The Stolen Bottle Story
Once due to a very busy schedule in royal proceedings, King Akbar could not attend the royal court for many days. Sometimes when he felt very tired he would retire to his harem and share jokes with his wives.
One afternoon the King asked his wives, “Now each of you must tell me a silly tale. The one whose story is the most non-sensical will be rewarded.”
Birbal was the only man who was allowed to enter the harem other than King Akbar himself. As he reached the doorway to the harem, he heard the King’s strange words.
He thought, “Surely there is something wrong. The King never misses attending the royal court and he never makes such silly requests. There must be something other than work that is keeping him away from the court. Perhaps he has started taking some intoxicating drugs that make people act foolishly.”
To find out, Birbal made a plan. He did not go to the royal court for nearly a week. Everyday King Akbar waited for Birbal but he never came. The King got worried. He thought that Birbal was ill. He decided to pay him a visit. As the royal entourage neared Birbal’s house, his servants informed him. When the King arrived he was welcomed into the house by the servants. As instructed by Birbal, they told the King that their master was not at home yet they made the King sit. Soon Birbal’s daughter arrived and offered refreshments to the King and his entourage.
As his daughter kept the King busy, Birbal slipped out of the backdoor. He went into the Queen’s palace and in the chamber where King Akbar would rest near the harem. In the chamber, Birbal saw a locked cupboard. He found the key on a nearby table. Birbal unlocked the cupboard. To his amazement, he saw a variety of wines and drinks in the different bottles.
“Oh! The King has started taking drinks. Now I know why he behaves in silly ways sometimes.”
Birbal picked a bottle and locked the cupboard, put the key on the table, and slipped out of the Queen’s palace. Birbal wanted to reach home without being noticed but fate had something else planned for him. On the way home, Birbal came face to face with King Akbar. As soon as this happened, Birbal hid the bottle in his shawl.
“Birbal, what are you doing here and what’s that you are hiding ?” Akbar enquired.
“It’s nothing, Your Majesty, it’s just a parrot,” Birbal said.
“A parrot! Are you joking?”
“Oh, no, it’s a horse I am hiding.”
“Are you out of your mind, Birbal ?”
“I am sorry, Your Majesty, it’s just an elephant ?”
“Have you taken some drugs? You are talking nonsense.”
“Your Majesty, actually my shawl is hiding a donkey.”
“Birbal, that’s enough now,” King Akbar got angry.
At this, Birbal took out the bottle of wine. Seeing it, King Akbar asked Birbal to accompany him to the Queen’s palace. There he opened the cupboard with drinks in it. By seeing a missing bottle, he at once came to know that Birbal had meddled there.
So he said, “Are you drunk, Birbal? You don’t behave this way all the time. Today you gave me stupid answers till the time.”
“No, Your Majesty, I’ve not drunk or had any drugs. I was merely telling you the effects of wine.”
“And what are they ?”
“The first time I said….I had nothing in my shawl. It meant the first sip of wine takes away one’s senses. When I said the parrot, I meant that the second cup of wine makes a man speak on like a parrot. After the third cup, he starts neighing like a horse as I had said. Then I had named an elephant. After drinking the fourth cup of wine a person starts elephant and the last time, I had mentioned a donkey. The last i.e. the fifth cup turns a man into a donkey for he acts foolishly.”
King Akbar now realized his mistake. He at once threw away all wine bottles and gave up drinking.