Birbal Stories: Birbal Is Brief
(Najamuddin Ghanghro, Karachi ( Original from Larkana))
Let us enjoy reading this one
of Birbal Stories of Birbal Is Brief.
One day Akbar asked his courtiers if they could tell him the difference between
truth and falsehood in three words or less.
The courtiers looked at one another in bewilderment.
"What about you, Birbal?" asked the emperor. "I'm surprised that you too are
silent."
"I'm silent because I want to give others a chance to speak," said Birbal.
"Nobody else has the answer," said the emperor. "So go ahead and tell me what
the difference between truth and falsehood is — in three words or less."
"Four fingers" said Birbal
"Four fingers?" asked the emperor, perplexed.
"That's the difference between truth and falsehood, your Majesty," said Birbal.
"That which you see with your own eyes is the truth. That which you have only
heard about might not be true. More often than not, it's likely to be false."
"That is right," said Akbar. "But what did you mean by saying the difference is
four fingers?'
"The distance between one's eyes and one's ears is the width of four fingers,
Your Majesty," said Birbal, grinning.