Talk:Tenāli Raman

By Vishal Agarwal

Tenāli Rāman: The Brightest Home on Dīpāvalī

Tenāli Rāman was a very wise man who worked in the court of the great emperor Kṛṣṇadevarāya in the early 16th century. Many interesting stories are told of him, and one of them is below.

On the Dīpāvalī night, lamps are lit in every home to welcome Devī Lakṣmī. One year, king Kṛṣṇadevarāya announced a competition: whoever had the brightest home on Dīpāvalī would receive a bag full of gold coins.

Everyone in the city began buying thousands of lamps to decorate their homes. On the festival night, the king and Tenāli Rāman went around the capital to see the homes. The houses were glowing with thousands of lamps, some arranged in beautiful patterns, others decorated with flowers. One home had ten thousand lamps, with flowers between them. The king exclaimed, “This house should get the prize! Look how bright and beautiful it is!”

But Tenāli replied, “Not so soon, Mahārāj. I will take you to a home which is brighter still.” After half an hour of walking, they came to a small, plain home, dark from the outside with only a faint glow inside.

Inside, they found an old teacher teaching poor children by the light of a single lamp. The king frowned, “Is this a joke? There is no decoration here!”

The teacher bowed and said, “Your Majesty, these children are from poor families who cannot afford books or schools. So I teach them for free whenever I can. Today, even on Dīpāvalī, I called them here to study.”

Tenāli smiled and said, “Sir, the brightest light is the light of knowledge and kindness. This teacher is not wealthy, yet he is giving the greatest gift — the light of wisdom. Truly, this is the brightest home in your kingdom.”

The king agreed, “You are right, my friend! There is no light brighter than knowledge and compassion.” He awarded the prize money to the teacher.

Tenāli Rāman: The Most Beautiful Flowers on this Earth

One day, king Kṛṣṇadevarāya became very sad. He stopped smiling and avoided everyone. His wife and ministers brought dancers, magicians, and jugglers to cheer him, but nothing worked. Worried, they turned to Tenāli Rāman.

The next morning, Tenāli Rāman invited the king for a walk in the city. He said, “Mahārāj, I will show you the most beautiful flowers on earth. When you see them, you will feel happy.” The king agreed, though he remained quiet.

After some time, they came to a park where children were playing joyfully. Some were running and laughing, while others were making little houses, animals, and mountains out of clay. Watching them, the king suddenly said, “When I was a child, I loved playing with mud too. It was so much fun. I will join these children and make clay houses with them!”

He began playing with the children, and soon a smile lit up his face. At that moment, Tenāli Rāman said, “Mahārāj, these are the most beautiful flowers I wanted you to see. Our children are the true blossoms of this earth. No matter how sad we are, their innocence and joy can always bring us happiness.”

The king agreed, “You are right, Tenāli. From now on, I will visit the children whenever I feel sad.” He ordered that all the children in the park be given toys, and he had swings and slides built for them. Whenever he felt sorrowful, he would go to the park and play with the children to cheer himself.