One day, the Emperor and Birbal while taking a walk reached a small village.
On the way, the Emperor saw a dog that was eating a black and dried up piece of roti.
The Emperor thought of teasing Birbal. He said, “Look Birbal! That dog is eating ‘Kali’.” (Kali literally means Black.)
Birbal understood what the Emperor meant. He replied, “Your Majesty! It is ‘Niyamat’ for it !” (Niyamat literally stands for Blessing.)
The Emperor lost his temper. He shouted, “Birbal, don’t you know, my mother’s name was ‘Niyamat’. Did you mean the dog was eating her?”
Birbal replied politely, “Huzoor, first, you said that dog was eating 'Kali'. You knew very well that my mother’s name was ‘Kali’.”
The Emperor interrupted, “I didn’t utter your mother’s name. The roti was stale and had turned black.”
Birbal replied, “But I also did not take your words seriously, Huzoor. I said that however stale and black the roti may be, it was a blessing for the hungry dog. No offence was meant to your mother.”
The Emperor kept quiet.