One small-minded brahmana was overcome by the desire to be known as a pandit. Whatever the poor guy did to achieve this, it was all to no avail. He then decided to ask Birbal for advice and went to his house. The road was long, he was tired, but when he arrived, the brahman learned that Birbal had not yet returned from the padishah. “Necessity never waits,” people say. The brahmana had only one concern - to be known as a pandit, and he, barely alive, trudged along the road that led to the palace. He walks, and Birbal meets him. And the brahman began to beg and pray:
- O wise sir, chief adviser! I am completely illiterate, I can neither read nor write, but I really want to be called a pandit. No matter what I do, nothing works, my cherished desire does not come true. Have mercy, advise me something, otherwise I have no life at all.
“I don’t see any reason to kill myself like that,” Birbal answers calmly. - The matter is quite simple. Go, stand at an intersection, and as soon as someone calls you a pandit, attack him with your fists. That's it. You will see, then, wherever you go, everyone will call you a pandit, and nothing else.
The stupid brahmana was very happy with such advice. He immediately ran to the intersection and stood in full view of passers-by.
Meanwhile, Birbal arrived in time. A group of boys were playing nearby. Birbal called them over, whispered with them, and fun began... From all sides it started saying: “Pandit! Pandit! Pandit!”, and the brahmana with his fists, let’s chase the boys. A whole crowd gathered: looking at the children, and the adults began shouting: “Pandit! Pandit! The more the brahmana became angry, the more he was teased. So very soon the stupid brahmana became famous. His cherished wish came true. On Birbal's advice, he soon stopped snapping when called that way, but the nickname "pundit" remained with him.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru