ONE day King Krishnadeva Raya, Tenali Raman and some other courtiers were walking along the beach, enjoying the scenery. It was a pleasant afternoon and the king was savouring the moments spent in the company of his men and nature. The king asked his courtiers, “What do you say about my governance? Do you think I am taking proper care of my people? Are the people happy in my kingdom?”
The courtiers replied in one voice, “Your Majesty, what more can Your Majesty do than what has already been done? We find everyone happy and satisfied with Your Majesty’s rule.”
The king turned to ask Tenali Raman for his view but found that the latter was missing. He looked in the distance and saw Tenali Raman talking to some young children playing with each other. The king drew near the children when suddenly one of them began to wail. The king asked the child, “Why do you cry? What is the matter with you? Why don’t you play with others?”
The child mumbled, “I had made a beautiful castle with sand and the other boy on my left broke it down. Now who will make it for me, because I cannot make again such a beautiful sand castle?”
The king asked one of his courtiers, “You go and make a nice sand castle for this child, else he will keep crying and make himself ill.”
The courtier placed his things on the sand nearby and sat down to build a castle. After some minutes he completed the job and showed it to the child for his approval. A moment later the child again began to cry, “No, I do not like this castle. I want the one that had been made earlier. It was simply beautiful.”
The courtier made another castle, but the boy did not like that either. The courtier tried a number of times, but his efforts were rejected every time. In exasperation, he gave up.
The boy who had broken the castle came forward to offer help and he slowly built up a beautiful sand castle. The boy who had so far been crying began to smile and said, “I simply love his one. This is what I wanted.”
The two children smiled at each other and walked away hand in hand, talking and laughing.
The king was happy at this sight and said, “I think the child’s world is the best one. How can I do something good to make everyone of them happy in my kingdom?”
Tenali Raman said, “Your Majesty, I think you must build a park for these children where they can play and enjoy life.”
King Krishnadeva Raya agreed, “Yes, I will do that. Call all my workers and ask them to get down to work.”
After some time the park was ready and when the children began playing in the park, the king decided to pay a visit and see things for himself. On seeing the children happy, the king experienced the highest form of happiness.
