Emperor Akbar and Birbal used to discuss various matters apart from official duties. One day, while conversing, Akbar asked Birbal about the biggest weapon in the world according to him.
In response, Birbal said that, according to him, the most significant weapon in the world is self-confidence. Akbar didn’t quite understand this, but he chose not to say anything and decided to assess this statement in due time.
A few days later, an elephant in the kingdom went berserk, and it was discovered that the elephant had gone mad. The workers had chained the elephant to control it. When the news reached Emperor Akbar, he immediately instructed Mahavat (the elephant driver) that whenever he saw Birbal, he should release the chains of the elephant.
Mahavat was puzzled by this order, but since it was the emperor’s command, he bowed his head and followed the order.
Now Akbar called Birbal to go to Mahavat. Following the emperor’s order, Mahavat released the elephant from its chains as soon as he saw Birbal approaching. Birbal, unaware of the situation, was casually walking when he noticed the charging elephant coming towards him. Unable to comprehend what was happening, he couldn’t find a place to escape.
In no time, the elephant came quite close to Birbal. Just then, Birbal spotted a dog nearby. He quickly grabbed the dog by its legs and threw it towards the elephant. The dog, yelping, collided with the elephant. Startled by the sudden encounter, the elephant turned and ran in the opposite direction.
After a while, Akbar got to know about this incident. He then admitted that the real test of Birbal’s self-confidence had been conducted using the elephant. Akbar acknowledged that self-confidence is indeed the most powerful weapon.
The moral of the story is not to believe everything blindly. It is essential to investigate and verify before trusting someone’s words. Additionally, the story emphasizes the importance of not losing hope, as self-confidence can help overcome challenges.
