King Krishnadeva Raya was a great composer himself and was famous for writing Amuktha Malyada. Once the composition was facing criticism and it was being said that Allasani Peddana authored it but it was supposed to be written by the king.
One day, the king during a literature discussion asked the poets to comment on Amuktha Malyada. Most poets present could not muster the courage to do so but then Tenali rose up and said that he carried no two feelings about the book and that a right critic would never bother about the author but the subject, presentation, narration and standards of language. So the king asked him to point out the negatives. To this Tenali said that there were a few usages that were irrelevant to the context. This made the king angry who asked for an explanation.
He read out a paragraph and said that the last two lines of it were like asking a guest to have lunch from a plate that was not served with any eatables. Everyone including the king appreciated his comment.
