Brain Teasers
Birbal the Wise - IV
Emperor Akbar once ruled over India. He was a wise and intelligent ruler, and he had in his court the Nine Gems, his nine advisors, who were each known for a particular skill. One of these Gems was Birbal, known for his wit and wisdom. The story below is one of the examples of his wit. Do you have it in you to find out the answer?
There was once a blacksmith who used to make spears and shields. He came to Emperor Akbar's court and claimed - "Your Majesty, nobody can make shields and spears like mine. My shields are so strong that nothing can pierce them and my spears are so sharp that there is nothing they cannot pierce."
On hearing this statement, Birbal immediately said, "You lie and I can prove that you are lying." What did he find wrong with the man's statement?
There was once a blacksmith who used to make spears and shields. He came to Emperor Akbar's court and claimed - "Your Majesty, nobody can make shields and spears like mine. My shields are so strong that nothing can pierce them and my spears are so sharp that there is nothing they cannot pierce."
On hearing this statement, Birbal immediately said, "You lie and I can prove that you are lying." What did he find wrong with the man's statement?
Answer
Birbal told the man - "I can prove you wrong. Let's do a simple test."The man, supremely confident, agreed.
Birbal said smilingly - "OK, hold up one of your shields and I will pierce it with one of your spears."
The man realized he had been outwitted because both his statements could never be true at the same time. Only one of his statements would hold true under any situation. Shamed to silence, he quietly left the court.
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Comments
I cant believe I didnt get that one, so obvious when you think about it
I really like these. More please!
That's a nice easy one...
That was too obvious
Very good! I totally missed it! Can't believe I missed it!!!
Wow!! I got it!! GREAT teaser!! I loved it. Going in my favorites for sure!
Definitely the most clever of the Birbal series.
Thank you for the nice and thoughtful comments y'all!
That was great! It was easy but great!
A bit too easy.
Wisdom from the past is never wasted. Good job. Fun and insightful.
Fun, but too easy for me!
very good, got this one straight away tho`. thx anyway....
Jun 23, 2006
the anwer is logical hence it was an easy puzzle.
Fun & Easy.
Fun but a little to easy didn't have to think to get it.
Good teaser - but easy...
This was a bit easy, but it off-sets those that I find impossible to do. Thanks for the teaser.
Easy one. But still stimulating
How in the world did I miss that? That was very creative and good. Great job!
Very easy, but fun/witty.
Easily bored, for sure I wasn't. A good tale turned into a good teaser.
Nice! Very easy, but it feels good to get one.
it Was easy ,but I DiDNOT get it Maybe I was trying to think to hard. Seemed so obvios afteriread the answer
I got it in a split second. A little obvious.
Ones like these make you think a little, or at least I didn't have to think much... It makes sense 'cause if one cannot be pierced and the other can pierce anything... it make no sense whatsoever. So that was cool... and easy!
Sir Issac Newton came up with same teaser 400 years ago when he asked.
"What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object"
Good one, but a bit late!
No offence meant!
"What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object"
Good one, but a bit late!
No offence meant!
Wow, irresistible force vs. immovable object.
Good Job! So easy, it was HARD!!!!
This was pretty easy. I actually thought that there was a type-o or something because it was too easy. It was still a pretty good teaser!
way to easy
haha, nysss...
Very Simple, but fun nonetheless.
Loved got after I read it a few times but very fun keep em comin
As demse as I am I figured that one with no strain on my limited facilites
wayy too easy.. but i like the easy ones.. they're c00l...... . pm me!!!!!!
Very easy, but I like telling this kind of thing to kids and this one will be do-able for them... so I like it
Jun 23, 2006
I actually got it rather quickly. How refreshing! Thanx for putting an easy one out there for me! Got others?
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! But loads of fun... encore!
i can't beleave i missed the anwser good one
Witty!
Love this kind; more please!
Very easy, but fun!
THANKS for a good story.
THANKS for a good story.
that was heck easy nice though
pretty fun and original but WAY too easy!
Easy but fun
Got it! A nice one. However, I wonder if I would have seen through the contradictory claim, had I heard it otherwise than as a teaser!
Had to read it twice and all of a sudden!!!!! BANG I got it .Quite easy but fun, Good job.
Too easy
for someone who hardly never gets it.... I got that one, fun but easy
way way way too easy... nice little story though
i finally got one. been having too many croonerisms and letter pairs ones lately, thanks for a good one i could do!!
FUN. EVIDENTLY EASY. BIRBAL IS MY KIND OF GUY, BUT A LITTLE ARROGANT.
I finally got one also. I thought just a bit. It was fun to do an easier but very clever teaser!
A redundant statement completely, same as what happens, when the greatest force, meets an object, that cannot be moved, obliteration!
John
John
i looked for the double negative first, than got the obvious answer first. thank you.
These Birbal (Raja Birbal -1528-1586) tales from the oral traditions of India were old and well recognized in Sir Isaac Newton, (1642 – 1727) times.
OCH, thanks so much for the update between Newton and Birbal. Good information. And Brainster, sure it was a little easy but very good none the less. Loved the story. And Imurray, thank you.
Way too easy.
not 2 b mean...but next time get somethin more challenging!!!!! it wuz reallly good though!!!
Loved the story. Sir Issac was probably better at math but your prose is certainly superior.
OH BRAINSTER, THAT ONE WAS TOO CUTE AND EASY. IF THE SPEAR WAS SO SHARP, THEN IT COULD PERICE THE SHIELD.
I LIKED IT!!!!
IT WAS ALL IN THE WORDING THAT GAVE IT AWAY.
"VERY ENJOYABLE"
I LIKED IT!!!!
IT WAS ALL IN THE WORDING THAT GAVE IT AWAY.
"VERY ENJOYABLE"
Fun, but too easy. Sometimes with a teaser like this you might miss it because you expect it to be hard. Anyway, good try!
easy. cute too!
Really easy. It was fun to read the story, though.
Easy! I liked that one - didn't require me to burn my brain cells! Thanks
I can't belive I got that wrong.
I got this right away.
I
I
got it very quickly but liked it like to see more
Too easy...
Yeah..
easy but funny!!
Aug 28, 2006
that was a good one ... keep 'em coming!!
*clap clap*
good job!
good job!
yay i got it again! i really really like the birbal riddles they are so super super fun!
I burst out laghing when I read what the guy said.
Nice
teaser of the day teaser of the day
If you didn't figure this one out in two seconds,you are brain dead!!!
you have a gtreat build up to the story but you made it way ot easy. next time try to be a little more trivial. i could see this one before i was half way threw the last paragraph. maybe i have seen it to many times in similair questions
Easy, but cute. Enjoyed the story.
Very easy, the blacksmith con-
tradicted himself.
great quiz, i got it rit away!!!! pretty good cuz i never get ANYTHING!!!!!!
Easy, but fun. thanks.
I thought he was going to ask the guy if the spear could pierce HIM!!!
I got it straight away. It's the old irresistable force meets an immovable object trick
I think it would have been better phrased if the question were "How did Birbal prove the blacksmith was lying?"
Still a nice teaser though
I think it would have been better phrased if the question were "How did Birbal prove the blacksmith was lying?"
Still a nice teaser though
Easiest in my opinion of all the Birbal teasers.
WOW!!! THAT ONE WAS A TOUGH ONE. IT TOOK AT LEAST 3 SECONDS TO FIGURE IT OUT!!!
While this might have been a great teaser for me if I had not known the answer already, I really doubt the authenticity of this teaser. Chinese records (Han Feizi if I remember correctly) show that this story happened during the Zhou Dynasty of China - way before Akbar's time. In fact, the Chinese word for contradiction - maodun - comes from this story, as does the idiom zixiang maodun, meaning self-contradiction. I didn't vote on this teaser since I know I can't be fair on it.
It's a teaser, not a history lesson.
What is wrong with a history lesson? I am always open to learn something and I love smart people that know those things!!!
rofl...
Oh my goodness Even I got that one so easily. I can't tell if I did in 2012, but on this day and time I got it quite quickly. Very easy!
just a bit too easy
Fun teaser - thanks for posting! Hello friends!
Nice, easy, fun, teaser, thanks!
This is just an embellishment of the old "irresistible force vs. immovable object" paradox.
As a teaser, too easy. I had the same thought as TBTabby. I like the Akbar series because of the color and narrative, but this one is a bit shallow.
From the "just have fun and be snarky" point of view, Birbal may be witty but not wise. His ruler may have been offered an impregnable shield and a spear that can pierce any opponent's armor, but Birbal drove him away just so he could feel superior. Not wise.
From the "just have fun and be snarky" point of view, Birbal may be witty but not wise. His ruler may have been offered an impregnable shield and a spear that can pierce any opponent's armor, but Birbal drove him away just so he could feel superior. Not wise.
Fun and easy teaser; I got it right away.
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