One day, the other courtiers decided to avenge Tenali for his closeness to the king. So they bribed the entrance guards to insult him asking them to say “Kunjara Yudhambu Doma Kuthuka Jochen” that meant an elephant’s fleet is stuck in a mosquito’s throat. Following orders, the guards did the same when Tenali saying he would be permitted when he completed the first three lines of the poem. Tenali did so and reached the court. Later the guards came inside complaining that Tenali had insulted them. So the king asked him to compose another poem taking the same end line with a situation in the Mahabharatha. He composed a poem that meant the Pandavas in the Mahabharatha are like a fleet of powerful elephants. Losing in the gamble with the Kauravas, they had to live unrecognised for some time. During this period they served a weak ruler Virata. By their ill luck! It is the fate of those Pandavas to serve such a weak person in spite of being renowned warriors. This is similar to a fleet of strong elephants being stuck in the throat of a small mosquito. Hearing this, the king was overjoyed and rewarded him.
How an Elephant’s Fleet Sticks in a Mosquito’s Throat
