One day King Akbar wants to test his courtiers. So he asked them to
tell the difference between true and false in three or fewer words.
No one responded to it. Then Akbar asked Birbal, “What about you,
Birbal? I am so surprised even you too are silent.”
“I am silent only because I thought of giving a chance to our
courtiers, Majesty,” said Birbal.
“Everyone is silent, so go ahead and tell me the difference between
truth and false in three or fewer words,” said the emperor.
"Four fingers," said Birbal
"Four fingers?" asked the emperor, perplexed.
"That's the difference between truth and falsehood, your
Majesty," said Birbal. "That which you see with your own eyes is the
truth. That which you have only heard about might not be true. More often than
not, it's likely to be false."
"That is right," said Akbar. "But what did you mean
by saying the difference is four fingers?'
"The distance between one's eyes and one's ears is the width
of four fingers, Your Majesty," said Birbal.
King Akbar was delighted by the answer and gave him an award.
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