Tenali Rama Krishna was an Indian poet, scholar, thinker and a special advisor in the court of King Shri Krishnadevaraya, the Vijayanagara emperor. He was known for his amazing wit, humor, and extraordinary intelligence. He was one of the Ashtadiggajas or the eight poets at the court. He was also a great scholar of several languages that included Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Marathi, and Tamil. All the stories of Tenali Raman tell us about his relationship with the king, his wisdom and his problem-solving capabilities. Acquaint your child with Tenali Rama Krishna with his amazing tales.
Once when King Krishnadevaraya had gone to survey the jail, two burglars who were prisoners there, asked for his mercy. They told him that they were experts at burglary and could help the king in catching other thieves.
The king being a kind ruler asked his guards to release them but with a condition. He told the burglars that he would release them and appoint them as his spies only if they could break into his advisor Tenali Raman’s house and steal valuables from there. The thieves agreed for the challenge.
That same night the two thieves went to Tenali Raman’s house and hid behind some bushes. After dinner, when Tenali Raman came out for a stroll, he heard some rustling sound of leaves coming from the bushes. There was not even the slightest breeze blowing at the time, so he presumed that there were some thieves hiding in the bushes. He figured that they must be planning to rob his house in the night.
After some time he went in and thought of a plan. He said to his wife loudly, “My dear, we have to be careful about our valuables. I have heard that some notorious thieves are on the loose in our neighborhood. So, let’s hide all the gold and silver coins, jewelry and money that we have in a box and drop the box into our well. It’ll be safe there under the water."
A little later, Tenali Raman and his wife came out of the house carrying a big wooden box with a huge lock to the well in the backyard of his house. Making sure that they were being watched by the thieves, they lifted the box and dropped it into the well. Then they went back inside the house and pretended to be asleep.
The thieves waited for a while and then started drawing water from the well. They hoped to empty the well and get the treasure. The thieves kept drawing out the water the entire night. Towards daybreak, they managed to pull out the trunk, and when they opened it, they were extremely shocked and disappointed to see only some big stones in it.
The two thieves understood that it was Tenali Raman’s plan to outsmart them. Just then, Tenali Raman came out of his house and said, “Thank you, friends, for letting me sleep well at night and also for watering my plants. I must pay you for your labor.”
Hearing this, the thieves fell at Tenali’s feet for forgiveness. They promised not to steal or rob anyone ever again. Tenali decides to let them go.
Moral- Keeping cool and using your wit in dire situations can help you get out of them.
Once when King Krishnadevaraya had gone to survey the jail, two burglars who were prisoners there, asked for his mercy. They told him that they were experts at burglary and could help the king in catching other thieves.
The king being a kind ruler asked his guards to release them but with a condition. He told the burglars that he would release them and appoint them as his spies only if they could break into his advisor Tenali Raman’s house and steal valuables from there. The thieves agreed for the challenge.
That same night the two thieves went to Tenali Raman’s house and hid behind some bushes. After dinner, when Tenali Raman came out for a stroll, he heard some rustling sound of leaves coming from the bushes. There was not even the slightest breeze blowing at the time, so he presumed that there were some thieves hiding in the bushes. He figured that they must be planning to rob his house in the night.
After some time he went in and thought of a plan. He said to his wife loudly, “My dear, we have to be careful about our valuables. I have heard that some notorious thieves are on the loose in our neighborhood. So, let’s hide all the gold and silver coins, jewelry and money that we have in a box and drop the box into our well. It’ll be safe there under the water."
A little later, Tenali Raman and his wife came out of the house carrying a big wooden box with a huge lock to the well in the backyard of his house. Making sure that they were being watched by the thieves, they lifted the box and dropped it into the well. Then they went back inside the house and pretended to be asleep.
The thieves waited for a while and then started drawing water from the well. They hoped to empty the well and get the treasure. The thieves kept drawing out the water the entire night. Towards daybreak, they managed to pull out the trunk, and when they opened it, they were extremely shocked and disappointed to see only some big stones in it.
The two thieves understood that it was Tenali Raman’s plan to outsmart them. Just then, Tenali Raman came out of his house and said, “Thank you, friends, for letting me sleep well at night and also for watering my plants. I must pay you for your labor.”
Hearing this, the thieves fell at Tenali’s feet for forgiveness. They promised not to steal or rob anyone ever again. Tenali decides to let them go.
Moral- Keeping cool and using your wit in dire situations can help you get out of them.