The Wicked Barber’s Plight –
Akbar & Birbal
As we all know, Birbal was not only Emperor Akbar’s favorite
minister but also a minister dearly loved by most of the commoners, because of
his ready wit and wisdom. People used to come to him from far and wide for
advise on personal matters too. However,
there was a group of ministers that were jealous of his growing popularity and
disliked him intensely. They outwardly showered him with praise and
compliments, but on the inside they began to hatch a plot to kill him.
One day they approached the king’s barber with a plan. As the barber
was extremely close to the king, they asked him to help them get rid of Birbal
permanently. And of course, they promised him a huge sum of money in return.
The wicked barber readily agreed.
The next time the king required his services, the barber started a
conversation about the emperor’s father who he also used to serve. He sang
praises of his fine, silky-smooth hair. And then as an afterthought he asked
the king that as he was enjoying such great prosperity, had he made an attempt
to do anything for the welfare of his ancestors?
The king was furious at such impertinent stupidity and told the
barber that it was not possible to do anything because they were already dead.
The barber mentioned that he knew of a magician who could come of help. The
magician could send a person up to heaven to enquire about his father’s
welfare. But of course this person would have to be chosen carefully; he would
have to be intelligent enough to follow the magicians instructions as well as
make on-the-spot decisions. He must be wise, intelligent and responsible. The
barber then suggested the best person for the job – the wisest of all
ministers, Birbal.
The king was very excited about hearing from his dead father and
asked the barber to go ahead and make the arrangements immediately. He asked
him what was needed to be done. The barber explained that they would take
Birbal in a procession to the burial grounds and light a pyre. The magician
would then chant some ‘mantras’ as Birbal would ascend to the heavens through
the smoke. The chanting would help protect Birbal from the fire.
The king happily informed Birbal of this plan. Birbal said that he
thought it a brilliant idea and wanted to know the brain behind it. When
learning that it was the barber’s idea, he agreed to go to heaven on condition
that he be given a large some of money for the long journey as well as one
month’s time to settle his family so that they had no trouble while he was
gone. The king agreed to both conditions.
In the duration of this month, he got a few trustworthy men to build
a tunnel from the funeral grounds to his house. And on the day of the
ascension, after the pyre had been lit, Birbal escaped through the concealed
door of the tunnel. He disappeared in to his house where he hid for a few
months while his hair and beard grew long and unruly.
In the meantime his enemies were rejoicing as they thought that they
had seen the last of Birbal. Then one day after many, many months Birbal
arrived at the palace with news of the king’s father. The king was extremely
pleased to see him and ready with a barrage of questions. Birbal told the king
that his father was in the best of spirits and had been provided with all the
comforts except one.
The king wanted to know what was lacking because now he thought he
had found a way to send things and people to heaven. Birbal answered that there
were no barbers in heaven, which is why even he was forced to grow his own
beard. He said that his father had asked for a good barber.
So the king decided to send his own barber to serve his father in
heaven. He called both the barber and the magician to prepare to send him to
heaven. The barber could say absolutely nothing in his own defense as he was
caught in his own trap. And once the pyre was lit he died on the spot.
Nobody dared to conspire against Birbal again.
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