BIRBAL was emperor Akbar's most trusted courtier and advisor. He enjoyed the highest position in the Moghul court. No one was a match to him when it came to intelligence and wit. Birbal's closeness with Akbar had made many a courtier jealous of him. They were always waiting for a chance to pounce upon him.

One day a courtier approached Akbar and said, "Birbal is supposed to be very intelligent. Let him prove his intelligence by answering a couple of questions." Birbal was summoned by Akbar and asked to face the questions.

The courtier arrogantly stepped forward and shot the first question: "Birbal, tell me where is the centre of the earth."

Birbal was a picture of calm. He pointed to a spot in the corner of the court and said, "This is the very spot which is the centre of the earth, neither an inch to the left, nor an inch to the right. You can measure the earth and verify my claim."

The answer left the courtier speechless. He knew that it was impossible to measure the earth. He just stared at Birbal's face. But he soon recovered and shot the second question.

"Okay, Birbal, you tell me how many stars are there in the sky."

He was confident that the question would upset Birbal. But for a man like Birbal, this was like a piece of cake. Maintaining his cool, Birbal asked a sheep to be produced in the court.

This surprised the courtier who sarcastically remarked: "Here I am talking about stars and all you do is to ask a sheep to be produced. Why don't you just admit that you have no answer to the query".

Birbal came out coolly: "This is part of your answer alone. There are as many stars on the sky as there are hair on this sheep's body. If you have no belief, you can go ahead and count them".

The poor courtier was totally non-plussed. He realized that he was no match to Birbal. Embarrassed, he walked out of the court never to confront the wise Birbal again.