Kids love stories. Stories are the perfect way to teach values, to keep the children entertained, and to impart important information in a way they will remember for a long time. Stories can be in the form of books or videos; you can let the kids read, hear or even narrate the stories to them. No matter how the stories are, kids will enjoy them and learn from them at the same time.
Among all the stories out there, Akbar and Birbal moral stories are some of the best for kids. It is a series of stories set in Akbar’s kingdom and involves his witty minister Birbal. They are funny, witty and extremely entertaining from start to finish. They can make us laugh, think hard, and understand how to get out of a tough situation, smartly. Akbar and Birbal stories is an Indian folktale that has been popular for many decades.
In This Article
Top 10 Best Akbar Birbal Moral Stories For Kids
While there 175 witty, entertaining and amusing stories about Akbar and Birbal, here are the top 10 best Akbar Birbal moral stories to read for your kids. These stories are a lot of fun and highly entertaining from start to finish.
1. The Crows of the Kingdom
(Source)
In this story, emperor Akbar and Birbal take a walk around the kingdom when the king suddenly sees a few crows. He then wonders how many crows are there in his kingdom, and asks Birbal the same. Without hesitation, Birbal tells the king, there are ninety thousand two hundred and forty-nine crows. The king asks him what if there are more crows than the number he gave. Smart Birbal tells the king that, if there are more crows, then they are visitors from other kingdoms, and if there are lesser crows, their crows have gone on a vacation.
Moral – Presence of mind can save you from any tough situation.
2. Only One Question
(Source)
This is a story about how Birbal proves to be smarter than a learned scholar. A scholar from another kingdom claims to be the smartest in the world and has questions even Birbal will not have answers to. On reaching Akbar’s court, the scholar gives Birbal the option to answer a hundred easy questions or a single tough question. Birbal chooses to answer the tough question. When the scholar asks what came first – the chicken or the egg, Birbal promptly replies chicken and the scholar asks how Birbal can be sure. Birbal reminds him that his one question has been answered and he will not answer more.
Moral – You can evade any situation in a calm and smart manner.
3. Birbal’s Imagination
(Source)
This is yet another story about Birbal’s wit. Emperor Akbar demands Birbal to paint something for him, using his imagination. Birbal refuses and tells Akbar that he does not know to draw or paint and is a mere minister. The emperor gets angry and threatens to hang Birbal if he does not produce a painting in one week. After a week, Birbal gives Akbar a framed painting of the ground and the sky. An annoyed Akbar asks Birbal what he was trying to do. Birbal says he used his imagination and painted the cow eating grass scenery. He goes on to clarify that as per his imagination, the cow ate the grass and went back to its shed. Hence there is no grass or cow in the painting. Akbar is very amused and rewards Birbal for his quick wit.
Moral – Smart thinking can help you find a way out of any tricky situation.
4. The Rooster and the Hens
(Source)
In this funny story, Emperor Akbar tests Birbal’s wit by hatching a plan with other ministers, behind his back. Akbar tells his ministers that he had a dream and according to it, the ministers who could find and bring him back an egg from the royal pond are the loyal ones. As per the plan and prior instructions, the ministers carry an egg each, in secret and bring it to the king to prove their loyalty while Birbal is left searching. When he realises it is a plot against him, he is quick to react. He goes over to the emperor and starts making rooster noises saying he is a rooster and not a hen. So, he cannot bring an egg but can only make these noises. This makes everyone laugh at his quick wit.
Moral – A quick wit can get you out of a sticky situation.
5. The List of Blinds
(Source)
Once the queen decides to give alms to the blind people in the kingdom. In order to ensure no blind person gets missed out, the emperor asks his people to make a list of all the blind people in the kingdom. Upon seeing this list, Birbal comments that the list is incomplete. He requests for some time to complete the list. Next day he sits with a cot frame, in the middle of a bazar and starts weaving it. As and when people pass him, they enquire what he is doing. Birbal does not respond but murmurs something to his servant standing by his side.
As the day ends, the emperor also comes to the bazar after hearing about Birbal’s antics and asks him what is was doing. Birbal continues to do what is was doing, without an answer. The next day, he gives a rather long list of blind people to the emperor along with the emperor’s name at the bottom. When asked what it is, Birbal says that everyone on that list including the emperor himself asks Birbal what he is doing, despite him very evidently weaving his cot in the middle of the street.
The king accepts that the kingdom has more blinds than people with sight.
Moral – Even people with sight can be blind to what is happening around them.
[Read : Top 15 Short Animal Stories For Kids With Morals]
6. Who is the Emperor?
(Source)
In this story, Birbal’s intellect is put to test by the king he was visiting. The king asks all his ministers to dress up like him and seat them on a throne just like his. They all are seated in a line waiting for Birbal. When Birbal enters, he takes a moment and then goes and bows to the actual king, without any help. On asking how he found out, he tells the king about he looked the most confident and how others were looking towards him for approval.
Moral – Read the room and observe tiny details, you can overcome any challenge.
7. The Daring Culprit
(Source)
This is a story about how Birbal thinks differently from other. One day the emperor Akbar announces to the court that someone pulled a hair from his moustache the previous night and asks what punishment would be right for this culprit. While everyone is shocked and suggests harsh and severe punishments, Birbal is quiet. When the emperor asks him specifically, he suggests giving the culprit some sweets. This stuns the entire courtroom. When the king asks for an explanation, Birbal confidently replies that the only person who has access and courage to pull the king’s moustache was his own grandson, and giving him sweets would be the right thing to do.
Moral – Thinking differently from others can help you crack the problem.
8. The Pot of Wit
(Source)
This is a story about how Akbar finds Birbal missing after the king himself sent him out of the kingdom. Knowing Birbal’s wit, the king announces a contest and asks for a pot filled with wit. While the entire kingdom iswondering how to get this pot so that they can get the diamond reward, Birbal comes to the rescue. He sends a pot with a watermelon grown inside it and tells that the fruit should be removed without breaking the pot. The kind immediately understands who the pot is from and Birbal is thus found.
Moral – Your smartness and wit can create become your identity.
9. The Other Guest
(Source)
In this story a rich merchant invites Birbal for lunch at his home. On reaching the place, Birbal sees a large number of people in the house. He then casually comments that half the kingdom has been invited for lunch. The merchant corrects Birbal telling him that apart from just one person in the room, everyone else are his servants.
He challenges Birbal to identify the other guest. Birbal asks the merchant to crack a joke in the room. Everyone except for one person laughs at the humourless bad joke the merchant cracks. This helps Birbal identify the other guest. The merchant asks how Birbal identified the other guest. Birbal apologetically reveals that the joke was terrible and only the employees laughed at it. The guest, who was under no obligation to please the merchant, did not react to the joke. This attitude gave him away.
Moral – People around you may not reveal the truth, in order to please you.
10. The Well
(Source)
In this story, Birbal uses his wit to help a poor farmer. A farmer buys a well from a rich man to use the water for irrigating his fields. When the farmer goes to draw water, he is stopped by the rich man saying that he has bought only the well from him and not the water inside. The rich man further asks the farmer to pay more to use the water. The farmer rushes to Akbar’s court seeking help. Witty Birbal comes and asks the rich man to either move the water away from the well which is not his or pay a rent to use the well for storing his water. The rich man accepts defeat and goes away silently.
Moral – A smart mind can find a solution to any problem.
Birbal was a mere court jester who was not as educated as the other navratnas in Akbar’s court. However, he proved to be smarter than all and in fact the smartest person around.
These Akbar Birbal moral stories can indirectly tell the kids that quick wit, presence of mind, and smartness are important for survival. It can also give them the confidence that just because they are lesser qualified than someone around them, it does not mean they are beneath anyone. They can still be smarter than everyone in the room!
[Read : Top 10 Short Funny Tenali Rama Stories With Morals For Kids in English]
FAQ’s
1. How Many Akbar Birbal Stories Are There?
There are about 175 Akbar and Birbal stories. There are many more stories about Birbal in a separate collection too. Since these folktales are an all-time favourite, there are many versions of these stories by different authors.
2. Who Were The 9 Navratnas?
Akbar’s court had 9 important ministers who helped him make important decisions regarding the kingdom. They were called the navratas – 9 gems of Akbar’s court. They were-
- Abul Fazal – The Prime Minister
- Faizi – The Poet
- Miyan Tansen – The Musician
- Raja Birbal – The Court Jester
- Raja Todar Mal – The Revenue Minister
- Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana – The Defence Minister
- Raja Man Singh – The Lieutenant
- Fakir Aziao-Din – The Adviser
- Mulla Do-Piyaza – Minister of Home Affairs
3. What is The Real Name of Akbar?
The real name of Akbar is Abū al-Fatḥ Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Akbar.
4. Why Are Akbar And Birbal’s Stories Famous?
Akbar and Birbal’s stories have been passed down from generations. These stories are famous because of the humorous and witty way in which they impart wisdom to their readers. Both young and old alike can learn a lot from these stories. They teach moral values, ethics and fair governance in an entertaining way. Though these may be very old, but they still continue to delight the readers.
5. Why is Akbar Called The Great?
Akbar is often referred to as “Akbar the Great” owing to his contributions to the political, cultural, and economic development of the Mughal Empire.
Read Also: 10 Must Read Moral Stories For Kids With Pictures in 2021
