A poor man stood neck-deep in a freezing river all night for a king’s reward,
and was denied it because ‘no one can survive the cold without a fire’.
How did Birbal prove the king wrong?

Question

Accepted Answer

He invited the king to lunch — then hung the pot of khichdi five feet above a tiny fire. ‘If a man’s fire warms him from a mile away,’ said Birbal, ‘surely this fire will cook from five feet.’ — Birbal’s case wasn’t about cooking. It was about a king’s broken promise — served at exactly the temperature it deserved.

A poor man stood neck-deep in a freezing river all night for a king’s reward, and was denied it because ‘no one can survive the cold without a fire’. How did Birbal prove the king wrong?