Deep in the jungle, where no man went, there lived many wild animals. One day, they came across a strange object. It was a man’s boot. They had never seen such a thing before. All the animals started discussing about the strange object. “I am sure it’s the shell of a fruit,” said the bear. […]
Once a scholar came to the court and challenged all the courtiers to debate with him on any subject since he had read all the books in the world. Since nobody volunteered, the king asked Tenali to compete with the scholar. On the appointed day Tenali came dressed as a great priest with a bundle
Once, a hunter gifted a beautiful parrot to the king which he and his queen kept in their private chamber. They fed him best sweets and nuts, and taught him some holy chants as well. Once when Tenali came to visit them, the queen boasted of the parrot’s holy chants to which Tenali said that
It was the king’s birthday and hence everyone was showering him with expensive gifts. One of the jealous courtiers noticed that Tenali was missing and complained of the same saying Tenali was a miser. It made the king angry. After a few hours Tenali came to the court and wished the king giving him a
Every year, a Ramlila troupe from Varanasi performed in Vijaynagar but one particular year, they denied since the troupe members were sick. There was no time to call some other troupe and, hence, Tenali said he would call another troupe from a nearby village. When the troupe performed, everyone praised their skills extensively as most
Once, there was a fox who lived in the deepest part of the forest. One fine morning, when the fox was roaming around the forest, he saw a huge, thick and long snake enjoying the sun. His long body stretched from one corner of the path to the other. The fox was very impressed by
Tenali got to learn about a dishonest money lender who charged ten times the interest for his loans, so he decided to teach the lender a lesson. He asked to borrow two large vessels and paid three gold coins as rent. Next day, Tenali returned them with two smaller vessels saying the large vessels were
Once, everyone who owned horses in the kingdom started selling them at low costs owing to the spread of a dangerous disease that could affect humans too. When the king found out, he got to know that the horses in royal stables were absolutely all right, so he asked Tenali to investigate the matter. In
One day, a lame frog left the pond of a village and hopped away to a lake in a nearby forest. He wanted to make a new home. But, when the frog reached the forest, he did not see anyone around. Now, how would he get to meet the animals and make friends? Suddenly, he
Once the king decided he would make his kingdom as beautiful as heaven. So, he employed many labourers, craftsmen and other workes for the same. Soon there were beautiful buildings and gardens that attracted many visitors to the kingdom and brought great fame. When the king was discussing this in the kingdom, one of the
Once, a shepherd came to the court demanding compensation from his neighbour for the death of his sheep due to the wall collapse. When the king was about to call the neighbour and punish him, Tenali spoke up that the neighbour was not at fault. The king asked him to prove who the real culprit
One day, the king noticed that his favourite roses were disappearing every day. He asked the guards to find the thief. Within a few days they caught Tenali’s son stealing the roses and began to take him to the palace. When they passed Tenali’s house, his wife told him that their son was caught. He
Many years ago, elephants had small trunks. One day, an elephant saw a crocodile lying down on a river-bank. The elephant said, “Hey, you crawling creature! I wonder why you are not small like the other creatures! You are too long for your own comfort.” The crocodile lost his temper and said, “Wait, I will
Once, the jealous Rajguru told the king that Tenali had a special stone called ‘Paras’ that can turn iron into gold. When inquired, Tenali understood that someone was trying to show him down. He said ‘yes’ he had a stone. On being asked to prove it he said he would prove it next morning. Next
Chapter-3 “I don’t know anything, only he hasn’t got any folks, and he’s poor, and he was good to me, so I’d like to be good to him if I could.” “Excellent reasons, everyone; but really, Nat, the house is full, and I don’t know where I could put him,” said Mrs. Bhaer, more and