Birbal noticed that Akbar had been absent from the court for long stretches of time. This worried him a lot. So he went to the palace to enquire about his well-being. Just as he entered the palace, he overheard Akbar saying silly things to himself. Then he entered Akbar’s bedroom and looked around. He found many jugs of wine. He picked a wine jug up and turned to leave. Just then, Akbar saw him. Birbal hid the jug in his shawl. Akbar asked, “What are you hiding?” Birbal said, “It’s a parrot. No, it’s a horse. It’s an elephant. No, it’s a donkey!” Akbar was puzzled. Birbal explained, “Your Majesty, wine makes one talk like a parrot and act like a horse. It makes one walk like an elephant. It turns a man into a donkey. Please don’t drink.” Akbar realised his folly and threw away all the jugs of wine.
The Wine Jugs
