9 - A clever Minister in King Akbar's court

Summary

In this episode of 'Stories from India,' the host, Narad Monei, explores Indian myths and legends. The story features Emperor Akbar and Mahesh Raj, who gains recognition for his wisdom and becomes known as Beil. Beil's cleverness is showcased as he resolves a dispute over a neighbor's greed, using the ambiguity of the word 'like.' The episode also hints at the tale of Varaha, the boar avatar of Vishnu, and promises future stories of Akbar and Beil's adventures, including Beil's role as a method actor and his unique approach to problem-solving.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ 'Stories from India' is a podcast narrating Indian myths, legends, and folk tales.
• 🧝 Narrator Narad Monei is a mythological character with eternal life and knowledge of past, present, and future.
• 🎶 The podcast uses music and applause as part of its presentation style.
• 📱 The story of Akbar and Bebel highlights the importance of charging phones for long trips, with a humorous modern-day reference.
• 👑 Akbar, the 16th-century emperor of India, was known for his fairness and occasional eccentricities.
• 🤝 The tale of Akbar and Mahesh Raj shows how Akbar valued Mahesh's equal treatment and wisdom, leading to a job offer at the court.
• 🎭 The concept of method acting is introduced through the story of a mimic who impresses with his immersive performance.
• 🏡 A story involving a merchant and his neighbor emphasizes the importance of precise language in agreements, as exploited by Bebel.
• 🔍 Bebel's role in resolving disputes showcases his intelligence and the value of clear communication.
• 🐉 The character of Varaha, the boar avatar of Vishnu, is mentioned as part of the mythological context.
• 📝 The podcast invites listener feedback and corrections, emphasizing the interactive and evolving nature of the storytelling.

Q & A

What is the podcast 'Stories from India' about?

The podcast 'Stories from India' is about discussing myths, legends, and folk tales from India.

Who is the narrator of the podcast 'Stories from India'?

The narrator is Narad Muni, a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future.

Why did Emperor Akbar and his friends find themselves lost during a hunting trip?

Emperor Akbar and his friends found themselves lost because they strayed from the regular path and their phone batteries died, leaving them unable to navigate.

What was the significance of the pebble thrown by Mahesh Raj at the mimic's back?

The pebble thrown by Mahesh Raj made the mimic's back shiver exactly as a real bull would have, demonstrating the mimic's talent for method acting.

How did Mahesh Raj prove his wisdom to Emperor Akbar?

Mahesh Raj proved his wisdom by choosing to gift his lucky cap to the mimic, which impressed Akbar and led to him being given a job at the court.

What was the unique job given to Mahesh Raj by Emperor Akbar?

Mahesh Raj was given a job to hang around the court, get a salary, and occasionally receive bonuses.

What was the dilemma faced by the old merchant whose house caught fire?

The old merchant's dilemma was that all his valuable possessions were inside a bag in a cupboard in his burning house, and he couldn't retrieve them without risking his life.

What agreement did the merchant and the neighbor make regarding the retrieval of the merchant's valuables?

The agreement was that the neighbor would retrieve the bag and give the merchant whatever he liked, keeping the rest for himself.

How did Beil resolve the dispute between the merchant and the neighbor?

Beil resolved the dispute by interpreting the agreement in a way that the neighbor had to give the merchant the gold, jewels, and money, and keep the bag for himself, as he 'liked' the valuables and 'did not like' the bag.

What is the significance of the story of the boar (Varaha) in the context of the podcast?

The story of the boar (Varaha), the third avatar of Vishnu, is significant as it represents another encounter with a powerful demon and showcases the divine intervention to restore order and justice.

What is the importance of precise language as illustrated in the story of the merchant and the neighbor?

The importance of precise language is illustrated in the story to highlight how the choice of words can lead to different interpretations and outcomes, emphasizing the need for clear communication.

Outlines

00:00

👑 Akbar's Adventurous Rule and Mahesh Raj's Wisdom

In this episode of 'Stories from India', Narad Monei introduces himself as a mythological character with eternal life and knowledge, setting the stage for a tale of Emperor Akbar's adventures. Akbar, known for his fairness and occasional eccentricities, is depicted as a young ruler who enjoys hunting trips with his friends. During one such trip, they lose their way and their phones die, leading to a humorous situation where Akbar needs to prove his identity to a skeptical boy named Mahesh Raj. Mahesh Raj's defiance and Akbar's determination to prove his status form the crux of this narrative, highlighting the emperor's human side and his interactions with common folk.

05:02

🎭 The Mimic and Mahesh Raj's Insightful Gesture

Continuing from the previous episode, Mahesh Raj is given a chance to prove Akbar's identity by presenting the emperor's ring at court. The story unfolds with a mimic's performance, where Mahesh Raj, despite being poor, chooses to gift his lucky cap instead of the ring. His decision is based on the mimic's exceptional performance, which he believes deserves appreciation. Akbar is impressed by Mahesh Raj's wisdom and hires him without any formalities. This segment explores themes of appreciation for art, the value of wisdom, and the unexpected paths to recognition and employment.

10:04

🔥 The Merchant's Dilemma and Beil's Clever Ruling

This paragraph delves into a legal dilemma involving a merchant whose house catches fire, and his valuables are at risk. The merchant makes a hasty agreement with a neighbor to retrieve his valuables, only to be disappointed when the neighbor keeps everything but returns the empty bag. The case is brought before Akbar, who assigns it to Beil. Beil cleverly interprets the agreement, ruling that the neighbor must return the valuables since he 'liked' them, and can keep the bag, which he did not. This story showcases Beil's wisdom and the importance of precise language in agreements, as well as the moral lesson about greed and fairness.

15:07

🐉 Varaha: The Boar Avatar and its Impact

In the final paragraph, the narrative shifts to a mythological tale involving Varaha, the boar avatar of Vishnu. The story begins with a wish fulfillment gone wrong by Brahma, who grants a demon, Hiranyaksha, immense power, making him nearly invulnerable. This leads to chaos and the submersion of the earth beneath the ocean. Vishnu, in the form of Varaha, dives into the ocean, restores the earth, and defeats Hiranyaksha. The episode ends with a teaser for the next week's stories, promising more adventures of Akbar and Beil, and a discussion on the Tree of Life. The segment also invites feedback and corrections, emphasizing the interactive nature of the podcast.

Keywords

💡Narad Muni

Narad Muni is a mythological character from Hindu mythology who is known for his eternal life and vast knowledge of the past, present, and future. In the context of the video, he is portrayed as the host and storyteller, introducing the audience to various myths and legends from India. His role is crucial in setting the tone and theme of the podcast.

💡Akbar

Akbar was the emperor of 16th century India, known for his fairness and occasional eccentricities. In the video, Akbar is depicted as a young ruler who goes on hunting trips and encounters various situations that test his wisdom and leadership. His character is central to the narrative, illustrating the themes of leadership and wisdom.

💡Method Acting

Method acting is a technique used by actors to immerse themselves in their roles, often by adopting the behaviors and emotions of the characters they portray. In the script, a mimic who imitates animals is described as the original method actor, as he not only makes the sounds but also reacts physically like the animals he imitates. This concept is used to highlight the depth of the mimic's performance.

💡Bebel

Bebel is a character in the script who is known for his wisdom and ability to solve complex problems. He is compared to Sherlock Holmes in the video, indicating his analytical skills and problem-solving abilities. Bebel's character is used to illustrate the theme of wisdom and justice in the stories.

💡Hunting Trip

The hunting trip is a recurring event in the script where Akbar and his friends venture away from their usual path, leading to various adventures and challenges. This setting serves as a backdrop for the stories, highlighting themes of exploration, discovery, and the unexpected.

💡Mahesh Raj

Mahesh Raj is a character who interacts with Akbar during a hunting trip. He is depicted as a boy who is not easily impressed by Akbar's status and challenges Akbar's claim to be the emperor. His character is used to introduce the theme of equality and the importance of not judging people by their status.

💡Mimic

A mimic in the script is a performer who can imitate any animal, impressing the audience with his skills. His performance is highlighted as an example of method acting, showing his deep immersion in the role. The mimic's role is used to explore the theme of art and performance in the context of the story.

💡Merchant and Neighbor

The story of the merchant and the neighbor is a subplot in the script where a merchant's house catches fire, and he makes a deal with a neighbor to retrieve his valuables. The neighbor ends up keeping the valuables for himself, leading to a moral dilemma. This story is used to explore themes of trust, greed, and the consequences of agreements.

💡Vishnu

Vishnu is a major deity in Hinduism, often depicted as the preserver of the universe. In the script, Vishnu is mentioned in relation to his avatars, such as the boore, which is used to illustrate the theme of divine intervention and the balance of power in the universe.

💡Brahma

Brahma is the creator god in Hindu mythology, often associated with the creation of the universe. In the script, Brahma is mentioned in relation to his role in granting powers to demons, which often leads to chaos. This reference is used to highlight the theme of creation and the responsibility that comes with power.

💡Bore

The boore is an avatar of Vishnu mentioned in the script, used to defeat the demon Hiranaka. The boore dives into the ocean, restores the Earth, and kills the demon, illustrating the theme of divine intervention and the balance of good and evil in the universe.

Highlights

Introduction to the podcast 'Stories from India' hosted by the mythological character Narad Moneoi, who has the gift of eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future.

The podcast dives into Indian myths, legends, and folk tales, such as the story of Akbar and Bebel, with a humorous take on modern-day issues like charging phones.

Emperor Akbar's character is portrayed as a fair king with occasional eccentricities, showing a human side to historical figures.

The tale of Mahesh Raj, a common boy who impresses Akbar with his manner and wisdom, leading to an unexpected friendship and job offer.

The concept of 'method acting' is introduced through the story of a mimic who so convincingly imitates a bull that he is recognized as the original method actor.

A story about the importance of precise language is shared, where a neighbor's greed is outsmarted by Bebel using the ambiguity of the word 'like'.

The story of a merchant and his neighbor illustrates the consequences of not specifying terms in an agreement, leading to a lesson in the power of words.

Bebel's role as a wise advisor to Akbar is highlighted, showing a unique relationship between a king and his counselor.

The introduction of the character Waraha, the boar and the third avatar of Vishnu, adds a layer of religious mythology to the podcast's narrative.

A humorous critique of Brahma's over-generous granting of powers to demons, highlighting a recurring theme in Indian mythology.

The story of how Vishnu, as a boar, restores the Earth and defeats the demon Hiranaka, showcasing the heroism of the deity.

An upcoming episode teaser about Bebel in 'Sherlock Holmes mode', promising a tale of crime investigation using psychology.

A sneak peek at the 'Tree of Life' episode, which will explore a magical tree that can grant any wish.

A call for audience feedback and corrections, showing the host's openness to interaction and improvement.

Acknowledgment of the support from family and friends, and an invitation for listeners to engage with the podcast through reviews and social media.

Credits for the podcast's music from Purple Planet, adding a layer of professionalism and creativity to the production.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

hello and welcome to stories from India

a podcast where we talk about myths

Legends and folk tales from India in

case this is your first episode let me

quickly introduce myself I narad monei

and I am a mythological character to

myself I have the gift of eternal life

and knowledge of the past the present

and the

future and I am a traveling musician and

a Storyteller by

profession I used to walk around with a

wiena for several Millennia but

podcasting has made my job so much

easier this week we'll dive into the

world of akar and

bebel where you'll learn why you should

always charge your phone before you head

out on long

trips and you'll also learn about the

very first method actor you'll also see

why you should choose your words

carefully when you're rushing into a

burning

house the character this week is a bore

it can change size and it can

swim if your reaction to that is yeah

sure that'll happen when pigs fly you're

right because this B can fly too now on

to the

show Akbar was the emperor of 16th

century India like most rulers we have

met in this podcast he was a fair

King but unlike most of those kings

Akbar did have occasional

eccentricities more on that

later we'll start off before bebble was

bebble Emperor Akbar had become ruler of

India when he was just 13 years old

instead of hanging out at movie theaters

and playing video games at the arcade he

was instead running a

country and because he was running the

country he got to decide what his

friends did as well if he wasn't going

to have fun they weren't

either so his friends would often have

to be delighted to accompany akar on his

hunting

trips on one such trip they strayed

quite a ways away from the regular

path and as happens in these situations

their phone batteries died so they

couldn't get a handle on where they

were I need a horse and saddle with an

inbuilt charger next time thought akar

in fact I'll email the stable boy right

now and then he looked at his dead phone

and

groaned and to top it all they were

thirsty we could just ask that boy for

water said one of Aur hostages I mean

friends Akbar looked up and saw the boy

the boy seemed bright but was also

deliberately ignoring how richly the

hunting party was

dressed they all did ask the boy for

water and the boy said okay but with

almost an air of

defiance what's your name asked

akar what's yours replied the

boy I am Akbar said akar and I'm Mahesh

Raj said the boy and sure just follow me

home and you can have all the water you

need Mahesh Raj took them home and gave

everyone water and also directions to

Agra which was where Akbar

ruled Akbar was pretty intrigued by

Mahesh Raj's

manner unlike everyone else he had

encountered in his entire 13-year-old

life Mahesh was not treating him like a

god

he seemed to consider Akbar his

equal so I don't know how else to bring

this up said akar you do know that I'm

the emperor right that's a tall story

said

Mahesh I am believe me said

akar in the absence of any objective and

incontrovertible proof I don't said

Mahesh

Raj Akbar being a typical team teager

now absolutely wanted to prove his

point Mahesh Raj didn't believe him even

after Akbar pulled out money with his

face on it that's not objective said

Mahesh Raj it's extremely hard to pull

off a likeness on

currency this is the 16th century after

all and metallurgical or printing Arts

are by no means

perfect Akbar would have continued to

try to to prove his point but his Pals

were rushing him

now it had been a whole day since they

had played Super

Mario they shouldn't have to hang back

here any

longer fine said Akbar to Mahesh here's

my ring just show up in court and then

you'll

see and then Akbar and his hunting party

went back to

Agra Mahesh Raj did travel to Agra after

a

while as it happens he reached akbar's

Court just as there was live

entertainment there was a mimic who

could imitate any animal it was amazing

to

hear every time he imitated some animal

people would gift him

something seeing as the people at CT

were the Kingdom's richest those gifts

were mostly gold and

silver Mahesh Raj was in their midst he

was poor and had nothing much other than

his his lucky cap and the emperor's

ring when the mimic mimicked a bull

everyone was impressed and dropped more

gold and silver into the mimik

Hat Mahesh Raj had a thought he picked

up a small pebble and bunged it at the

mimiks back not

forcefully but the mimiks back shivered

exactly as a real bull might have done

if hit by a

pebble this impressed Mahesh Raj Mahesh

Raj debated for a moment between the

emperor's ring and his lucky but old and

battered

cap and finally decided to gift the

mimic the more valuable of the two his

cap while some people in the audience

turned their noses up at the dirty

looking gift which wasn't even

accompanied by a gift receipt the

emperor noticed this and asked the boy

to explain his

actions both throwing the pebble and

gifting the mimic his

hat Mahesh Raj quickly explained how it

was his lucky hat and all and that he

had chosen to show his appreciation only

after the mimic acted exactly like a

bull making a bull sound is something

that can be learned but this mimic

clearly immersed himself in the role

Beyond just the

voice he had reacted to the pebble

exactly as a real bull may have have in

short the mimic was the original method

actor the mimic had never before been

appreciated for this and he was quick to

forgive the pebble thrown at him Akbar

was quite impressed by Mahesh Raj's

wisdom and he also finally recognized

the

boy immediately he gave the boy a job

without so much as a background check or

even glancing at his resume

the job description was

straightforward hang around the court

get a salary and occasionally

bonuses Mahesh Raj accepted and about

this time everyone started calling him

beerbo a very good decision frankly the

tales of Akbar and Mahesh Raj just

sounds awkward akar and Beil is so much

better here's one of those stories

there was once an old Merchant in the

Kingdom he had some valuables with him

that he kept in the safest possible

place in a bag in a cupboard in his

house there weren't any Bank walls then

there were some sort of banks who could

hold your money for you but those Banks

were run by a single

person and that person would hold your

valuables in a bag in his cupboard in

his

house so all in all the merchant was

quite justified in keeping his valuables

the way he did one day the Merchant's

house caught on

fire given most houses were made of

straw and cow dunk back then both of

which aren't exactly fire

resistant this was going to be a

disaster luckily the old Merchant

managed to escape but all his worldly

possession ions were in the bag in the

cupboard inside the burning

house he wanted to go in again and get

the

bag but his neighbor a much younger man

stopped

him are you crazy why are you going back

in

there my money gold jewels they're all

inside in a bag in the cupboard I need

those said the

merchant the neighbor asked hm money

gold chills I can get those for you

could you really asked the merchant sure

I'd be risking my life but I expect to

be compensated in my

way I'll get your bag and I'll give you

whatever I like and I'll keep the rest

for

myself deal said the

merchant they didn't sign a legal

agreement they didn't have their lawyers

present they didn't even Shake on

it but after all there was no time to

lose the neighbor rushed in and rushed

out with the

bag thankfully nothing happened to

him the merchant was

overjoyed within moments though his Joy

turned to Bitter disappointment as the

neighbor kept all the money gold and

jewels for himself and gave the merchant

just the empty

bag it would have been better for his

valuables to have have perished in the

fire than to see them owned by someone

else but the merchant had made that

agreement and should have foreseen this

really he had been expecting his

neighbor to have stuck to the spirit of

the agreement than to the

letter the merchant took his grievance

to the

king Akbar realized how thny this issue

was and immediately assigned it to

beille Akbar loved doing this he would

enjoy subjecting beerel to challenges

like

these beerel called The Merchant and the

neighbor and all the witnesses and went

over all the facts of the

case while he understood the agreement

it was clear to him that the neighbor

was being logically but unreasonably

greedy there was just one way to resolve

this the young man needed to be taught a

lesson he asked the merchant again so

the agreement was that the neighbor

would give you whatever he liked and

keep the rest for

himself yes said the

merchant yes said the neighbor and yes

said all the

witnesses well then it seems pretty

clear you return this man's gold jewels

and money and you can have the bag he

said to the neighbor wait what said the

neighbor it's obvious from your own

agreement continued Beil you promised to

give the merchant whatever you liked and

to keep the rest for

yourself obviously you like the gold the

jewels and the money so you must give

those to the merchant and the bag which

you obviously did not like that's

yours bebble was making a distinction

between two definitions of the verb like

one that means to find agreeable

enjoyable or satisfactory

and the other like which means feel

about or consider or think

about pble was able to take advantage of

this

ambiguity now if the neighbor had chosen

his words better by using the word

choose to instead of

like he'd have had an ironclad case

here I'll give you whatever I choose to

would make for a pretty compelling

argument

but then the neighbor wasn't thinking

about it in the Heat of the Moment quite

literally while it's debatable whether

maybe beerel should have let the

neighbor keep the valuables anyway I

mean the man did after all risk his life

by rushing into the burning

house beardell may have been thinking

about other things as well the merchant

was old and past retirement age and the

neighbor was young the neighbor was was

more likely to get more chances in life

to make

money if nothing else now that he had

had a rough but effective introduction

to the importance of using precise and

accurate verbiage he could become a

lawyer or maybe a tax

consultant some notes on the show while

Akbar and bebal are often compared to

tanali Raman and krishnaa Ray they are

quite

different thali ran was a courtchester

and there was a clear boundary between

him and the King beel however had a

completely different kind of

relationship with Akbar Akbar did not

consider bebel to be intellectually

inferior to himself and bebel knew that

while their intellectual Gap was

certainly not as steep as that between

Cheves and birie booster of PG wood

house Fame bebell did often get akar and

himself out of sticky situations the way

Jeeves might have done

method acting is an interesting thing if

you haven't come across it

before Robert Deniro's example in Taxi

Driver is one of the most famous ones

where he lived and worked as a real taxi

driver just to immerse himself in the

role the character this week is waraha a

boore that is the third Avatar of Vishnu

we've already encountered other avas of

Vishnu before including in the very

first episode Unicorn

fish check that episode out if you

haven't

yet the story starts with yet another of

my dad's wish fulfillment gone

wrong Brahma the Creator who's my dad

had given a demon called hiranaka a lot

of power and made him invulnerable to

pretty much everything seriously we are

just a dozen episodes into this podcast

and we have already encountered four or

five cases of Brahma giving people too

much

power sheesh you'd think there be some

checks and balances on this power giving

Thing by

now but never mind I'll bring it up with

Brahma when I see him

next anyway hiranaka had kind of

terrorized the whole earth and the whole

earth was now captive at the bottom of

the

ocean don't ask me how that works to

confess I don't understand it very well

myself

I do have the knowledge but it's hard to

connect the dots sometimes especially at

my age it's just extra Dimensions or

something

fancy so anyway there was a loophole

again hiranaka hadn't asked to be made

invulnerable to

pores he would have been much better off

taking the safer approach of specifying

what could kill him instead of

specifying each and every animal That

Couldn't Vishnu took the form of a boore

and spoiler

alert dived into the oceans restored the

Earth again and killed

hiranaka it's a good story by itself we

can cover it in a separate episode

further down the

road next week we'll do a couple more

akar bebble stories where you'll see

beerel in Sherlock Holmes mode as he

investigates a crime and find the

perpetrator using the psychology the

character next week is the tree of life

that can give you anything you want and

no it's not an end from The Lord of the

Rings movies nor is it the tree from the

Avatar movie since I'm several thousands

of years old my memory may not be

perfect at

times so if you see any errors in my

podcast I'd appreciate it if you could

Point them out to me if you have any

comments or Sugg suggestions you can

leave a review on the site it's sfip

podcast.com

the site is also linked in the show

notes you can also tweet at SFI

podcast the music is from purple

planet.com that's

purple-planet.com as always I'm grateful

to family and friends for all the

support and help and thank you all for

listening the feedback I have received

has been

very

useful I'll see you next

[Music]

week