AS THE EMPEROR, 1 MEET ONLY WISE AND LEARNED MEN, BIRBAL, NEVER A FOOL. SHOW ME THE ‘TEN GREATEST FOOLS IN THE CITY. f THE TEN GREATEST PL GIVE You IT SHOULD BE A MONTH TO NO PROBLEM, FIND THEM. JAHANPANAH. 1 MAY NOT NEED ALL THAT AS BIRBAL WENT ABOUT THE CITY LOOKING FOR FOOLS, HE CAME UPON A STRANGE SIGHT. WHY DO YOU CARRY THAT Y= BUNDLE ON YOUR HEAD INSTEAD OF PLACING /zg=~ IT BEHIND YOU, ON THE SADDLE ?MY HORSE IS OLD AND THERE CAN BE NO GREATER FOOL THAN THIS FEEBLE, HUZUR? THIS IN WOOD MIGHT PROVE TOO HEAVY FOR DEAD! SO I'M. CARRYING IT FOR COME WITH ME,MY MAN,AND YOULL NEVER HAVE TO CARRY ANOTHER BUNDLE IN YOUR LIFE [As THE TWO RODE ON, THEY SAW A MAN LYING FLAT ON HIS BACK WITH HIS ARMS IN THE AIR. KO ¥SIR : 2(WHY, THAT MAN SEEMS TO HAVE HAD A STROKE! WAIT HERE WHILE | HELP Him Sit UP. No! DON’T! PLEASE DON’T NO! NO! NOT AT ALL! MY WIFE HAS ASKED ME TO BUY A POT AS BIG AS THIS.amar chitra katha IF | MOVE. MY HANDS, X WHAT A PRIZE LL GET THE WRONG \ FOOL! | MUST SIZE ;AND MY WIFE,A h TAKE HIM TERRIBLE SHREW, WILL WITH ME, SCOLD ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. SO 5 BIRBAL HELPED HIM UP, WITHOUT TOUCHING HIS ARMS. Now DROP Your ARMS. IF YOU COME WITH ME, PLL BUY YOU A BEAUTIFUL SET OF POTS; FROM THE. SMALLEST TO THE LARGESTAND YOUR WIFE WILL BE SO PLEASED THAT 0 MOUNT HIS HORSE— a as eireaL Turveo RST WY aa WHAT’S THE MATTER A THOUSAND PARDONS, HUZUR,1| HAD JUST s CALLED THE EVENING PRAYER FROM THAT MO:amar chitra katha FOR A MOMENT. BIRBAL STARED AT THE MAULVL*SPEECHLESS WITH WONDER. = AND WANTED TO SEE HOW FAR MY VOICE WOULD CARRY. | WAS RUNNING AFTER IT. BUT NOW YOU'VE SPOILT EVEN | NEVER CITY POSSESSED SUCH A FOOL! FORGET ABOUT THE VOICE. YOU CAN TRY AND FOLLOW IT SOME OTHER TIME. COME WITH ME AND PLL GIVE YOU TWO GOLDa TWO GOLD MoHuURs! )/ CERTAINLY, HUZUR, PLE COME. HOW CAN A SLAVE DISOBEY HIS. MASTER? NOW WAIT HERE TILL | RETURN,omar chitra katha 5 b yw \ ie” HIS TIGER ON 5 i MY BUFFALO! | 15m t 4 BUT | SEE NEITHER YOU WILL, IF GOD TIGER NOR BUFFALO!) APPEARS BEFORE US AND CHOOSES TO ¢ GIVE US A BOON ff | ATI N, [oi You HEAR THAT Fi NC wT NOW DO YOU BELIEVE TERY iy ME. HE. KEEPS SAYING THAT IF | ASK GOD FOR A BUFFALO, HE = WILL ASK FOR A TIGER TO EAT UP MY BUFFALO,OH! WILL YOU FOOLS! STOP TAKE THAT AND WHAT A FOOL YOU ARE ,HUZUR, TO TAKE THESE FOOLS SERIOUSLY! IF YOU AREN’T, LET MY BONES BREAK TO BITS AND MY BLOOD /amar chitra katha WITHOUT A WORD, BIRBAL MARCHED THE THREE MEN OFF TO HIS PALACE... ALAS! WHAT HAVE | DONE! WHAT A WASTE OF A GOOD JAR AND PURE OIL!BIRGAL THE WITTY WAS ALMOST DARK.THE DAY’S PERIENCES HAD PROVED TOO , EVEN FOR BIRBAL. VD BETTER GO OUT AND GET SOME FRESH AIR. PLL LOOK FOR MORE FOOLS TOMORROW. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR © A FEW HOURS LATER, AS A REFRESHED BIRBAL WAS ON HIS WAY BACK TO HIS PALACE — WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MOON ! EVEN A THOUSAND LAMPS WOULD NOT LIGHT UP THE STREET AS IT DOES!amar chitra katha NO HUZUR , OVER THERE, UNDER THAT TREE. BUT IT’S BRIGHTER HERE, SO 17M LOOKING FOR IT HERE. DID You DROP IT HERE ? COME WITH ME, AND PLL BUY You A NEW RING. OH! HOW KIND You ARE, Huzur! BEAUTY OF THE MOONLIT LOOK! THERE 1S NIGHT, WALKED ON— - ANOTHER MAN WHO ALSO SEEMS TO BE SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING. AS BIRBAL, LOST IN THE - HUZUR ! HUZUR IBIRBAL THE WITTY LET US HELP OH! YES, HIM,HUZUR. CERTAINLY. AH! HUZUR! PERHAPS YOU CAN HELP ME, ) === | HID MY RING FOR SAFE-KEEPING,IN A HOLE IN THIS SAND-PILE, AND NOW | CAN’T FIND IT. YOU MUST HAVE MARKED THE SPOT, | SUPPOSE.eee BUT NATURALLY, HUZUR! | AM NOT SUCH A FOOL. THERE WAS A CLOUD RIGHT ABOVE THE SPOT WHERE 1 HID THE RING. NOW THE TREACHEROUS CLOUD HAS GONE AND SO HAS MY RING! HE’S RIGHT, HUZUR! HOW WAS HE TO KNOW THAT THE CLOUD WOULD BETRAY HIM SO CRUELLY ? NEVER MIND THE CLOUD. COME WITH ME.WE WILL REPLACE YOUR RING. / YOU DON’T MEAN IT, HuzuR! HE DOES! HE (S THE KINDEST MAN PVE EVERBACK AT HIS PALACE Ht Sf THERE! | HAVE. i EIGHT OF THEM! FOR THE NINTH AND THE TENTH... THE NEXT MORNING, BIRBAL ENTERED THE COURT WITH THE FOOLS. BACK SO SOON, BIRBAL? SURPRISING, | JAHANPANAH. EVERY- ONE KNOWS THAT FOOLS ARE EASIER FOUND THAN WISE MEN. — BUT THERE ARE ONLY EIGHT FOOLS HERE! | DISTINCTLY REMEMBER ASKING YOu TO SHOW AND BIRBAL TOLD THE EMPEROR ABOUT | BEG TO 1 HIS ENCOUNTER WITH EACH OF THEM. CORRECT YOU, JAHANPANAH.. THERE ARE TEN,amar chitna kata. THESE EIGHT AND, PARDON ME FOR ’ SAYING SO, JAHANPANAH, THE TWO OF US! * THE WHOLE COURT BURST OUT LAUGHING; BUT THE LOUDEST LAUGH WAS THAT OF THE EMPEROR, WHO WAS RENOWNED FOR HIS FINE SENSE OF HUMOUR. 1[THE CROWS cee Gnas TO HIM WITH A COMPLAINT. JAHANPANAH, WHY DO You ——— ALWANS TURN TO }) BIRBAL WHEN BECAUSE HE) YOU HAVE A HAS AN ANSWER \ee - FOR EVERYTHING ~ A SOLUTION FOR EVERY PROBLEM, If SO DO WE. BUT ‘ YOU NEVER GIVE . i AH! HERE US A CHANCE. ‘ A COMES BIRBAL, ALL RIGHT, TODAY | WILL GIVE ALL OF YOU A CHANCE, |amar chitra katha AS SOON AS BIRBAL JOINED THEM, AKBAR LOOKED UP INTO THE SKY. THE COURTIERS LOOKED AT ONE ANOTHER IN DISMAY. { WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY CROWS WE HAVE IN HOW ARE WE TO IT WOULD TAKE US YEARS TO IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO COUNT THEM, JAHANPANAH | NOBODY CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION, JAHANPANAH. NOT EVEN BIRBAL! AKBAR LOOKED AT BIRBAL, THERE ARE THIRTY-THREE, HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE, TO BE EXACT, | AM CONFIDENT BIRBAL! HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE ? YOU WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED IF YOU ARE THAT | AM RIGHT, JAHANPANAH,BIRBAL_THE WITTY WHAT IF THERE ) | THOSE WOULD BE THE CROWS WHO: ARE MORE CROWS HAVE COME FROM OTHER PARTS TO THAN YOU CLAIM?) | VISIT THEIR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES IN AGRA.NATURALLY, 1 CAN’T INCLUDE THEM.FOR THEY WILL SOON GO AWAY. AND SUPPOSE THERE ARE FEWER THAN YOU CLAIM? fou, THAT! 117°s SimPLe. AS THE COURTIERS SULKED IN MANY OF OUR CROWS SULLEN SILENCE, AKBAR ADDRESSED HAVE GONE TO VISIT THEM TRIUMPHANTLY. THEIR FRIENDS f AND RELATIVES THAT’S WHY | SAY, BIRBAL IN OTHER PARTS. HAS AN ANSWER FOR NATURALLY, ee [ EVERYTHING | NOW HAVE NOT (ede 5 hy DO You AGREE? INCLUDED THEM NYGs oe IN MY COUNTING! A”amar chitra katha BIRBAL’S FAME AS THE WISEST, THE WITTIEST OF COURTIERS, HAD REACHED EVEN THE EARS OF THE SHAH OF DISTANT PERSIA. [BIRBAL AND THE SHAH OF PERSIA | MUST INVITE Him TO MY COURT AND SEE IF HE REALLY IS AS CLEVER AS HIS. REPUTATION CLAIMS. [a Few MONTHS S\ LATER, BIRBAL b CAME TO THE PERSIAN CAPITAL. LEC ORITOL «| fF COME, HUZUR.YOU PAY YOUR RESPECTS W\ TO OUR SHAH.HE IS IMPATIENT TO SEE NOU. LET ME LEAD YOU TO HIS PRESENCE. ae AS BIRBAL ENTERED THE SHAH’S DARBAR, A STRANGE SIGHT MET HIS EYES.BIRBAL THE WITTY WHAT SHOULD HE DO? HE HAD NEVER SEEN THE SHAH BEFORE.AND ALL THESE MEN WERE DRESSED ALIKE AND SAT ON IDENTICAL THRONES ! f WHICH ONE OF THEM IS FA THE SHAH? iro IN FOR A MOMENT, BIRBAL STOOD STILL AND LET HIS GAZE TRAVEL DOWN THE ROW OF THRONES. We: Z WITHOUT A DOUBT, YOU ARE i THE SHAH! ee 4amar chitra katha, THE SHAH WAS AMAZED, OUR EMPEROR SENDS YOUR_HIGHNESS is HIS REGARDS.HE BIRBAL | HOW HAS SENT ME WITH DID You GIFTS WHICH ARE RECOGNIZE ME! ON THEIR WAY TO YOUVE NEVER THE TREASURY. SEEN ME é BEFORE! THE SHAH MARVELLED AT BIRBAL’S IT WAS SIMPLE, KEEN SENSE OF OBSERVATION. YOUR HIGHNESS. AS 1 STOOD PERPLEXED, ALL THE OTHERS TURNED TO LOOK| AT YOU TO SEE YOUR REACTION; WHILE YOu LOOKED STRAIGHT ‘YOU ARE INDEED THE CLEVEREST PERSON | HAVE EVER MET! YOU SHALL HENCEFORTH BE CALLED THE OCEAN OF INTELLIGENCE. AND BEFORE BIRBAL LEFT FOR HINDUSTAN, THE SHAH GAVE HIM ALL THE RICHES ME COULD CARRY WITH HIM. 2BIRBAL THE WITTY HIMSELF AND WANDERING ABOUT IN THE CITY —A HABIT BIRBAL DIDN?T APPROVE OF, AS HE THOUGHT IT UNSAFE. aan OTA 7 ism say you ee OUGHT TO GIVE. UP THIS HABIT, JAHANPANAH. (Zoe AN EMPEROR'S LIFE \S PRECIOUS AND MUST BE WELL LATER , AS AKBAR WALKED DOWN THE STREET— 1 THINK PM BEING FOLLOWED,HE STOPPED IN HIS TRACKS ROUND. THERE! HE’S. STOPPED, TOO, AND IS PRETENDING TO J LOOK INTO THAT SHOP.’LL GO UP TO HIM AND QUESTION 7 WHERE DO YOU LIVE ?BIRGAL THE WITTY SO IRRITATED WAS AKBAR BY THESE | AM THE EMPEROR. HERE} ANSWERS THAT HE FORGOT HIMSELF. IS MY SEAL,IF YOU 7 7 DON’T BELIEVE Do You KNOW} A HUMAN BEING WHO | AM? THE STRANGER SLIPPED THE RING INTO HIS CUMMER BAND.amar chitra katha ONLY WHEN THE THIEF! THIEF! STRANGER BEGAN CATCH HIM! TO RUN AWAY DID CATCH Him! ARBAR REALISE WHAT HE HAD DONE. A CROWD RAN [ DON’T LET AFTER THE THIEF. THIS SHOULD CONVINCE You, FOOLS, DON’T You IF MY WORDS KNOW ME? 1?M THE EMPEROR,BIRBAL THE WITTY FORGIVE US, \ WE WERE IGNORANT JAHAN PANAH! ) AND ACTED ON THE WORDS OF A MADMAN . BD BETTER RETURN TO THE PALACE BEFORE THEY ATTACK ME. ONLY BIRBAL CAN HELP ME BRING THAT THIEF {| BUT HOW CAN | FACE BIRBAL? HE HAS ALWAYS, WARNED ME NOTeee, FILLED WITH SUCH THOUGHTS, AKBAR WALKED INTO HIS CHAMBER, a, ' OTLEY MY SEAL! THE EER Fal By Sy THIEF HAS E a o y RETURNED IT! AH] HERE IS A NOTE. AN APOLOGY, No pDoueT. BIRBAL! THE ROGUE! HA! HA! HAL BUT PVE LEARNED MY LESSON,BIRBAL THE WITTY 3 ONE DAY, IN OPEN COURT, AKBAR WAS TOLD BY A SYCO- PHANT THAT HE WAS GREATER EVEN THAN THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE. AKBAR UNABLE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION FOR HIMSELF, HE SET IT TO HIS COURTIERS. DO YOU THINK. | AM GREATER. THAN GOD ? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY COULD 1 BE GREATER 4 THAN GOD? HOW CAN | ANSWER THAT QUESTION WITHOUT EITHER DISPLEASING THE EMPEROR OR TELLING AN UNTRUTHP, WHY DIDN’T HE. ASK THE MAN WHO SAID IT? WHAT SHALL.WHEN, LOOKING FROM ONE FACE TO ANOTHER, AKBAR DID NOT RECEIVE AN ANSWER... BIRBAL, DO YOu JEHANPANAH, BEYOND A N DOUBT NOU THAN GOD? aN AND | WANT THE TRUTH. NOT AT ALL, JANANPANAH. THERE. 1S CERTAINLY ONE THING YOU CAN DO THAT GOD BIRBAL, ARE YOU TRYING TO FLATTER ME?SS aA ety é , | cx q qd 4g | r | z } = — aa WGA OF THE UNIVERSE sau fi ray | LON | SI HAVE | ay U Zi | Y f Q | = : if a