The False Lion

The King of Persia and Emperor Akbar were good friends who exchanged puzzles and jokes. They also enjoyed receiving gifts from each other, which kept their friendship alive. One day, a messenger from Persia arrived at Akbar’s court with a letter. He was followed by four strong men carrying a big cage containing a false lion. 

The note was from the King of Persia and read, “Can an intelligent person from your kingdom get the lion out without opening the cage? If the cage is not emptied, the Mughal Empire will come under the sovereignty of the Persian Empire.”

Akbar looked eagerly at his courtiers. 

“I know that all of you are intelligent and experts in your fields. Can any of you get the lion out without opening the cage?” he said.

All the courtiers sat quietly in their seats, perplexed and worried. Beerbal was absent from court that day because he was busy with some governmental work. Akbar wished Beerbal were there and sent some soldiers to locate and summon him. The next day, Akbar was comfortably sitting on his throne. The courtiers were also seated. One seat was empty because Beerbal hadn’t arrived yet. Just then, Beerbal entered the court, and bowed to the emperor. 

“Your Majesty," said Beerbal. "I am at your disposal. What can I do for you?” 

Akbar briefly narrated the entire story to Beerbal and handed him the note from the King of Persia. Beerbal read the letter and looked at the cage with the lion’s statue. He ordered a servant to bring him a long iron rod heated at one end. The servant immediately complied. Beerbal held the rod at its cool end and touched the lion with its hot end. The statue began to melt. Beerbal kept touching the lion with the hot end of the rod until the entire statue had melted. The messenger from Persia was impressed by Beerbal’s ingenuity.  

“How did you know the lion was made of wax?” Akbar asked Beerbal.

“According to the note, the cage had to be emptied without being opened," replied Beerbal. "The note did not specify that the lion had to be intact, so I surmised that the lion was made of wax.” 

The messenger returned to Persia with yet another tale about Beerbal’s intelligence.