ADVENTURE OF TENALI RAMA- 2- HANDFUL OF GRAIN AND COINS.

2 - HANDFUL OF GRAIN AND COINS

There was an arrogant women named vidhyulatha in the vijayanagara kingdom. She was proud of her accomplishments and she put up aboard outside her house, offering anyone 1000 gold coins if they could outsmart her wit, wisdom and intelligence. 

Many scholars took up her challenge, but she could not be defeated . That is until one day a man selling firewood arrived. He started shouting on top of his shouting, vidhyulatha asked the man to sell her his firewood.

The man said he would sell her his firewood in exchange for a 'handful grain'. She agreed and asked him to put the firewood in the backyard. However , the man insited that she had not understood what he had actually asked for. He then said that if she couldn't pay him the exact price of a 'handful grain', then she must take down her challenge board and give 1000 gold coins.

Getting angry, vidhyulath accused him of talking nonsense, and since she had not understood his price, she should concede defeat. Hearing these words, vidhyulatha started getting frustrated with the vendor. After hours of arguing, they decided to go to the provincial court.

The judge heard what vihyulatha had to say and then asked the firewood vendor to give his explanation. The vendor explained that he wanted a 'handful grain' which means a singular grain the would fill a hand. Since she failed to understand this, vidhyulatha was bested and there force she needed to take down her board and  give the vendor  the 1000 gold coins.

Impressed, the judge agreed, and the matter was resdved. After vidhyulatha took down her board, she asked the vendor who he really was, doubting a simple firewood vendor could have bested her. Taking off his disgaise, Tenali Rama revealed himself! He wanted to teach the arrogant and snobbish vidhyulatha a lesson in being humble. Lesson learned!

MORAL:- Be humble about the talents and gifts you have.

THE ADVENTURE OF TENALI || 1-THE BIGGEST FOOL IN THE KINGDOM! ||

 Who is Tenali Rama?

Tenali  Rama was a Telugu poet and advisor in the court of King Krishnadevaraya, in what 

is now known as Andhra Pradesh. He was also known as the court jester because of his witty and humorous stories. Tenali Rama had a penchant for solving issues using his intelligence and values, and hence, his stories make for great bedtime stories for kids.

1- THE BIGGEST FOOL IN THE KINGDOM!

King Krishnadevaraya loved horses and had the collection of horse breeds in the kingdom. Well, one day, a trader came to the king and told him that he had brought with him a horse of the best breed in Arabia.

 He invited the King to inspect the horse. King Krishnadevaraya loved the horse; so the trader said that the king could buy this one and that he had two more like this one, back in Arabia that he would go back to get. The king loved the horse so much that he had to have the other two as well. He paid the trader 5000 gold coins in advance. Trader promised that he would return within two days with the other horses.

Two days turned into two weeks, and still, there was no sign of trader and the two horese. One evening, to ease his mind, the king went on a stroll in his garden. There he spotted Tenali Raman writing down

something on a piece of paper.  Curious, the King asked Tenali what he was jotting down. 

Tenali Raman was hesitant, but after further questioning, he showed the king the paper.. On the paper was a list of names, the King's being at the top of list of the list. Tenali said these were the names of the biggest fools in the Vijayanagara Kingdom!

As expected, the King was furious that his name was at the top asked Tenali Raman for an explanation. Tenali referred to the horse story, saying the King was a fool to belive that the trader, a stranger, would return after receiving 5000 gold coins.

Countering his argument, the King then asked, what happens if/when the trader does come back? In true Tenali humour, he replied saying, in that case, the trader would be a bigger fool, and his name would replace that King's on the list!

        Moral - Don't believe strangers blindly.

 

THE STORY OF THE WOODPEACKER

   

              Long long ago, when the elephants and horses could fly, there lived a saint in the northern part of the earth. On a cold winter moring, the saint set out on a journey to visit the neighbouring village. As he wandered through the snowy roads, he saw children and elders moving around busily , tucked up tightly

in the warmest winter clothes. As it was winter, the days were short and the nights, long. Fighting the cold with his thin upper cloths, he walked slowly towards the village. It was already dark by the time the saint reached the village. Having traveled so far, he was tired and hungry too.

                                When he could walk no more, he decided to request the first man he would meet, for some food and shelter. Thinking so, he wearily walked through the snowy roads for some more time. Finally, he reached a small cottage. As he peeped in, he saw an old woman who sat by the fire. As he went nearer, the saint understood that the old woman was baking some cakes fire.

                                                                                                                         Extremely hungry, he tapped the door of the old woman and said, "Good old lady! I have reached this place after a very long journey. All through the day I have had nothing to eat. I feel as if I am going to faint with fasting. Could you please give me a small cake to eat?"  As he finished talking, the old lady asked him to step inside and sit by the fire while she baked a cake for him. The saint was pleased for her kindness and thanked her in advance. 

         The old women soon made a small cake and placed it on the hearth to bake it. As the cake was still baking, she looked at the cake and thought, "It seems I made a big cake. I do not think I should give such a big cake to the saint." Thinking so, she removed the cake and placed it away in a tin without giving it to the waiting saint.

                                     Then she kneaded a smaller piece of dough, made a cake and placed it for baking. As she examined the cake, she felt as if the cake turned out to be larger than the earlier one. She placed that cake too in a tin without giving it to the earlier one. She placed that cake too in a tin without giving it to the saint. Again, she took another tiny piece of dough and made a very small cake out of it. Even the cake looked too large to give away and she decided to keep that too for herself. "The cakes I baked are too large to give away." She thought and put the tin of cakes, on the shelf.

                                                                             The saint waited till the very end and when she put the tin on the very end and when she put the tin on the shelf, he understood that the old lady had no intention to give him any food. The saint was annoyed by the selfish act of the lady .

                                                                                   Out of rang he said, "Oh lady! I have never seen any one as selfish as you are. You do not desverve the food, shelter and the life you are leading now." 

                                                                               As the old lady remained stunned, he uttered a curse saying, "Oh lady! From now, you will no more be a human. You will be a bird, pecking small nuts and berries.

            Even that food, you shall get only by boring and boring all the day long, in the bark of trees. I curse you to toil hard all through the day to receive tiny pieces of food that would be hardly enough to satisfy your hunger." 

                     As soon as the saint let out his curse, the old woman turned in to a red-headed woodpecker and flew out of the house towards the forest. She had remained but boring in to the woods to find its food. That is the reason why a woodpecker is always seen busy boring the bark of the trees with its sharp and long beak. 

                                                                                                                                     ~ -     P.KUMAR.