One day, Akbar and Birbal were lost in a discussion when the royal ironsmith entered the court. The ironsmith made swords and shields for Akbar’s army. He announced, “Your Majesty, I have made the strongest sword and shield in the world. No sword can pierce the shield I have made.” Then he held a sword and said, “This is the sharpest sword in the world. It is so sharp that it can cut through the strongest of shields.” Birbal was listening to all this and said, “How can the sword and the shield be equally strong? If your shield can protect from the sharpest of swords, the sword you have crafted cannot be the sharpest in the world. And if your sword cuts through the shield you have made, it cannot be the strongest shield in the world.” Akbar was impressed with Birbal’s observation. He gifted the sword and the shield to Birbal.
Birbal and the Ironsmith
