A Handful of Grain and Coins - A Tenali Raman Story

In the Vijayanagara Kingdom, there was a proud woman named Vidhyulatha. She loved to show off her intelligence and put up a sign outside her house. The sign said that anyone who could outsmart her would win 1000 gold coins.

Many scholars tried to outsmart her, but none succeeded. One day, a man selling firewood came to her house. He shouted loudly, which annoyed Vidhyulatha. She asked him to sell her the firewood.

The man said he would sell the firewood in exchange for a "handful grain." Vidhyulatha agreed and told him to put the firewood in the backyard. But the man insisted she didn’t understand what he meant by "handful grain." He said if she couldn’t pay the exact price, she must take down her sign and give him 1000 gold coins.

Vidhyulatha got angry and called him a fool. The man explained that a "handful grain" meant a single grain that could fill a hand. She didn’t understand this, so they went to the court to settle the matter.

The judge listened to both sides. The firewood vendor explained his price, and the judge agreed that Vidhyulatha had been outsmarted. She had to take down her sign and give the man 1000 gold coins.

After this, Vidhyulatha asked the man who he really was. The man revealed himself as Tenali Raman, a clever and wise man. He wanted to teach Vidhyulatha a lesson in humility.

Moral of the Story:

Be humble about your talents and gifts.