One day the treasurer rushed into the court and said, “Your Majesty, there is a big problem! The royal treasury is almost empty. Very little gold and silver is left.”
Emperor Akbar became worried. He said, “If the treasury is empty, how will we pay the soldiers? How will we help the poor?”
The courtiers panicked. Someone suggested increasing taxes; someone else suggested new fees. The atmosphere became tense.
Birbal stepped forward calmly and said, “Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. An empty treasury is a problem, but it can be filled with cleverness. Please give me three days.”
Akbar agreed.
First, Birbal looked carefully around the palace. He noticed that many rooms had old, expensive gifts, extra gold and silver utensils, and decorative items that were never used. He also checked the kitchen, the garden, and the royal stables. There too, many things were lying unused.
On the third day, Birbal presented a unique plan in the court. He said, “Your Majesty, we will celebrate a ‘Simple Living Week’ in the palace. For one week, there will be no extra grandeur. The old and unused valuable things will be sold or exchanged properly, and the money will go into the treasury. At the same time, everyone in the palace will eat simple food and stop unnecessary expenses.”
Akbar liked the idea. He himself wore simple clothes and ate simple food. Under Birbal’s supervision, the old unused items were sold at fair prices. The palace expenses suddenly reduced a lot.
After one week, the treasurer came again. This time he was smiling. He said, “Your Majesty, the treasury has started filling up again! And the people are also happy because no new tax was imposed.”
Akbar was very pleased. He patted Birbal on the back and said, “Birbal, you filled the empty treasury with cleverness, without putting any burden on anyone. This is true wisdom.”
Moral: When money is short, it is not always necessary to raise new taxes. Wisdom and saving can also fill the treasury.