[This is not an Akbar Birbal's story as such but this is just an episode which has appeared in the Akbar Naamaa and brings out the virtue and greatness of the Gayatri Mantra.]

Akbar was ruling India and Birbal was his minister. Akbar and Birbal would often travel incognito to collect first hand information about the various happenings within the country. On one occasion, they noticed a Braahman going begging from house to house. Akbar pointed this out to Birbal. Birbal noticed the beggar and kept quiet. After reaching home he sent a word for the Braahman to meet him.

When the Braahman called on Birbal, Birbal said - " O Braahman, You collect your daily earnings through begging from me every day. In lieu of begging please chant Gayatri Mantra during the three Sandhyaa periods 108 times everyday."

The Braahman agreed and after collecting the money from Birbal, started chanting Gayatri Mantra three times a day as Birbal suggested him. After a few days, he thought why not increase the chanting to 1008 times, since he had a lot of time. Very soon, people started giving him charity in the form of food and cash. In this way the Braahman stopped going to Birbal's house for begging.

His daily meditation earned him the power to acquire knowledge, acquire an attractive personality and soon he got transformed into a good expounder of knowledge. More and more people started coming to him and he became a well known personality. Birbal also heard about him . One day Birbal visited the Braahman and asked him as to why he had stopped coming to his house. The Braahman profusely thanked Birbal for for putting him on the right path by guiding him at the right time.

One day Birbal mentioned to Akbar that a saintly person had come to town and Akbar promptly invited the person and honored him. Birbal then asked Akbar whether he remembered this saintly person, but Akbar could not recollect. Birbal then reminded Akbar about the Braahman beggar episode . Akbar after hearing this exclaimed - "Oh ! what a change."

The End