The Biggest Fool

King Krishnadevaraya ruled the great kingdom of Vijayanagara with wisdom and strength. He was a generous king, always ready to reward talent and new ideas. However, sometimes his generous nature made him a target for tricksters.

One sunny morning, a stranger from a distant land arrived at the court. He was dressed in exotic clothes and led a magnificent black horse. The horse had a shiny coat and a flowing mane. It galloped gracefully around the courtyard.

“Your Majesty,” bowed the stranger. “This accounts for the finest Arabian breed. I have a stable full of such horses back in my country. If you wish, I can bring them to you.”

The King was mesmerized by the beautiful horse. “Yes!” he said. “I want fifty of them for my royal cavalry.”

“It will be an honor,” said the man. “But the journey is long and expensive. I will need an advance payment of 5000 gold coins to buy the horses and bring them here.”

Without thinking twice, the King ordered the treasurer to give the man the gold. The stranger took the heavy bag, mounted his black horse, and rode away, promising to return in two weeks.

Two weeks passed. Then a month. The King waited eagerly, pacing his balcony, looking at the road. But there was no sign of the horse trader.

One afternoon, the King was walking in the royal gardens to clear his mind. He saw Tenali Raman sitting under a banyan tree, scribbling intensely on a long scroll of paper.

“What are you doing, Tenali?” asked the King. “You look very serious.”

“I am writing a very important document, Your Majesty,” said Tenali without looking up. “I am making a list of the greatest fools in your kingdom.”

The King laughed. “That sounds interesting. Let me see who is number one.”

Tenali hesitated but handed the scroll to the King. Krishnadevaraya looked at the very top of the list. His eyes went wide with shock. Written in big, bold letters was: “King Krishnadevaraya”.

The King’s face turned red with anger. “How dare you!” he shouted. “You call your own King a fool? Explain yourself before I throw you in the dungeon!”

Tenali stood up calmly. “Your Majesty, plea, listen. Who provides a huge bag of gold to a complete stranger without finding out his name, his address, or verifying his story?”

“I trusted him!” argued the King.

“And he took your trust and your money and vanished,” pointed out Tenali. “Giving away 5000 gold coins blindly is an act of great foolishness, is it not?”

The King paused. He knew Tenali was right, but his pride was hurt. “Well,” he stammered, “what if he comes back? What if he brings the horses tomorrow? Then I won’t be a fool, will I?”

Tenali smiled mischievously. “If he comes back, Your Majesty,” he said, “then I will scratch out your name from the top of the list…”

“And?” asked the King.

“…and I will write his name there instead! For only a fool would come back to return money he got so easily!”

The King burst out laughing. He realized his mistake and forgave Tenali for his boldness. He understood that trust should be earned, not given away freely.

Moral of the Story: Do not trust strangers blindly; verify before you act.

Moral of the Story: Do not trust strangers blindly.