Walking along a lake in the cold winter, Birbal and the king made a bet that a man would do anything for money. The king said, "I don't think a man would spend an entire night in the cold water of this lake for money." Birbal replied, " I'm sure I can find such a person." The king asked Birbal to find such a person and said that he would reward the person with a thousand gold coins. Birbal searched far and wide and finally found a poor man. When he entered the lake, the king had guards around him to make sure that he really did as promised. The poor man made it. He told the king that there had been a street lamp nearby and that he had kept his attention on the lamp and managed to avoid the cold. The king then said that there would be no reward as he relied on the warmth of the street lamp. The poor man went to Birbal for help. The next day, Birbal did not go to court . The king went to Birbal's house and see what he was up to. He found Birbal sitting on the floor near some burning branches and a bowl filled with rice hanging five feet above the fire. The king and his followers couldn't help but laugh. The king then said to Birbal, "How can the rice be cooked if it is so far away from the fire?" Birbal answered, "The same way the poor man received heat from a street lamp that was more than two thousand meters away." Finally, the king gave the poor man his reward. The poor man used the lamp to   _  .
keep him warm in the cold water light his way around the lake stop him from being afraid in the darkness keep his attention away from the cold