TENALI RAMA AND THE NEIGHBOURS.

TENALI rama was considered a problem solver by many people.he had not only solved many crises of the kingdom through his wit,but also had helped many families in the kingdom.once when returned home from the king's court, he found his wife very unhappy.''what is the matter lalitha?''asked tenali.''what else can it be dear,''replied a depressed lalitha. ''it's our neighbours again.this time i don't know what has come up.they have been screaming at each other the whole day,''complained lalitha.
ragu and anjali were the husband and wife who had moved in a few months ago into the house next to tenali rama's.ragu was a day dreamer.he always dreamt of becoming rich one day, but did no work. whole day he would sit in his courtyard and dream.anjali also would join her husband in day dreaming.rahu's old mother would work hard in the fields. while her son and daughter-in-law would sit and dream of becoming rich.
one day having decided to do something to become rich,ragu decided to bye a cow.''anjali iam going to bye a cow which will give us lots of milk,'' said ragu.''very good,''said anjali.she went to the market and bought some earthen pot.''what are the pots for?asked ragu.''one is for milk,the other for butter milkand the third is to store ghee,''replied anjali happily.''that's wonderful!but what is the extra pot for?''he asked,''that's to send some milk to my sister''she replied.''milk for your sister?''screamed ragu.''that useless lazy woman will get none of my cow's milk,''and he broken the pot. ''why not?''iam the one to milk the cow,'' she saidangrily,''because i paid for it,''bellowed ragu andbeganto break the pots one by one.angry at her husband,anjali began to throw the vessels in the kitchen at him.
unable to bear this noise, tenali went to his noghbour's house.''what is the matter ragu?''asked tenali rama.''anjali wants to give my cow's milk to her useless sister?"on hearing the whole story tenali rama was speechless. he decided to teach the couple a lesson. he took a stick from his house and began to beat ragu.''why are you hitting me?''screamed out ragu in pain.''because the cow you are going to buy has eaten the vegetable i am going to grow in my Gorden.''explained tenali rama.ragu and his wife realized their mistake and stopped fighting.

TENALI RAMA RIDES ON RAJGURU'S BACK.

RAJGURU thathachariar had thrown tenali rama out of his house before he had joined the king's court as a jester. tenali rama wanted to take revenge by humiliating the rajguru in the presence of others. every day, tenali rama would look for opportunities for his revenge. rama knew that thathachariar got up before sun rice and went to the river on the outskirts of the capital to have his bath. he would do this every morning.

one day tenali rama hid behind a bush and waited for the rajguru to come.as usual at dawn thathachariar came for his bath to the river.tenali rama waited,while rajaguru's back was turned on tenali rama,he quietly sneaked up to where the guru's clothes were lying,picked them up and ran back to the bus.there he waited till the rajaguru emerged out of the river. not finding his clothes where he had left them he got worried.

''who has taken my clothes?''he muttered as he looked around to see if anybody was around.''how will i got back?''he wondered as there was no one in sight.just then tenali rama came out of his hiding place laughing at the rajaguru's distress.on seeing tenali with his clothes,the rajaguru sighedwithrelief.''what are you doing with my clothes tenalirama?''he asked.''give them to me before anyone sees me like this,''he said angrily.

tenali rama laughed loudly and said,''i''ll give them to you on one condition.'' ''what is it?tell me quickly,''demanded the rajguru.''you will have to carry me on your back till the palace,''replied tenali rama.rajguru was shocked,''how can i do that?what will people think of me?i am the rajguru,''he replied.''what will they think of you when you walk back in thirstiest to the palace?''asked tenali cunningly.finding no other way out rajguru agreed.

AS tenali rama rode on the rajguru's back to the palace,all the people who saw them wondered why the rajguru was caring the court jester on his back. rajguru bent his head with shame and hurried along, while tenali rama became joyfully clinging on to his back. the king was strolling in the palace garden enjoying the coolness of the morning breeze.suddenly he spotted two men at a distance walking towards the palace.

one man was carrying another on his back,''what a strange sight,''thought the king.puzzled, the king summoned the guards, ''bring those two men to me,''ordered the king.tenali rama had seen the king call the guards. he quickly got down from the rajguru's back. ''i' m sorry for having made you carry me on your back like this,''he said,''please allow me to carry you on my back from here,''

tenalirama offered ,thinking that tenali wanted to make amends,thathachariar gladly climbed onto tenali's back.just then the guards grabbed them and brought them before the king.''why have you brought the rajguru and tenali?''asked the king .''but ''o''king,we found the rajguru riding on tenalirama's back,'' replied the guards.''it is true, my king,''tenali rama said his legs were paining and tricked me into carrying him. but on reaching the palace he insisted carrying me on his back.''

the king smiled,but he was also angry with tenali for having tricked the rajguru.the rajguru did not want to tell the king about the incident at the river as it embarrassed him.tenalirama apologized to the king. tenalirama finally had his revenge.

TENALIRAMA'S SON'S CLEVERNESS.

ONE day,tenali's young son entered the palace garden. he saw some beautiful red roses. the boy plucked a number of roses to take home to his mother. the guards of the palace caught the boy,he had some roses in his hand. they decided to take him to the king.on the way they met tenali rama.''what's the matter?''he asked the guards.''your son has stolen roses from the palace garden. we caught him with the roses in his hand. so we are taking him to the king''they replied .
''what!my son wouldn't do such a thing!''tenali exclaimed.''look at the flowers in his hand!''they pointed a finger,''my son must be punished if he has done wrong.i won't stop that''tenali said.''but, he is very clever.he will manage somehow''tenali thought.he took off the shawl he was wearing and covering will protect my son.''the boy understood what his father was trying to tell him.
he pulled the shawl about his shoulders and his face. then, unseen by the guards, he quickly ate the roses in his hand.the guards brought the boy before the king.''o king!this boy is tenalirama's son.he entered the palace garden and plucked the roses.we caught him and have brought him here''said the guard.the king asked the boy ''do you have stolen the roses?''''the boy has all the roses he plucked in his hand.you can inspect his hand,''the guard respectfully. he held out the boy's hand.''what is this?i cannot see any roses in his hand!"the king exclaimed.''my boy,tell me what happened.''
''o king!i did not do any wrong. these guards are jealous of my father.they wanted to give a bad name to him. so, they are calling me a thief!that is why they brought me to you.''the boy said cleverly. the king told tenali rama's son to go home.he scolded the guards and sent away.

TENALI RAMA AND THE GREEDY PRIESTS

Krishnadeva raya had loved his mother greatly. her death anniversary was approaching.so he thought,''i must fulfil my mother's wish,i shall consult the head priest to find out what should be done''the king sent for the head priest and told him about what he planned to do.the head priest was a greedy man. he thought that it would be a good chance for him to make money.
''o king!it is said that a dying person's soul is satisfied ONLY if his or her last wish is fulfilled. what was your mother's last desire?''he asked.''my mother wanted to eat mango.but she breathed her last just before it could be brought,''the king said to the priest sadly.''then you must give 108 gold mangoes in 108 silver bowls to 108 brahmins on the day of your mother's death anniversary.only then will her sole rest in peace.''the head priest advised the king seriously.
''i shall get the gold mangoes made at once. please will you arrange for 108 brahmins to come here next Wednesday?'' asked the king krishnadeva raya.the head priest came with 108 brimins to the palace on the appointed day.the king krishnadeva rayagave each a gold mango in a silver bowl.tenali rama's curiosity was aroused when he saw the crowd at the palace.
''what is the occasion?''he asked a guard.''don't you know?our king is giving 108 gold mangoes in 108 silver bowels to 108 peoples.his mother's last wish before she died was to eat mangos.as it could not be fulfilled then, the head priest advised the king to give this ''dhaanam''so that his mother's soul can rest in peace''the guard explained.''oh!''tenali rama exclaimed.
the next day, he went to the head priest's house,''please ,sir, my mother's death anniversary is on Tuesday,i could not fulfil her last wish before she died .so ,i want give ''dhaanam.'' i would be glad if you come with 108 persons to my house on Tuesday''he said.the head priest knew that tenali rama oten got rich presents from the king. so he felt sure that tenali would give a costly thing.''don't worry! i will come to your house'' he replied. tenaki rama welcomed the head priest and the 108 brahmins respectfully. he went to an inner room to fetch the ''dhaanams''
he came back carrying a red -hot poker in his hand.tenali rama proceeded to place it on each brahmin's hand. the head priest's hand too was burned.all are went and complained to the king, he sent for tenalirama. ''what have you done?''the king asked angrily.''o king!i was fulfilling my dying mother's last wish. she suffered greatly from pain and wanted me to place a red-hot poker in her hand. her soul will now rest in peace because her lost wish was fulfilled when you gave the golden mango!''tenali rama replied.
krishnadeva raya laughed loudly when he realised how cleverly tenali rama had shown the greediness of the head priest.

TENALI THE WRESTLING CHAMPION.

ONCE a very famous wrestler, bajrang was going to different kingdoms challenging the wrestlers their to a fight. so far he had def dated all his opponents.he came to the kingdom of vijayanagar. ''welcome to our kingdom,''said king krishnadevaraya.''i am on a tour of different kingdoms, challenging their mightiest wrestlers to a competition,'' said bajrang.''so far i have succeeded in defeating all my opponents,''he boasted, ''now i wish to challenge the men of your kingdom,''
''very well!we shall let you know who will fight you in court tomorrow,'' said the king krishnadevaraya.after bajrang had gone, the king summoned all his ministers to discuss the situation.''there is no one to match bajrang, so far, famous fighters from other kingdoms have lose to him,'' said one minister. the king was worried because no one came for ward to take up the challenge.at the time tenali rama stepped forward and said,'' I would like to take to bajrang challenge, maharaja.'' the raja guru burst out laughing. but the king krishnadeva raya said,''rama you have saved our face many times and since there is no one else coming forward to accept the challenge, you might as well go ahead,'' permitted the king.
next day bajrang arrived. ''I'm ready for the competition.''''very well!here is tenali rama,he shall be the one to fight you''said krishnadeva rava.he looked at tenaliand started to laugh loudly.''he is no match for me ;he is so skinny.''''well,i have defeated many like you before,''said tenali rama proudly.''what do you fight?''let's start with the zuzu fight,''said tenali.''the zuzu fight?bajrang looked puzzled,''what is that?''''it is wrestling of the mind and not anything physical.''
the wrestler knew he was no match to tenali or anybody else, when no came to a fight of the mind,''o king i am not feeling very well to day. can we schedule the competition for tomorrw?''requested bajrang.the king krishnadeva raya agreed. the next day bajrang failed to show up at the court. he had run away in the night. ''well done tenali rama,'' congratulated the king.''you have once again saved vijayanagar's name.''
''tell me some thing,'' asked the king.''what is this zuzu?i have never heard of it,'' said krishnadevaraya. ''it's nothing,''replied tenali smiling.''o king that was the first word that come to my mind.''the whole court burst out laughing.

TENALI RAMA AND THE COURTIERS.

ONE day when tenali walked in to the court of krishnadeva raya, he found the whole court in chaos.everyone was laughing. some were almost holding their stomach and still others had tears run down their cheeks.tenali rama was confused. even krishnadeva raya was laughing uncontrollably.since tenali rama looked surprised the rajguru explained,''well!we were talking about your skin colour;we are all fair while you...HA HA,''he laughed. the rajaguru disliked tenalirama and often tried to humiliate him in the presence of others.


tenali rama knew that thathachariar was making fun of him.he smiled and said, ''there is nothing funny about me being dark skinned;there is a secret behind this,''replied tenali rama. ''what can that be?''asked tahthachariar.''it is no secret that brahma created this world and everything in it,trees,birds,animals,etc. after he had created all these, there was still something that bothered him.then he made human beings.his happiness knew no limits.


man was a unique creation and so lard BRAHMA wanted to make them superior to everything else on this earth,''continued tenali, ''he decided man would have things which other creatures did not. he decided to bless mankind with gifts of wealth,beauty, power and intellect.lard brahma said to the while of mankind,''you have fine minutes to take what you want.''while i was collecting intellect the rest of you were busy collecting beauty,power and wealth,''said tenalirama looking at thathachariar. the rajguru was furious. before rajguru could say anything,the king krishnadevaraya laughed out loud and said,''well said tenalirama. we apologise for laughing at you.''

TENALI RAMA CHOOSES HIS DEATH.

ONE day tenali rama went to the river bank for his bath.after his bath,he would go to the temple of goddess kali on the river bank and offer his morning prayers.as usual he was on his way back from the temple, he heard someone call out his name. tenali rama stopped and turned to see a young man with a bundle on his head come running towards him. ''who are you?''asked tenali rama. ''don't you remember me?i am ravi, your mother's,cousin's daughter's eldest son''
explained the young man. tenali rama did not remember ravi. but all the same tenali took ravi home and introduced him as a distant relative. the visitor was actually posing to be tenali rama's relative. he was sent by enemy spies to kill the king of vijayanagar, krishnadeva raya. he had chosen tenali rama because he knew that the king trusted tenali.this would make it easy for him to reach the king without raising suspicion.
the king who was indeed very close to tenali rama, often trusted him with important chores of the kingdom.on this occasion, tenali rama was asked by the king to deliver an urgent and important message to the neighbouring kingdom. in tenali's absence the spy, ravi found a wonderful opportunity to kill krishnadevaraya. when tenali rama'swife had gone to near by village for some work. ravi sent a message to the king that tenali's wife had suddenly fallen very ill.
the king krishnadeva raya who often took personal interest in tenalirama's family rushed to tenali's house all alone. but on reaching there he found no one at home.''this is strange,'' thought the king.seeing the king preoccupied ravi, who had been hiding on the roof, jumped on king krishnadevaraya and tried to stab him. the stunned king who was stronger than the spy quickly recovered and defended himself and in no time overpowered the spy. the king called his guards and got the spy arrested.
the king summoned tenali rama to the court.''tenali rama you have been very foolish. how could you let someone stay in your house. someone who posed to be your distant relative but whom you have never met before?'' roared the king.''your foolishness and lack of concern almost cost me my life. you deserve to be punished for this,'' said the king angrily.''how would you to like to die?''asked the king krishnadeva raya.''you can choose the way you want to die and i will grant it for you.''
tenali rama humbly bowed before the king and said,''o king, i would like to die of lod age in your presence.'' the king was very amused and pleased with tenali rama's answer and forgave tenali. so once again tenali rama escaped punishment from king krishnadeva raya.

TENALI RAMA MEETS THE NIZAM OF HYDERABAD.

Tenali rama was a witty and humorous jester in krishnadeva ya's court. tenali entertained the whole court with his humour. he was very close to the king because he had helped him to solve many serious problems,with his wit. tenali rama always had his hand full on such occasions.once krishnadeva raya had gone to visit the nizam of Hyderabad. there he had boasted about tenali rama's wit and intelligence.''tenali has answers for any guest ions and solution for anything,'' the king krishnadeva raya boasted.''iam having a conference of learned men in my court, a week from today. i would like you to send tenali rama so that he could be put to test,'' challenged the nizam. krishnadeva raya readily accepted the challenge.
on returning to vijayanagar. krishnadeva raya called tenali,''tenali rama, i have taken up a challenge with the nizam of Hyderabad. he is having a conference of great scholars in the court next week. he has invited you to answer questions by these learned men,''informed krishnadeva raya.''i want you get ready for the occasion tenali! i believe in your ability to win the challenge,''said the king. ''i am honoured,''o king. i shall get ready for the occasion right away,'' said tenali rama humbly.
but tenali was thoughtful as he walked towards home. he knew that he was in a fix. all those learned men would tear him apart with questions. but still he had to face them for the king's sake. tenaki rama prepared for the journey to hyderabad.on the appointed day tenali rama seated himself in the nizam's court.the court was crowded with people eager to watch tenali rama's performance.
one very old scholar started the first question,'' tenali rama,can you tell me where the center of the earth is?''''right here, O learned one, you can take a long rope and measure. you'll find me right,'' replied tenali rama.many questions were asked , tenali rama answered them all. the questions kept coming. ''tell me how many days did god take to create this world?''''seven days,'' replied tenali rama,''for after the seven days end, another seven days start.'' the crowed was amazed at tenali ram's wit.''
you seem to know a lot tenali. tell me how much water does the sea hold?'' asked another scholar.''i will measure you sir, if you stop the tides for a while,'' answered the witty tenalt rama. the crowd burst out laughing. the nizam and all the other ministers also joined in. ''indeed tenali, krishnadeva raya was correct when he boasted about your wit and humour,'' praised the nizam. ''here is your reward! athousand gold coins,''offered the nizam. tenali rama took the bag of gold coins and happily started his return journey to vijayanagar.

TENALI RAMA ANNOYS THE KING.

king krishnadeva raya was very fond of tenali rama. rama's humour and wit always made him laugh and kept him happy. but very often rama's interference kept the court 's proceedings from finishing.on one such occasion the king found that many of the ministers had neglected their duties due to which the kingdom faced serious problems.
the king was very upset with the ministers. he was also angry with tenali rama. so he called tenali and said, ''you have distracted the court many times with your funny tales and clownish acts,which has resulted in serous problems in the king Dom. i don't want to see your face from to day in this court.''the king said.
tenali rama guietly bowed before the king and withdrew from the court.finding tenali rama at home early his wife asked,''what happened? you are never home at this time?''tenali told all that had happened to his wife. thinking they might become poor again she became sad.
next day as the king entered the court he looked at the seat which usually tenali rama would occupy. finding the seat empty the king proceeded towards his throne. krishnadeva raya had planned to have a serious discussion and not finding tenali rama in the court was a relief. krishnadeva raya started the discussion, half way through there was some murmuring in the court.
sensing the excitement krishnadeva raya looked up. to his surprise he saw tenali rama enter the court and come towards him.bit tenali's face was covered with a clay pot with two holes in the place of his eyes.the king was furious, not knowing what tenalirama was up to now. ''what is this tenali?you are still acting like a clown,'' said the king. to this tenali ramahumbly bowed down before the king and said, ''o king this is no clownish act of mine. i am just doing what you asked me to do.'' the king krishnadeva raya got confused!
''what did i ask you to do?''the king asked,''you had asked me not to show you my face anymore 'o' king that's why i have covered my face,'' replied tenalirama. everyone including the king krishnadeva raya laughed. ''indeed tenali rama, without you this court looks incomplete,'' said the king. ''you can remove that pot and take your seat.'' tenali rama took his place in the court happily.

TENALI RAMA AND THE WASHER MAN

Once a very learned and holy saint was passing through vijayanagar. having heard about this, the king krishnadeva raya invited the saint to stay at the palace for a few days. the saint to stay at the palace for a few days. the saint thanked the king. but insisted on staying in the hut built for travellers. the king was moved by his simplicity.but tenali rama did not believe in saints and their magical power. so he made fun of the saint. the king was furious with rama for being so disrespectful.''you shall be punished for this tenali rama,''said krishnadeva raya.''guards,''he called.''take tenali outside the city and bury him neck deep in a pit and have an elephant crush his head.''


tenali rama decided that he would not take the punishment. but he went along with the guards to a lonely place outside the city near the river bank. there the guards dug a pit and buried tenali ramaneck deep in the ground. since it was noon the guards decided to finish their afternoon meal and come back with the elephant.after the guards left, tenali began to think of a way to escape. suddenly, tenali rama saw a washer man returning from the river bank with some clothes. the washer man looked at the stage sight.''he must be a saint ,''thought the washerman. he walked up to tenali and said,''O great learned one, i would like to get blessed by you,''


the washer man had a hunched back. seeing him rama got an idea. ''i am nt a saint, but an ordinary washer man like you. i used to carry heavy loads of clothes like you and developed a crooked back. a saint told me to dig a pit and bury myself till my neck and stay for an hour,''replied tenalirama.''the remedy seems to have worked, i can feel my back straighten up,''tenali continued. the innocent washerman was fooled.''can i also try this remedy?'asked the washer man eagerly.''of course,'said tenalirama,''but ,first you will have to get me out.'' the washer man quickly dug tenlairama out of the pit. on seeing tenalie's straight back his hopes grew.


tenalirama buried him till his neck. ''remember, you have to stay inside the pit for one hour,'' reminded tenali as he walked away.suddenly,the washer man saw two guards coming towards him with an elephant. he started scream.the guards not finding tenali rama, went back and reported every thing to the king.the king krishnadeva raya was very upset with tenali. just then tenali who had been standing in the crowd stepped forward and said, ''O'' king it is not my fault. if the guards had obeyed your order instead of going for lunch, none of this would have happened.'' krishnadeva raya pardoned tenali rama and decided he needed tenali's wit and wisdom to rule over his kingdom.

TENALI RAMA SETTLES HIS DEBTS.

ON one such occassion tenali rama went to a money lender to borrow money. the money lender was a little hesitant because rama had already borrowed a lot of money from him and had not paid back. but at the same time he was afraid to refuse because the king was very close to tenali.if tenali rama complained to the king then he would have to close his business.

the money lender became thoughtful, suddenly he remembered that the king had gifted a handsome black Arab stallion to tenali. which was worth a lot.with a bright smile on his face he said to rama,''Iwill lend you the money on one condition. if you fail to pay back the money along with the interest on the appointed date then you will have sell your horse and settle the debt with whatever you get from the sale.''

tenali rama understood the money lender's plan. he smiled himself. but he needed the money and agreed instantly. some days later, when rama failed to return the borrowed money,the money lender came to his house.''rama, you have failed to keep your commitment. according to our agreement, you will have to sell your horse and whatever you get from the sale, settle the debt what ever'' he said. tenali rama untied his horse from the stable and walked to the market place. he also took his kitten with him. at the market he began to call out,''I am selling my kitten for a hundred gold coin and whoever buys the kitten will get this horse for one gold coin more,''

the money lender got puzzled at tenale's bidding. the people in the market found it strange too.A rich merchant who knew about horses came forward and bought the kitten and the horse, as he knew that the deal was very good. now, tenali rama turned towards the money lender and said , ''this one gold coin is what Igot from the sale of my horse and according to our agreement my debt is settled.'' the money lender realized that tenali rama had out witted him. he walked home dejected.

ARTIST IN TENALI RAMA.

king krishnadeva rava loved art. he wanted to build a summer palace and have
beautiful pictures painted on its walls. the king hired well known builders to build the palace and
called a famous artist come and paint pictures on its walls. the artist agreed to come but had a
condition,''only after i paint the whole palace can anyone come to see the pictures,''he said.
krishnadevara agreed. after a few month, the artist sent word that the palace was complete. the
king invited his ministers to accompany him to see the summer palace. tenali rama also went along.
on reaching the palace every one was stunned by its beauty. as they went from room to room
and wall to wall they could not stop praising the work.tenali rama stopped at a few walls to look
closely at the paintings. he pointed it out to the king.krishnadeva rayareadily accepted that they
were incomplete. but the artist who was vain, did not want to accepted that he had not completed his work.
instead he said,''only those who have an imagination and know painting.''rama knew that the artist was deceiving them.so he asked the king's permission to do some painting himself.
the king permitted.rama. he got down to his work immediately.after a few days rama invited krishnadeva ray and the artist to come and see his paintings. the king was surprised to find not even a single line drawn on the walls rama was pointing at.the artist laughed and said,''where are the paintings there is nothing here. are you fooling us?''rama replied, ''only people who know about art and have an imagination can appreciate my work and can see what i have done.'' the artist realised that he was caught.
he immediately fell at krishnadeva raya's feet, ''please forgive me, ''o king, i promise that i will complete all the pictures,'' pleaded the artist. krishnadevaraya for gave the artist and gave hundred gold coin to tenali rama as reward.

TENALI'S BURDEN OF DEBT.

TENALI RAMA was from a poor family. things changed after he became the court jester of vijayanagar. soon he and his family forgot their struggle and poverty and indulged in luxury. at times their expenses would be so high that even the king's gifts would not be enough. rama would borrow money from money lenders, fellow ministers and often from the king himself on interest.once rama ended up borrowing more than he could repay. rama knew he was in serious trouble and had to pay back the king. one day tenali was not his usual humorous self in the court. his humour and wit failed to entertain the king. the king thinking that tenali was sick, said, ''rama you don't look well, why not take a few days off and come back?''tenali agreed.
but he did not feel very good at home too.''you are looking very worried swamy, said tenali's wife said.''what is it?'' he told her what was bothering him.''why don't you tell the king about the burden of debt. may be he will waive it off.''suddenly, tenali rama brightened, ''you have given me an idea,'' he said and whispered something into his wife's ears.tenali's wife sent a message to the king that rama was very sick. when the king arrived. she wept, ''o king rama has been like this ever since he borrowed money from you. the burden of repayment has been heavy on him.''don't worry, he need not repay the money back to me,''said the king.
tenali rama jumped out of the bed on hearing this. seeing tenali well the king got angry. ''rama, you have fooled me,''bellowed the . ''no maharaja, the burden of debt was crushing me, but as soon as you waived it, the burden has lifted enabling me to get up again,'' explained the witty tenali rama.

TENALI RAMA HOW SHARED HIS REWARED?

ONCE a grouped dancers came to vijayanagara. their performance was praises by every one.so the king decided to invite them to the palace. to give a special performance. the king knew that tenali rama would spoil the evening,he gave strict orders to guards at the gates not to let tenali rama enter. the king also did not send an invitation to tenali. but, the other ministers were asked to attend. when tenali rama heard this, he felt quiet sad, he made up his mind to enter the palace somehow.

tenali rama reached the palace when the dance was about to begin, the guard at the outer gate stopped him.'' i have strict order not to let you enter'' he said. '' i am the king's close friend, not his enemy''.why shouldn't i enter''i too wish to entertain the king. he is sure to give me rich presents,''tenalirama said,'' look,i will share whatever he gives to me with you. do let me go in!the guard knew that the king gave rama many gifts. so , he felt tempted.''all right, you can go in, but, remember to give me half of what the king gives you!''he said.

tenali rama reached the door of the hall where the performance was going on. here too he was stopped by a guard who said that king had ordered him not to allow tenali to enter,''tenali rama said the same he is sure to give half of the gift to him.the guard agreed at once and allowed tenali rama to go in. when tenali went in, he found the troupe of dancers performing the'' krishna leela.''he picked up a stick and began beating the main dancer. the dancer yelled with pain.''rama! how dare you enter and spoil the dance!''shouted the king.krishnadeva raya thought thattenali would have to be punished.

''guards!give him 50 lashes for coming to the palace uninvited, and another 50 lashes for spoiling the show!''he ordered. ''wait a minute!''tenali rama exclaimed.''two share whatever i am given by the king. the two guards who let me enter on this condition!''he told krishnadeva raya all that the guards had said. ''i am glad that you have revealed the greedy men, rama. here is a bag of gold coin as a reward!'' the king krishnadeva raya said.

TENALI RAMA'S VISIT TO DELHI.

THE fame of tenali rama's wit spread far and wide. whenkrishnadeva raya ruled over vijanagara, the moghul emperor BABAR ruled north india. babar heard many of his people praising tenali rama and his intelligence. he became eager to meet krishnadeva raya's court jester. babar wrote to krishnadeva raya and requested him to send tenali rama to Delhi.
krishnadeva raya was proud when he read babar's message. ''tenali rama!you have brought credit to Vijayanagar. get ready to meet the moghul emperor,babar, in Delhi. but ,always keep in mind that you are a VIKATAKAVI. i want you to win at lest one bag of gold coins from babar,''said krishnadeva raya. tenali rama made up his mind to please his king. he set out for delhi with high hopes. just before tenali rama arrived in Delhi,babar summoned his court.
''i do not want any one of you at tenali rama's jokes.severe punishment awaits the offender of this order,''tenali rama was received with due respect in Delhi.he presented the gift sent by krishnadeva raya to babar.then tenali rama spoke humorously about his experiences and his journey. but, no one laughed all sat like lifeless dolls, tenali rama was very much puzzled. he tried his best to make everyone laugh by performing clownish acts. but he failed to get a single laugh. rama became depressed.
''it look as if i will have to go back to Vijayanagar empty-handed.the king expects me to win at least one bag of gold coins from babar,''he thought,''i must succeed somehow.''the next day,babar was out on his morning ride. on the way, he saw an old man digging busily. babar stopped and got off his horse.''why are you working so hard at your age,old man?''he asked. ''o emperor! i am going to plant these tamarind sapling'' the old man replied. ''foolish man!do you think that you will live to enjoy the fruits of your labour?''he asked.'' my ancestors planted trees, and years later i enjoyed the fruits. in the same way the trees i am planting will bear fruits. for my children and grandchildren''said the old man.''well said!here is a bag of gold coin for your wise words,''babar exclaimed.
the old man bowed and said, ''thank you!it is said that the people have to wait for the fruit of their labour when they plant trees,but, i have gained the fruit of the very day of planting the tree!''babar was even more pleased to hear this. he gave another bag of gold coins.the old man bowed and said ''though the person who plants a tree is rewarded only once when the ripening season comes, i have been rewarded two times on the Day i planted the tree!''
babar appreciated the old man's wisdom and gave him another bag of gold coins. the emperor then monted his horse and rode away. when he had gone a few paces, he heard a shout and looked back. babar was surprised at the sight which met his eyes. the old man had taken off his beard and his disguise. it was tenali rama.''was it really you all this time?'' babar asked in amazement,''yes , o emperor, it was me'', tenali rama replied.
''my king told me to win at least one bag of gold coins from you, but ,i have won 3!''babar was pleased by tenali rama's wit and intelligence and gave him another bag of gold coins.

TENALI RAMA AND THE BRINJALS.

KRISHNADEVA RAYA Had a very large kitchen garden in his palace. different kinds of vegetables were grown there.one year, the king was presented with a different variety of brinjial saplings. they were planted in the royal kitchen garden. the gardeners looked after them with special care. the brinijal plants grew well. soon many brinjial appeared. the the cook plucked them to cook in the royal kitchen. krishnadeva raya liked the brinjials in curry and ''sambar'' very much. he appointed special guards to protect the kitchen garden,the king also passed a strict order that no one should dare to pluck the brinjials from the garden.

one day,krishnadeva raya invited his ministers to a feast in the palace. brinjial curry was served.tenalirama enjoyed the tasty dish very much. ''i had delicious curry at the palace to day'', tenali rama told his wife when he reached home. 'ah! i have never eaten such a tasty brinjials before!'''' you should have brought some curry for me !i would like have tasted those brinjials too!'' his wife said. tenali rama himself wanted to eat the brinjials again. so, he agreed when his wife told him to steal some brinjials from the royal kitchen garden. no one saw him as He plucked some brinjials and hid them in the sash tied around his waist. that very night, tenali rama's wife per pared brinjial ''sambar''. both rama and his wife enjoyed the brinjials greatly.

''let us wake our son and give him some too'' tenali rama's suggested.''the boy may blabber to his Friends about the brinjisals and we will get on to trouble'', rama warned. ''i will have to perpare a way to meet this danger''. tenali rama's son was sleeping in the courtyard out side the house. rama sprinkled water allover the place, as well as on his son . then he woke up the boy. ''come inside quickly,he said ''change your wet clothes it is raining!''and come to have hot 'sambar'.

the boy obeyed him, and after eating the 'sambar-rice, went back to sleep.there was an uproar at the palace the next morning, ''oh king someone has stolen the best brinjials from the royal garden!'' the guards told the king. the king was very angry. ''who has done this?i want you to find out who the thief is!'' he said. after some time, rajaguru came to the king. ''o king!i have heard that tenali rama had brinjial 'sambar' last night'' he said. ''send for him!krishnadeva raya ordered.

tenali rama was summoned. ''what, rama, have you too begun stealing?'' asked the king. ''i hear that you had brinjial 'sambar' yesterday night''.''why should i steal your brinjials when i know that you yourself would willingly give some brinjial if i asked?''tenali rama said.'' it will be useless talking to you or to your wife, because both of you will make up some excuse. i will question your son''.said krishnadeva raya.the guards came with the boy. tenali rama was a little scared of what he would say.

''child,what did you eat night?'' asked the king.''brinjial'sambar'.it was very tasty''.the boy replied. '' at what time of the night did you have the rice and brinjial'sambar'?the king asked.''it rained last night.i had hot sambar-rice after that''answered the boy. ''did it rain yesterday?''the king asked.'' yes , my clothes got wet and i felt cold. after wearing dry clothes, i had brinjial'sambar and rice''.said tenali rama's son.''rama your son says that it rained last night. where did it rain?'' krishnadeva raya asked.

''o king,the boy has a habit of talking about his dreams. he must have dreamed that he ate brinjial'sambar'. just as he dreamed that it rained last night! my wife and i take no notice of his prattle''. said tenali rama.the king was in a fix. he did not know whether to belive tenali rama or the boy who claimed that after the previous night's rain, he had brinjial'sambar'.so, he sent tenali rama and his son home.

HOW TENALI RAMA BECAME THE COURT JESTER?

kriahnadeva raya's guru was thathachariar. tenali rama wants to be a vikatakavi, in krishnadevaraya's court.he approach thathachariar, the raja guru. to his delight, the raja guru, came to say at mangalagiri, a short distance off from tenali.rama took a collection of his poems and went to see the raja guru. ''wonderful!'' thathachariar exclaimed when he heard the poems.''you deserve to be in the royal court at vijayanagara!''he did not think that rama would take his words seriously.

rama,however, waited eagerly to hear from the raja guru in the following days. but , no word reached him.so, he sold his possessions in tenali and went to vijayanagara with his wife, baby son and his old mother.''I'm sure the rajaguru remembers me!'' rama thougrt.he left his family in lodgings and went to raja guru thathachariar's mansion. ''i am the rajaguru's friend, don't let anyone enter while we are taking,''rama told the gourds at the gate and entered the mansion.thathachariar recognised rama and was shocked.

''i never expected to see the fool!i must get rid of him somehow'', he thought to himself.he began shouting loudly, ''how dare you come in to my house! you look like a thief! hey, guards! catch this man and throw him out!''the guards came running and obeyed their master. they seized rama and pushed him out of the mansion in to the road.

rama dusted his ''dhoti''as he stood up. '' i will never forget this, rajaguru!i will take my revenge on you too. just wait and see!he shook his fist angrily and walked away. rama's chance came the very next day ,when he went to krishnadeva raya's court. the rajaguru, thathachariar, and many other shoals were seated in the court. a magician was entertaining them with his tricks.at the end, he bowed and said to krishnadeva raya,''o king! no one here or in this kingdom can equal me in magic!''the king did not like the man's pride.

''is there anyone who can defeat the magician?'' he asked. no one stood up.even the rajaguru did not speak. he did not dare to take up the magician's challenge.tenali rama stepped for word. ''i can defeat the magician, my king''he said confidently.''if you wine , you will get this bag of gold coins. but ,if you lose, you will go to prison''krishnadevaraya waned. rama agreed to the condition. ''i shall perform an act with both my eyes closed. you must do the same hing with the open eyes''he said to the magician who nodded his head.

rama asked for permission to summon guard. he whispered to him.the guard left the court and back soon. he handed something to rama. rama closed his eyes and flung sand on them.'' now you must do the same with open eyes''. he said to the magician. the magician knew that he was defeated ,how could he throw sand into his open eyes?

''sabaash!'' krishnadeva raya clapped his hands, ''i am proud of you ! take this bag of gold coins. from tommorrow you will be part of my court''.he prised rama. tenali rama looked at rajaguru tahthachariar and smiled. now he had his revenge. rama's quick wit had defeated the magician whose challenge the rajaguru had not dare to accept, so he looked small in krishnadeva raya's eyes!.

TENALI RAMA AND THE THIEVES.

teniali rama had a large garden surrounding hi s house. his wife grew many flowers,vegetables and other useful plants. the garden was a pleasure to see, but one year, rains failed, the level of water in tenali rama's well fell very low.it will be hard to work draw from the well. if he employed men to work, he would have to pay them. rama did not wish to spend money, so, he wondered what he should do.
from the corer of his eye, tenali rama noticed a couple of people hiding behind the tree. they looked like thieves .but ,rama pretended that he had not seen them. he walked back to the house.he called his wife loudly, she came running out.''i heard at the court to day that there have been many robberies in vijayanagara. every one knows that the king give me costly gifts, so, they may come here any night,''tenali informed her.''o goodness gracious what shall we do with all our valuable things''she asked.'' i have an idea. after dinner, we place the money and the jewellery in a sack and lower it in to the well which is nearly empty. it will be a safe place too.''tanali said loudly as he went in to the house.
when he was inside,he closed the door and pulled his wife's arm, and said'' i saw two thieves hiding in the garden. that is why i shouted. quick, let us put some useless stuff in the sack. i will throw it in to the well.''he whispered to her.some times latter tenalt's wife came out of the house and looked around.''no one is here, it is dark too, so, it is safe to bring the sack''. she said loudly. tenali rama came out car ring the heavy sack.
he lowered it into the well with a loud splash. rama dusted his hands and walked back to the house. he and his wife went bed early. the thieves waited for some time . then they crept up to the well and peered in. ''look there isn't much water in the well. let us empty it . then we will be able to climb down safely.''one thief said.the other man agreed. the two of them began drawing buckets of water from the well. they did not know that rama had dug a narrow mud channel so that it would be easy to water the garden, so, by day-break, the thieves had watered all the plants in the garden. tenali rama had a good night's sleep. he came out of the house and said smilingly, ''thank you my good friends, for watering my garden for me.you have saved me the trouble of drawing water from the well. the garden has been very well watered. how you can go home and have a good rest''. tenali said. the two men realised that they had been tricked in to watering the garden by tenali.they crept away shamefaced.tenali rama and his wife laughed heartily.

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HOW THEALI RAMA BRED A HORSE?

once krishna deva raya decided to bye horses from Arabia.Arabian horses were famous all over the world.''it will be a little difficult to train many horses properly in the royal stables'', he though.'' i shall give one colt to each householder in Vijayanagar. feeding the colts will be expensive.so , is hall give 3gold coins every month to each person.''thousands of colts were brought from Arabia.each householder in Vijayanagar took home a colt. the people were eager him. so, they began spending more money than the 3 gold coin which were given each month. very often, they themselves had less food to eat.as a result, the clots grew healthy and strong, but the people became thin and weak.

now, tenali rama also got a colt to rear. he tide the colt in a shed in his garden, rama built a high wall in front, leaving just a small hole. he fed the colt on some hay only once a day, through this hole. the 3 gold coin which rama received from the king every month were spent on his own family. so, while the colt became thin, rama and his family grew fat and healthy.

when three months passed by, krishnadeva raya wished to see how the colts had been brought up by the people. they all came one by one and showed the colts. ''very good!'' krishnadeva raya praised. he was pleased to see that the colts looked healthy,the king then turned to tenali rama who was also present.
''rama!where is your colt?''he asked. tenali rama bowed respectfully before replying. ''oh, my king! i am sorry i could not bring the colt here. it cannot be controlled easily''rama explained.''what !has the colt grown SO strong under your care.?the king was surprised.'' yes, please could you send the headman of the royal stables to my house so that we can bring the colt here?''tenali rama asked.''of course!iam really eager to see the colt. you can take more strong men.''said the king.

the man reached tenali rama's house and went to the shed, now the headman of the royal stables came from Arabia. he had a long beard. the headman peeped into the hole of the shed. his beard entered the hole.tenali rama's starving colt thought that it was some hay flung in it. tugged violently at the beard. the headman cried loudly with pain.

the other men tried to pull the headman away, but failed. they decided to cut off the beard and save the headman from injury, then,with great difficulty, the men dragged rama's colt ti the palace.krishnadeva raya looked at the animal which was just skin and bones. ''how did the colt become so week, rama?haven't you been feeding it properly?it seems as if yoy have been spending the 3 gold coins on your family!' the king said angrily.

''o king!i gave the colt only a little hay. but look, how strong it is !four men had to drag here. suppose i had fed it with plenty of hay, what would have happened! can you imagine?''rama asked .'' i would like to say something more.it is not enough for a king to breed horses for his army. he must look after the welfare of his people. you placed a great burden on them by giving them colts to rear. see how thin and half-bred many people are!'' rama added.

''you have opened my eyes, rama!''exclaimed the king ''if anyone else had dared to say what you said, i would have punished him. but , your quick wit has saved you once again!''

SRI RAMA PATTABESHAKAM

SRI RAMA PATTABESHAKAM. rama pointed out to sita while they flew back, the great bridge to lanka which the vaanaras had built... the rishyamooka hill where he had met hanuman and had befriended the fugitive vaanara prince... the king of kishkinda.. the place where he and lakshmana had lays seen jataayu. they reached sage bharadwaja's ashrama and sought his blessings.''look sita, the guha, and bharata have both come to meet us!'' rama embraced bharata and guha.
ayodhya was a sea of happiness.the people celebrated for days as their beloved rama had returned safely from his fourteen years exile. now rama was crowned king at a magnificent ceremony witnessed by hanuman, sugriva, vibheeshana and all the davas,rishis, gathered and all his countless well-wishers. rama's rule, known as RAMA RAJYAM, was a time of peace, prosperity and plenty for the people of ayodhya.
****SRI RAMA JAYAM**SRI RAMAYA JAYAM**SRI RAMA JAYAM****

SITA'S ORDEAL BY FIRE.

vibheeshana, become very sad, abuout ravana's dith.'' do not so sad ! ravana died like a true warrior, on the battltfield. and his death washed away his many sins. arise and perform his rites!'' rama said to vibheeshana. then vibheeshana was properly crowned king of lanka.rama then called hanuman to go with the king's permisson to the asoka vana and convey all the happenings to sita.hanuman accepted and go to asoka vana ,she, in her reply, said that she was eager to meet rama.
then conveyed the massage to rama, hanumanwas sent back to inform sita that rama wished her to come to him freshly-bathed and bedecked with jewels.this time vibheeshana went with hanuman. when sita said that she would go as she was, vibheeshana told her about rama's wish and ordered the women to adorn sita with jewels befitting a queen.then she was taken in a palanquin to rama.all the vanaras pressed forward to catch a glimpse of sita. so , she alignted from the palanquin and walked to the palace where rama was standing to allow everyone to see her.
at last sita was face to face with her husband,rama. tears of happinesss streamed from her eyes.some times latter ''now i have done my duty like a true kshatriya and killed ravana who kidnapped you. but how can i take you back as you have lived for a year in a stranger's-my enemy's-dwelling?!so, we cannot live together any more!'' sita was utterly shocked and distressed by rama'swords.'' my heart has been broken by your cruel word, remember, i came from a great family! it is not my fault that i was kidnapped a rakshasa! as you doubtme, there is only one course left for me to follow!''
she turned to lakshmana who too seemed to angry with his brother, and asked him to light a big fire.sita went round her husband and approached the blazing fire with folded hands, ''oagnideva!if i am pure and chaste, protect me!'' she cried and jumped into the fire.everyone present was horrified, then agnideva himself rose from the flames and lifted sita totally unharmed. he persented her to rama.
rama accepted sita joyfully and said,'' i know all the time about your purity, sita! but i had to do this , make you undergo the ordeal by fire for the sake of the world!''now, rama and sita were truly united.together with lakshman,sugriva and vibheeshana they ascended the pushpaka vimana and flew backto ayodhya.hanuman flew in advance to tell bharata that rama was returning to ayodhya.

THE DEATH OF RAVANA.

ravana prepared for battle and armed himself with many weapons.all the davas and rishis gathered above to watch the greatest battle of all.both rama and ravana were excellent bows men. both warriors had divine weapons. so the contest between rama and ravana was long and equal:even the vaanaras and remaining rakshasas.rama found that his powerful arrow could not penetrated ravaana's armour.rama cut off ravana's ten heads one by one. but even one fell, another grow in its place.
ravana laughed at rama's puzzlement and was furious when lakshmana and vibheeshana attacked him. he hurled a powerful weapon at vibheeshana which lashmana countered withan equally powerful dart. once again ravana attacked vibheeshana who was a traitor in his eyes. once again the weapon was countered by lakshmana.ravana's eyes became red with burning fury. he hurled a mighty weapon at lakshmana shouting ''now you are dead!''under its force, lakshmana fell down unconscious.
rama did not notice it, but continued fighting. once again hanuman brought an entire mountain of herbs to revive lakshmana. indra, the king of devas knew that ravana's end was near. he told maatali, his charioteer to take his divine chariot for rama's last assault.''indra has sent his chariot fore you to use!''maatsli said rama.
rama bowed to the king of the davas, climbed the charit. then began a great battlt eagerly watched by the davas,gandharvas and rishis. ''lord rama! may i remind you of the BRAHMASTRA?!''maatali whispered to rama. then rama invoked brahma and hurled the BRAHMASTRA. it pierced ravana's chest and he fell down dead.''at lost ravana is dead. glory to rama for destroying the wicked rakshasa race!''- the davas, gandharvas and rishis cried and showered flowers from above at rama. there was a great morning in lanka. ravana's wives, led by the beautiful MANDODARI, wept at the side of the slain rakshasa.

INDRAJIT RETURNED.

indrajit returned to the battlefield and saw that his effort had gone in vain.once again he used black magic to fight with the vaanaras.with the help of this, he conjured up a maaya sita and killed her in the sight of the vaanara army.they rushed to inform rama who fainted when he heard this, but vibheeshana calmed rama.
''ravaana will never allow sita to be killed. it is just by indrajit to gain time to perform an as uric sacrifice of great power. if the sacrific is performed, we can never defeat indrajit. so let lakshmana, hanuman and sugriva to prevent the sacrifice from being completed. i will also go with them,for i know the temple, where indrajit will be in!'' he said
the vannara army went lakshmana, haunman, sugriva and vibheeshana to the temple where indrajit was performing the sacrifice. he was forced to abandon it and begin fitting against lakshmana. lakshmana stood on hanuman's shoulder and attacked indrajit, the fight went on for guite some time.at lost lakshmana shot the indra-astra. he invoked the name of rama and sent it forth. indrajit's head was sliced from his body and fell to the ground. there was much cheering that dreadful foe had been killed.
ravana was totally shattered by the death of his beloved son, indeajit.''my beloved son, indrajit, before whom even the devas trembled...are you gone from me forever? what shall i do now?'' he cried, soon his grief gave way to burning fury.''i shall go out at once and avenge your death!''

KUMBAKARNA'S BATTLE

KUMBAKARNA'S BATTLE . as soon as kumbakarna was awakened,he would roar loudly for food, so they ordered mountains of food and casks of drinkto be prepared, then they made a terrible up roar and even caused elephants to walk on him. some rakshasas even beat him with stout stick!at lost he opened his eyes and yawned angrily .before he found out why his sleep was disturbed, he had finished eating, ravana's ministers told him that his presence was required urgently by ravana.

'' kumbakarna!rama has caused a bridge to be built across the ocean to lanka and he is onshore with his vaanara army.we have lost many brave warriors.''said ravana.'' brother ravana!you are responsible for this situation as you kidnapped rama's wife, but not to worry!i shall go out at once, kill rama and lakshmana,and lay their heads at your feet!''he boasted. kumbakarna hit first hanuman with a lance, and then sugriva. sugriva fell unconscious.the citizens threw flowers and sandal past on their hero. but the cool sandal paste revived sugriva.after he realised he hit kumbakarna by his nose and scratching him with his long nails, and flew back to the battle field followed by kumbakarna.kumbakarna went straight to meet rama.
rama shot several powerful darts at him. but they did not deter the rakshsa, so rama used stronger weapons and cut off his arms and feet, but the legless rakshasa still moved on his stumps to kill the vaanaras.at last rama shot an arrow which cut off kumbakarna's head, the vanarasas rejoiced at the death of kumbakarna.but ravana was deeply grieved and shocked to hear this.his son INDRAJIT, offered to go to battlefield and kill rama and lakshmana.
indrajit was a very brave warrior and know the use of many weapons which he had obtained through penance.above all he was a master at black magic. he then aimed the brahmastra at rama and lakshmana who fell down unconscious. he then went to report to ravana about his feat.the vaanara army all are panic- stricken.the aged vaanara, jambavan, asked for hanuman to be brought to him.
'' hanuman , son of vaayu! go at once to the himalayas in the north. the hill of herbs, the sanjivini, is located there,find four herbs which glow even in the dark and bring them here to revive rama and lakshmana ''he said.hanuman rose in the sky and travelled with the speed of wind to the himalaya mountains,their he saw between the hills rishaba and kailasa peaks.but as he could not wast time, so he lifted the entire hill and flew back to lanka .the approach of the sanjivni hill was enough to revive rama and lakshmana and all the vaanaras who were the spell of brahmastra. the herb healed their wounds and gave fresh strength.

RAVANA IN BATTLE.

RAVANNA IN BATTLE.
ravana sent many more rakshasa warriors, they fought valiantly but were killed by hanuman,sugriva and angada, so, he decided to go to the battlefield himself and rode in a great chariot. ramasaw the majestic ten-headed warrior and resolved to defeat him somehow.but ravana fought with great cougar and killed many vaanaras. seeing this, sugriva was angry and came forward to attack the rakshasa.a great battle followed later between ravana and lakshmana,who fell down unconscious.hanuman carried lakshmana away on his shoulders.
then rama came to fight with ravana. his arrows broke the rakshasa's chariot, killed the charioteer and also deprived him of all his weapons. ravana stood helpless before rama. ''you have fought well to day!go now and rest, we shall resume the battle tomorrow!'' rama told him. ravana shamefacedly retreated to his place.
ravana smarted from this humiliation and vowed to defeat rama somehow.''KUMBAKARNA has just begun his six-monyh long sleep. but i need his help urgently and must waken him up!'' ravana decided desperately.due to a curse kumbakarna slept for months and as ravana has just said,kumbakarna's sleep period had begun a few days ago, so ,it would be a mammoth task to awaken the sleeping giant.