KING Krishnadeva Raya and the courtiers were busy attending to some serious business when the royal priest approached him to request, “Your Majesty, I want to avail a week’s leave as I have to attend to some urgent work in my village.”
Tenali Raman too came forward to seek leave to attend the wedding of a close relation in a nearby town.
King Krishnadeva Raya lost his cool and thundered, “What’s the matter with you all? It seems you have become tired of attending to your royal duties and want to take rest and enjoy.”
While trying to regain control over his temper, the king’s eyes fell on the royal commander who too stood behind the royal priest with his head bowed. The king said to him, “Yes, commander, I suppose you too want to go on leave?”
The commander replied meekly, “Yes, Your Majesty I want to take my family out of town as they have been asking me to take them away for a holiday.”
The king began to think with a troubled expression on his face as to what he could say. On seeing his plight, Tenali Raman said, “Your Majesty, the needs of the royal priest and the commander are more urgent than mine. Please accept their requests and let them go. I will go some other time.”
A much relieved king granted leave to both the priest and the commander but the two on hearing Tenali Raman’s reply became somewhat suspicious that possibly he planned to conspire and instigate the king against them. They however left the kingdom with a heavy heart, worried as they were as to what would transpire in their absence.
On their return from their vacation, they were surprised to find that the king was very happy with Tenali Raman because in their absence, he had got many new wells dug and roads built in the interior of the kingdom where access was not possible. Moreover what troubled them most was they could not enjoy their holiday as their thoughts lay on what Tenali Raman would be doing in their absence.
