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Birbal
is not his real name, it happens to be one of the titles given to
him - another being Raja. His actual name was Mahesh Das, and was
known to have been born to Gangadas amd Anabhadevi in Trivikrampur
in 1528, during the reign of the Mughal Emperors. As he lost his
father at a very young age, he was sent to his maternal grandfather
for education. His grandfather, who was a scholar in Sanskrit, also
taught him Hindi and Hindustani (a mix of Hindi and Urdu, which was
later popularized by the British as it was a very good common medium
for both the Indians as well as themselves.)
Mahesh
Das was well known for his yearning for poetry and music besides his
penchant for humor and wit. As his poetic compositions were written
under the nom-de-plume of 'Brahm Kavi', his original name was soon
forgotten.
His
fame drew him close to the Kings of Jaipur, Rewa and, ultimately, to
Emperor Ab-ul-Fath Jalil-ud-deen Muhammad, (born 1542) at Agra! was
later on known as 'Akbar', meaning 'Great(est)'.
He
was recognized as one of the Navaratnas (lit. 'nine gems') at
Emperor Akbar's court (1556 - 1605).
History
has shown that Akbar had respected non-Islamic traditions unlike his
contemporaries, and one of such respects was to bestow appropriate
titles to courtiers in line with the Hindu culture. It was due to
Mahesh Das' exemplary display of bravery during one of the Emperor's
expeditions of war, that he was conferred with the title of 'Veervar'.
As time passed, his original name was forgotten and his title,
though in a corrupt form (Veer Bal, Bir Bal, Birbal), stuck forever.
It
should be noted that Birbal was born to a Brahmin family and as such
he was a strict vegetarian.
Birbal's
rise up the echelon of power within the court was remarkable. It was
this proximity to the Emperor that put him in an enviable position
among his colleagues - thus giving rise to the hundreds of stories
woven out of nothing but pure jealousy.
On
going through the numerous stories, which we take great pleasure in
presenting to our readers, we find that Birbal was quick to read the
opponent's mind and react appropriately.
There
were several instances when Birbal used his wit and intelligence to
calm the ire of Emperor Akbar while amusing him at the same time. It
was this quick-wittedness that made the Emperor have Birbal in his
accompaniment wherever he went.
It
was Zain Khan, who envied Birbal's proximity to the Emperor, who
brought a sad end to Birbal's life. Birbal was asked to assist Zain
Khan in his attack against the Afghan tribes who were a constant
headache to Akbar's kingdom. Zain Khan took the opportunity to
mislead Birbal into a narrow gorge overlooked by steep hills - only
to be ambushed by the Afghanis.
The
news of Birbal's death shocked the Emperor for more than two days
when he was known to have drawn into himself - not even touching
food during his mourning! The bond of over thirty years was showing
it's toll on Akbar.
This
bond is very apparent in almost all the stories that we present here
for your entertainment and learning.
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