty of ramadan 

الله کی محبّت 

قرآن سے محبّت کا جذبہ 

الله سے دوستی کرنےکا مہینہ 

آئیے ہم سب مل کر الله سے خود کو نزدیک کرنے کا عزم کرتے ہیں اور اس رب کا شکر ادا کرتے ہیں 

• تسبیح 
• ذکر و اذکار 
• نماز کی پابندی
• قرآن پاک کی تلاوت
• عشاء کے بعد پنجسورہ 
• کثرت درود شریف

                 رمضان مبارک