T0004. Birbal and Akbar's Portrait in the Mirror

Akbar wants a perfect portrait. No painter can supply the portrait that he wants, but Birbal offers him a mirror as the perfect portrait.

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Notes: This story is in Sawhney; the more usual Birbal story is T0611, where Birbal rescues the portrait painter who is the victim of a nobleman's joke.

T0008. Sharing the "Reward" of a Hundred Lashes

Birbal arrives with the royal seal. The guard treats him contemptuously and demands half of whatever Akbar gives him. Birbal asks Akbar for 50 lashes; he takes 25 (Akbar gives them gently, puzzled), and then he explains the other 25 are for the corrupt guard. Akbar is impressed. He gives him the name Birbal and tells him to stay in court and exert a good influence.

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Notes:

T0012. Boy Shooting at Mango Nearly Shoots Akbar

A boy shoots an arrow at a mango and narrowly misses Akbar. Akbar wants to execute the boy, but Birbal shows Akbar it was only an accident.

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Notes:

T0013. Mahesh Das Meets Akbar, Lost in the Woods

Akbar and his entourage are on horseback; they need water. The boy Birbal offers to draw water for them. "Give me your name," says Akbar. Birbal replies, "Give me your name." Akbar is shocked. He asks, "Do you know who I am?" Birbal says he does, but that Akbar does not know the name of his village's priest. "So where then is the greatness of kings?" Impressed, Akbar gives Birbal his ring as a token to bring to court in the future and then rides off.

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Notes:

T0014. Aged Ox Rings Akbar's Bell of Justice

A hungry old bull gnaws bell pull. Birbal teaches farmers to honor and keep the old bull as they honor their old father.

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Notes:

T0032. Finding a Thief with Magic Sticks

Birbal claims he has magic sticks that will lengthen to indicate a thief. The thief cuts his stick short and thus betrays himself.

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Notes:

T0033. The Barber Sends Birbal to Heaven

The barber seeks to kill Birbal by sending him on a mission to the land of the dead. Birbal survives by building a tunnel under the funeral pyre. He returns to say the dead need a barber.

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Notes: In some versions, Birbal pretends to be away for six months and grows a beard during that time; hence proof of the need for a barber.

T0034. Birbal Answers Akbar's Riddles

Akbar poses three riddles to Birbal; he answers all three: sun and moon; truth and lies; how to shorten the line.

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Notes:

T0035. Birbal Solves Case of Identity Thief

A servant commits identity theft when master is away. Birbal gets the servant to betray himself by claiming he can read minds.

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Notes: In the Amar Chitra Katha version, there is an elaborate version with a runaway slave, someone the master has been tracking down all that time.

T0045. The Pandit Called Panditji

A sad brahmin wishes to be addressed as panditji. Birbal tells the children he does not like to be called that name; so the children do it. Following Birbal's advice, the brahmin rebukes them. The children tells everyone to call him panditji. The brahmin is then happy.

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Notes:

T0111. The Wind Blows Nasruddin's Food

As Nasruddin tries to eat pumpkin seeds on top of his camel, the wind keeps blowing the food away. "What are you eating?" someone asks. "At this rate," Nasruddin says, "nothing."

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Notes: Different versions have different kinds of light-weight foods.

T0102. Move Your House into the Garden

Man complains that it's dark in the house. Nasruddin asks, "Is there more light in the garden?" "Yes." "So, you just need to put your house out in the garden."

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Notes:

T0098. More Places to Look for the Donkey

Nasruddin's donkey is lost. People are looking; they ask Nasruddin why he is not worried. He points to a distant hill. "We have not looked that far yet," says Nasruddin. "When we have looked that far, I will worry."

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Notes:

T0067. Thief Takes Cloak; Nasruddin Takes Saddle

Nasruddin leaves his cloak on the saddle on his donkey. A thief steals the cloak. Nasruddin blames the donkey; he takes the saddle and puts it on his own back. "I won't give back your saddle till you give back my cloak," he says.

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Notes:

T0450. Keeping the World in Balance

A friend asks Nasruddin, "People are all walking in different directions; wouldn't it be easier if we walked in the same direction?" Nasruddin replies, "That would tilt the world off balance and turn it upside-down."

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Notes:

T0449. A Place with No Heat, No Light

Nasruddin's house is falling apart. One day he sees a funeral procession, led by a widow saying, "You're going to where there is no light, no heat, no water, no air, no space at all." Nasruddin runs home. "Lock the door; the funeral is coming and they're going to bury him here!" he says.

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Notes:

T0448. Debtor One Time, Creditor the Next

Nasruddin asks a rich man for money to settle a man's debt. "Whose?" "Mine!" Next time, the rich man hesitates. "This is not your debt again, is it?" the man asks. "No," Nasruddin he insists. "I am the creditor this time!"

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Notes:

T0440. Educating the Donkey

Tamerlane offers a reward to anyone who can teach a donkey to read in three years. Nasruddin takes him up, but asks for ten years, with a stipend every year to pay for the donkey's education. Nasruddin is not worried. "Tamerlane is old, I am old, and one of us is bound to die in ten years; even the donkey might die," Nasruddin says, "and in the meantime I get the stipend."

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Notes: In Nakosteen, Nasruddin asks for 25 years of stipend to teach the donkey to read and write. Nasruddin replies that in 25 years, either the donkey or the owner or he himself will be dead; in meantime, he has a ton of wheat annually and the use of the donkey.

T0298. The Twin's Funeral

Nasruddin knew twins; one died. He went to the funeral and asked the survivor, "Did you die, or is that your brother?"

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Notes:

T0287. The Word for Hot Soup

Nasruddin is going to teach someone Kurdish, but he knows only a few words in fact. "Let's start with hot soup: aash," he says. "What about cold soup?" "Kurds only eat hot soup."

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Notes: Story is told with different languages, different words for soup.