One day he was in his court talking with his courtiers. He had collected the best people in the country – the best painter, the best musician, the best philosopher, the best poet. He had a small, special committee of nine members who were known as the nine jewels of Akbar’s court.
The most important of them was a man called Birbal. Immensely intelligent and a man of great sense of humor, he did something which was improper to do in front of the emperor. Every emperor has his own rules – his word is the law – and Birbal behaved against something about which Akbar was very stubborn. Akbar immediately slapped Birbal. He respected Birbal, he loved Birbal, he was his most intimate friend, but as far as the rules of the court were concerned... he could not forgive. But what Birbal did is the real story. He did not wait for a single moment; he immediately slapped the man who was standing on his other side. The other man was shocked, and even Akbar was shocked. He used to think that this man is very wise: Is he mad, or what? I have slapped him... This is strange, absolutely absurd and illogical.
And the other man was standing there shocked and Birbal said, ”Don’t stand there like a fool, just pass it on!” So that man slapped somebody else who was standing by the side – and now the game became clear: you have to pass it on. In the night, when Akbar went to sleep with his wife, his wife slapped him. He said, ”What is the matter?” She said, ”It has been going on around the city, and finally it has reached to its original source. Somebody else has slapped me, and when I asked, ‘What is the matter?’, I was told that this is the game Akbar has started. I thought it is better to finish it, to complete the circle.”
And the next day, first thing, Birbal asked, ”Have you received my slap back or not?” Akbar said, ”I had never thought that this would happen!” Birbal said, ”I was absolutely certain, because where will it go finally? It will go around the city. You cannot escape; it is bound to come to you.”
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