A son was born to King Krishnadeva Raya. There was great celebration in the kingdom. Everyone came to bless the child and congratulate the King.
Tenali Raman came too. He looked at the infant in his cradle and said, “Sir, your little son will be an even greater man than his father.”
The King smiled but said, “You are a flatterer, Tenali Raman! How can you say this simply by looking at him? I must test you on this.”
Tenali Raman agreed to being tested. The next day, two pots were tied and hung up at a door in the court. They were exactly alike and the same kind of cloth and ropes were used for closing their mouths and tying them up. But there was a difference. One pot was empty while the other was full of sand.
Tenali Raman was called after all the preparations were complete. The King and the courtiers assembled in the court. Many were certain that today the King’s favourite would fail. They were feeling very pleased.
The King told Tenali Raman, “Raman, you see these two pots. One is full of sand and the other is empty. You have to identify which one has sand in it just by looking at it.”
Tenali Raman went up to the pots and looked at them carefully. He walked around them. It was a difficult problem to solve. He sighed loudly. The courtiers who were jealous of him looked at one another and smiled. They were sure that Tenali Raman was going to fail.
After walking around the pots once more, Tenali Raman went up to the King and bowed.
“So, Tenali Raman, have you identified the pot full of sand?” asked the King.
“Yes, Sir. The one on the right is full of sand and the other one is empty,” he replied.
The pots were taken down and opened. Tenali Raman was absolutely right! The King and the courtiers looked at him in amazement.
“How did you guess that, Tenali Raman?” asked the King.
“Sir, the two pots were alike and so were the ropes, but one hung slightly lower than the other. I thought this must be because the weight of the sand dragged it down a little. So I went close to it and sighed loudly. The air blown by my sighing caused one of the pots to swing gently. So, I knew it must be empty. I told you the other one had the sand in it. That’s all, Sir,” replied Tenali Raman.
