The King always rewarded Tenali Raman for his amazing wisdom and also for the witty manner in which he could deal with the most difficult problems.
One day, the King had rewarded him richly with varahas. The courtiers watched in jealous silence as Tenali Raman gratefully accepted a large plate loaded with gold coins. Now, he had to find a way to carry the varahas home.
He filled the pockets of his jacket. Then he rolled some into his dhoti at the waist. After that, only his turban was left, so he stuffed some coins into that too. He went up to the King and bowed low to thank him. Unfortunately, his turban fell and unfurled, spilling the coins all over the court room.
Tenali Raman was distressed. But he stooped to collect the coins rolling in all directions. He spread out his turban and began to put all the coins he collected into it one by one. The courtiers began to laugh and whisper.
“Look at him crawling all over the floor, chasing the coins! What a greedy fellow Tenali Raman is! He is not satisfied with all he has. He will not let even one single coin out of his sight!” they whispered, mocking at Tenali Raman.
Tenali Raman continued to search and pick the coins up that had rolled under the chairs, the curtains, the drapes, everywhere. Slowly, the laughter of the courtiers grew louder and louder till the King also became aware of it.
The King knew that Tenali Raman always had a reason for what he did or said. “If he was crawling all over the floor hunting for coins, it was not merely because of greed. These courtiers who laughed should be made to understand this,” he thought.
“Tenali Raman, why are you being so stupid, crawling under chairs and curtains for a few miserable varahas? What a greedy and miserly fellow you appear to be!” said the King in a serious and stiff voice, “Why don’t you just let it all go?”
“Sir, I have no need to be either greedy or miserly. Your kindness has given me everything I need. But these are varahas, Sir. Each varaha has your face embossed on it. How can I let your honour be put in a position where people put their feet on it, Sir?”
The King smiled and had a look at his courtiers. They were all looking very foolish now. Some of them got up to help Tenali Raman collect the coins!
