Spilt Tea

Once, an intelligent man from a faraway country visited Akbar’s kingdom. He had heard of Birbal’s wisdom and wanted to meet him. Birbal invited the man to his house. They enjoyed discussing many topics. After a while, the man said, “Sir, please offer me a few words of wisdom.” Birbal smiled. Then he asked his servant to bring them tea. When the tea arrived, Birbal offered to pour the tea from the teapot. He continued to pour tea even after the cup was full. As a result, the tea began spilling over the rim of the cup, onto the table and ran all over the floor. The man said, “Sir, the cup is already full.” Birbal said, “Like this cup, you are full of knowledge. You should use it. Otherwise, it will be wasted, like this tea.” The man thanked Birbal. He went back to his country and started teaching children.