King
Krishnadevaraya and the queen were very fond of flowers. So there were many
varieties of colourful and beautiful flowers in the palace garden. The king and
queen visited the garden every morning and evening, they instructed the
gardeners to take care of the garden well.
There
were many varieties of roses in the garden. The gardeners used to pluck the
roses, take them to the queen every day. But, on some days they did not bring
the roses. So, the queen was angry with the gardeners and enquired them the
reason for not bringing the roses. But the gardeners did not have an answer.
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The
queen angrily angrily asked, “Why are you not answering? Tell me the reason. Do
you pluck the roses and sell them in the market?”
“No, Your
Majesty. Don’t mistake us. We never think of treachery to the kingdom,” replied
the gardeners.
“Then,
why can’t you bring the roses here?” asked the queen again angrily.
“Oh!
Queen! The roses are stolen in the garden. We are not able to find out how the
roses are vanished away from the garden. Please forgive us.”
“Okay,
you can go. I shall tell the king to strengthen the security,” said the queen.
Then the gardeners bowed their heads and went out. The queen then went to the
king to complain about the theft of roses in the garden. The king was shocked
to hear about the theft. The queen also asked the king to strengthen the
security in the palace garden.
The
king immediately asked the minister to appoint guards’ to take care of the
garden and to catch the thief. The next
day, the garden was surrounded by guards’. The guards’ were very alert and did
not let anyone inside the garden other than the gardeners.
The
guards’ noticed a small gap in the fence. A man’s head was peeping inside the
fence through the gap, they immediately acted very fast and caught him red-handed.
The held him very tight, that the man could not escape. The guards brought him
out of the fence, he had roses tied to his lap. The guards presented him to the
chief guard and confined him in the prison.
The
chief guard immediately met the king and informed him about the theft and how
he was caught red-handed. The chief also told the king that the thief had the
roses tied to his lap. The chief also mentioned to the king that the thief was
none other than the son of Tenali Raman. The king got really angry and asked
the chief to bring Tenali Raman immediately.
As soon
as Tenali Raman came to the king he said “Oh! King! The guards have imprisoned
my son for theft of roses in the garden.”
Then
the King said “Tenali, don’t you know that your son has been caught
red-handed?”
“Oh
King! My son won’t involve in such kind of theft, please enquire thoroughly to
know how far it is true and then come to a decision,” said Tenali Raman.
The
king ordered the guards to bring Tenali’s son there immediately. As the king ordered
the guards brought him there.
Seeing
him, the king asked Tenali Raman, “Is he your son?”
“Yes,
your majesty,” asserted Tenali and requested him, “He won’t involve in thefts.
Please believe me.”
“Tenali,
though I repeatedly tell you, you don’t accept the crime. Guards, disclose the
roses from his lap and show them to Tenali,” said the king.
The
guards tried to take out the roses from his lap. But to their disappointement
there was no rose.
“What
are you doing, guards? Take out the roses,” urged the king.
But the
guards were perplexed and told the king, “Three are no flowers” and added, “we
caught him red-handed. But we are confused to see there are no flowers.”
“Oh King!
Please believe us at least now. We do not have such a worse character,” said
Tenali with contented mind.
The
king thought for a while and not able to take any decision he let Tenali and
his son go. They took leave of the king after thanking and greeting him.
Then
the king called the guards near to him and asked, “Are you sure that he had the
flowers?”
“Yes,
your majesty, we are sure. We caught him red-handed and confined him in the
prison,” said the guards.
The
king again thought for a while and decided that Tenali might have played some
tricks. The king further asked the guards, “When you brought Tenali to me, did
he speak anything to his son?”
“Yes,
your majesty, when he came along with us, he told something to his son.”
“What
did he say to him?”
“He said
that one who uses one’s mouth wise can survive. Such a dumb one like you can’t
be benefitted in any way”
“Oh!
Tenali has very wisely instructed his son. He too has wisely behaved.”
“We can’t
understand anything, my dear king.”
“When
Tenali told him on the wise use of the mouth, his son has eaten all the roses.
That’s all,” said the king to the guards and he appreciated Tenali’s wisdom.
The guards too came to understand the wisdom of Tenali.
The End
