Tenali Rama And The Horse Trader

Long ago, in the prosperous kingdom of Vijayanagara, King Krishnadevaraya decided to strengthen his royal cavalry. He called all his ministers to the court and said, “Our kingdom must have the finest horses. I want each of you to go out and buy the best horses from different regions. I will give each of you 500 gold coins.”

All the ministers, including Tenali Rama, bowed and accepted the task. They were excited—not just to buy horses, but also because they knew they could enjoy luxurious travels with the king’s gold.

A few weeks passed. The ministers began returning to the palace one by one, proudly displaying tall, muscular horses with shiny manes. The king was pleased with their choices.

But Tenali Rama had not returned yet.

After a month, Rama finally walked into court—but with no horse. The other ministers smirked. “Has the great Tenali failed to find a single horse?” one whispered.

The king asked calmly, “Rama, where is your horse?”

With a gentle smile, Rama replied, “Your Majesty, I found a very special horse trader. He promised to deliver the best horse in the land right to the palace. I paid him in advance to ensure priority.”

The king raised an eyebrow. “And when will this amazing horse arrive?”

“In about ten days,” said Rama confidently.

The court murmured with amusement. The other ministers thought Rama had made a fool of himself.

Ten days later, a tired man arrived at the palace. But instead of a horse, he was leading an old donkey with patchy hair and a limp.

The court burst into laughter. “Is this your special horse, Rama?” the king asked, barely hiding his anger.

Rama bowed low and said, “No, Your Majesty. This man is not the real horse trader. I hired him to bring this donkey.”

The king was puzzled. “Why would you do that?”

Rama stood tall and explained, “Your Majesty, I wanted to show you how easily people can be fooled when there is gold involved. I used my 500 coins to investigate the other ministers’ deals. I found that most of them paid less than 200 coins for ordinary horses and kept the rest of the money for themselves.”

The court fell silent. The king immediately ordered an investigation, and Rama’s words were proven true. The ministers had cheated the king.

Ashamed and speechless, the guilty ministers begged for forgiveness.

The king praised Rama, “You’ve once again shown your loyalty and cleverness. You may not have brought a horse, but you’ve saved the kingdom from dishonest servants.”

Moral – Honesty and wisdom reveal the truth even when appearances deceive.