Late one evening, when Birbal entered the Diwan-i-Khas, an odd silence greeted him. Something else was odd too. Those courtiers, who normally met him with a scornful look or a snide remark, were looking at him hopefully. Then Birbal saw a stranger seated by himself, with a covered copper pot in front of him. Perhaps he was the reason for their strange behaviour.

Akbars's voice broke into Birbal's thoughts. 'An envoy from His Majesty, the ruler of Kabul, has graced our court,' said the Emperor. 'He has heard glowing reports of the knowledge and the talent of our courtiers and he wishes to ask them a few simple questions.'

'We are deeply honoured,' murmured Birbal, bowing to the stranger.

'I repeat my question,' said the stranger, looking arrogantly at the assembled courtier. Who can tell me what is in this pot?'

None of the courtiers was willing to meet his gaze.

'What could it be?' whispered Raja Todar Mal to Mulla Do Piaza.

'Dry fruit, perhaps,' muttered the Mulla. 'He comes from Kabul.'

'That would be too easy an answer,' hissed Shahbaz Khan.

'Precious stones, a length of fine silk, gold mohurs. The pot could be full of anything!' whispered Shadi Shah. 'How are we to know?'

'Now that Birbal has come, let him put his head in the noose,' said Mulla Do Piaza softly. 'Let him answer this impossible question. Who knows, by some fluke, he may guess the right answer!'

'Huzoor, if you have no objection, may I examine the pot a little closely?' Birbal addressed the stranger.

'By all means,' said the envoy coolly. he shrugged his shoulders. 'The task we have set is not difficult.'

'The courtiers looked uneasily at one another as Birbal walked over to the pot and bent down to examine it. Then, with a sudden movement, he whipped off the cloth that loosely covered the  mouth of the pot, and peered inside.  

'The pot is full of-emptiness, your Honour!' declared Birbal. 'It contains nothing!'

'But... but' the envoy was spluttering with anger, 'you were not supposed to uncover the pot and look inside!'

'Huzoor, you said nothing about not uncovering the pot,' Birbal said innocently. 'In fact, you gave me permission to examine it more closely!'

Akbar hid a smile, Birbal had proved his cleverness once again.

'Your Majesty, I have more questions,' said the envoy, still glowering at Birbal. 'One, where is the centre of the Earth? Two, how many stars are there in the sky?'

For a moment, the entire court stared at the envoy. Birbal was the first to recover his composure.

'These are difficult questions, Your Honour,' he said. The envoy looked satisfied. 'And we would need some time to answer them.'

'I am in your country for another ten days,' said the envoy grandly.

'we will have the answer ready before your departure,' said Birbal with a respectful bow.

'And till then you are our honoured quest,' Akbar said to the envoy. 'Enjoy the beauties and the wonders of our kingdom!'

For the next none days, Birbal absented himself from court. No one knew how he was preparing to answer the envoy's questions.

On the tenth and last evening of the envoy's visit, at Birbal's request, the Emperor and the courtiers gathered outside the Diwan-i-Khas. BIrbal bowed to the envoy.

'Thanks to your first question,' he said, 'we have made a stupendous discovery!' He pointed to a mark he had made on the ground. 'Here! Right here is the centre of the Earth! And we are fortunate enough to be standing on it!'

He turned to the dumbfounded envoy. 'All our research and consultations with experts have revealed this truth. You are of course, welcome to verify it.'

'Of course,' echoed the envoy in a faint voice. Behind him, both Birbal's friends and foes grinned at one another. 'And the answer to my second question?' asked the envoy.

Birbal signalled to one of the guards and in a minute six sheep were brought before the assembly.

'Huzoor,' said Birbal to the envoy, 'your second question was this: "how many stars are there in the sky?" Again a very difficult question, huzzor, but here is the answer. There are exactly as many stars in the sky as there are hair on these six sheep! It was not easy to locate sheep with the exact number of hairs and that too in ten days, but by God's grace, we were able to do it!'

Once again, the envoy was at a loss for words. 'But wh-what is the actual number of stars in the sky?' he stammered.

'You did not explicitly ask for a number, huzoor,' Birbal said patiently. 'You merely expressed a desire to know how many stars there are in the sky and we have answered your question. However, if you also wish to know the exact number, I am sure a verification of our claim would provide it.'

The envoy knew he had been defeated. Over his sullen head, the Emperor's eyes met Birbal's, full of laughter and admiration.

Once again, Birbal had proved that he was truly unbeatable!

Anupa Lal has written over 20 books, most of them for children, including the retelling of theRamayana and the story of Akbar and Birbal, Sheikh Chilli and Hatim Tai. She has also translated short stories of the renowned hindi writer, Munshi Prem Chand.

1. snide - unkind, insulting
2. envoy - a government representative sent on a diplomatic mission to another kingdom
3. graced - wass kind enough to attend or take part in something
4. arrogantly - in a proud, unpleasant way that shows little thought for other people
5. assembled - gathered
6. gaze - steady look
7. noose - a circular loop at the end of a rope
8. fluke - a chance happening
9. huzoor - a title of respect for a person of high rank
10. coolly - calmly
11. shrugged - raised shoulders to show indifference or disinterest 
12. whipped - here, removed suddenly
13. spluttering - speaking rapidly and unclearly
14. glowering - staring angrily
15. composure - calmness
16. grandly - here, haughtly in order to impress 
17. stupendous - wonderful and amazing
18. dumbfounded - unable to speak because of surprise
19. consultations - discussions seeking advice
20. verify - check by careful examinations
21. explicity - clearly
22. sullen - angry