Birbal and the Boastful Wrestler

A famous wrestler, undefeated in every match he had ever fought, arrived at Akbar's court boasting that no man present, however clever, could possibly best him at anything, since brute strength always won in the end regardless of cleverness. Akbar, amused, asked if anyone at court dared accept his challenge.

Birbal, to everyone's surprise, accepted at once — but proposed his own terms: rather than wrestling directly, each man would try to make the other laugh first, using words alone, no touching permitted. The wrestler, confident this would be even easier than actual wrestling, agreed immediately, expecting an easy victory over a mere minister.

Birbal began by solemnly declaring that he had once wrestled a lion barehanded and won, and when the wrestler scoffed in disbelief, Birbal added with total seriousness that the lion in question had, in fact, been embroidered on a tapestry, and he had indeed defeated it — by simply rolling it up and putting it away. The wrestler burst out laughing despite himself before he could stop it, losing the contest instantly to an opponent who had never so much as raised a hand. Akbar, delighted, pointed out to the humbled wrestler that strength decides only contests of strength — but wit can win almost anything else, including battles that brute force was never actually equipped to fight in the first place.