The story revolves around Birbal, a clever advisor to the emperor, who is faced with an impossible request from the king to prepare a "saree made of smoke." Birbal cleverly navigates the situation with the help of his daughter's insightful suggestion, telling the king that the saree requires a "thread of vision." As the king attempts to see this thread, Birbal uses the opportunity to highlight the absurdity of the demand.

The narrative demonstrates various encounters on a journey where the emperor initially seeks to test the intelligence of his subjects. They meet boys who differentiate fresh from stale fruit based on a humorous observation, a man who cleverly suggests a practical solution to measure water in a river, and a boy who discusses the cost of dyeing his skin with unexpected precision. Throughout, Birbal's wit stands out, and the king realizes that his kingdom is filled with clever and resourceful individuals. The story emphasizes intelligence, wit, and the importance of practical thinking over mere authority.

एक दफे बादसाह बीरबल से पूछलन कि ''हम जे कहबउ से तूं करबें?'’ बीरबल कहलक कि करब! राजा कहलन कि ''धुआँ के साड़ी तइयार करऽ!'' बीरबल अब तो फेरा में, आउ घरे आन के मटिया के सूत गेल। ओकर बेटिया जगौलक कि ''बाबू जी, चल के खा लऽ!'' तऽ बीरबल कहलक कि ''बेटी, राजा साहब के सवाल सुन के आज हम्मर भूख-पिआस सब बंद हे!'’ बेटी पूछलक तो बीरबल राजा के सवाल कह देलक। बेटी कहलक कि ''घबड़ाय के कोई बात नऽ हे।'’ चलऽ, पहिले खा लऽ, आउ दरबार में जाय के पहिले पूछ लिहँऽ!''

बीरबल खाना-उना खयलक, आउ दरबार में जाय के पहिले बेटी से पूछलक कि ''अब कहऽ!'' बेटी कहलक कि जा के राजा से कह दऽ कि ''धुआँ के साड़ी तइयार हे, बाकि ओकरा में नजर के माड़ी के जरूरत हे!'' राज दरबार में आन के बीरबल ओही बात कहलक। राजा नजर के माड़ी ला सब के आँख पर एकह गो हाँड़ी बँधा देलन। जब नजर के माड़ी नऽ जमा होयल तो राजा कहलन कि ''ए बीरबल नजर तो जमे नऽ हो रहल हे!'' तब बीरबल कहलक कि ''सरकार जब नजर के माड़ी जमे न होयल, तो धुआँ के साड़ी कइसे तइयार हो सकऽ हे?'’

बादसाह बीरबल से कहलन कि ''जे होवे ला हल, से तो होयबे कयलउ। चल, अब देख अइहें कि हम्मर राज बुरबक हे, इया चलाँक हे, इया जबबिया हे?'’ तब बीरबल आउ बादसाह निकललन। बादसाह हाथ में एगो घड़ी ले लेलन। दूनो चलल जाइत हलन, कि कुछ लइकन जामुन खाइत हलन। लइकवन से बादसाह कहलन कि ''अरे बाबू, हमरो कुछ जामुन खिलावऽ!'' लइकवन पेड़वे पर से कहकई कि ''टटका खयबऽ कि बासी?'’ बादसाह कहलन कि ''थोड़े-थोड़े दूनों में से खिलावऽ!'' लइकवन डोला के थोड़ा जमुनियाँ गिरा देलन आउ बादसाह धूरी फूँक-फूँक के खयलन। फिनो लइकवन अँगोछी में तोड़ल जामुन ले के उतरलन आउ बादसाह के देलन। बादसाह गुप्प-गुप्प निगल गेलन आउ, पूछलन कि ''अरे बाबू, एकरा में कउन जमुनियां बासी, आउ कउन टटका हलई।'’ लइकवन कहलक कि ''जउन फूँक के खयलऽ, ऊ टटका हलवऽ, आउ जउन गुप-गुप खयलऽ, ऊ बासी हलवऽ।'’ बादसाह बीरबल से ई कहइत आगे बढ़लन कि ''हमरा देस जबबिया हे!'’

बादसाह आउ बीरबल जाइत-जाइत एगो नदी पर पहुँचलन। उहाँ जा के एगो अदमी से पूछलन कि ''एकरा में केतना पानी हई?'’ ऊ अदमियाँ कहलकई कि ''तूं अप्पन साथी से पूछ लऽ!'' बादसाह कहलन कि ''हम्मर साथी भी नऽ जानइत हथ। ओहु अनजाने हथ।'’ अदमियाँ फिनो कहलक कि '' तूं अप्पन साथी से पूछऽ!'' बादसाह कुछ न समझलन, त ऊ अदमियाँ डपट के कहलकइन कि ''महराज, अप्पन हथवा में डंटवा हवऽ, ओकरा से नापल नऽ जाइत हवऽ? डंटवा डूब जतवऽ, तो समझिहँऽ कि डुबाव पानी हे!'' एतना सुन के बादसाह कहलन कि ''हम्‍मर देस बड़ा जबबिया हे!''

बादसाह फिन आगे बढ़लन, तऽ भूचेंगा नियन करिया लइका देख के ओकरा से पूछलन कि ''तोर रंगाई में केतना पैसा खर्च होलउ हे रे?'’ तो ऊ लइकवा कहलक कि ''लगऽ तो हे पाँच आना, बाकि हमरा पौने पाँचे आना लगल हे! काहे से कि एक जगह छोड़ देलक हे, आउ ऊ जगह निकाल के देखा देलक!'' बादसाह आउ बीरबल अचकचा के घरे लौट गेलन।

See translation

Once, the emperor asked Birbal, "Will you do whatever I say?" Birbal replied, "I will!" The king then ordered, "Prepare a saree made of smoke!" Birbal, now in a tricky situation, went home to fetch some clay. His daughter woke him up, saying, "Dad, come and eat!" Birbal replied, "Daughter, after hearing the king's question, I have lost all my hunger and thirst!" When the daughter asked what the king's question was, Birbal explained it to her. The daughter said, "There's no need to panic. Let's eat first, and before going to the court, we can ask!"

After eating, Birbal asked his daughter, "Now what should I say?" The daughter suggested, "Go tell the king that 'the saree made of smoke is ready, but it needs a thread of vision!'" When Birbal went to the royal court, he conveyed this message. The king instructed everyone to tie a pot over their eyes to see the thread of vision. When the thread of vision didn't settle, the king remarked, "Birbal, the vision is not settling!" Birbal then replied, "Your Majesty, if the vision cannot settle, how can the saree made of smoke be ready?"

The emperor told Birbal, "What's meant to happen will happen. Let's see if my kingdom is foolish, crafty, or clever." So Birbal and the emperor set out together. The king held a watch in his hand. As they walked, they saw some boys eating jamun (a type of fruit). The king called to them, "Hey kids, feed me some jamun too!" The boys, from the tree, asked, "Do you want fresh or stale?" The king replied, "Just give me a few of each!" The boys dropped some jamun, and the king blew on them before eating. Then, the boys came down with jamun wrapped in a cloth and handed them to the king. The king gulped them down and asked, "Hey kids, which jamun was stale and which was fresh?" The boys replied, "The ones you blew on are fresh, and the ones you gulped down are stale." The king, while saying this to Birbal, continued walking, exclaiming, "My kingdom is truly clever!"

As the emperor and Birbal continued on their way, they came to a river. There, they asked a man, "How much water is in this river?" The man replied, "You should ask your companion!" The king said, "My companion doesn't know either. He is also clueless." The man insisted again, "Ask your companion!" The king, not understanding, was scolded by the man, who said, "Your Majesty, can't you measure it with your own stick? If the stick sinks, then you will understand how much water there is!" After hearing this, the king remarked, "My country is very clever!"

As the king moved further, he saw a boy colored in black and asked him, "How much did you spend on dyeing yourself?" The boy replied, "It looks like five annas, but it actually cost me four and a quarter annas! Because they left a patch, and that part was shown to me!" The king and Birbal both were astonished and returned home.