KING Krishnadeva Raya was getting ready to attend court when a messenger rushed in to say, “Your Majesty, the king and his troops from the neighbouring kingdom have set up their camp across the border. I think they are going to attack our kingdom any day. What shall we do?”
The king became worried and rushed to the court to seek the advice of his head priest and commander. He asked, “What should be done now? The fact that the king of the neighbouring kingdom is camping right on our border and has not sought any permission from us means that his intentions are not right.”
The head priest replied, “I think we should attack the enemy before they cross the border and attack our kingdom.”
The king turned to the commander of his forces and sought his opinion. The commander replied, “I shall give instructions to the soldiers to prepare themselves for any eventuality so that we are not caught napping.”
Before finally giving his instructions, the king asked Tenali Raman for his opinion. Tenali Raman replied, “So long as our attitude is right, none can harm us.”
The king was perturbed at the strange reply and asked Tenali Raman in an angry tone, “Tenali, what do you mean by this statement?”
Tenali Raman replied, “Your Majesty, I need a day or two and I’ll give the explanation.”
About three days later, Tenali Raman retuned to court with a few men armed with bows and arrows, axes and swords, following behind him The courtiers were shocked to see the crowd of armed men enter the court. The king asked angrily, “Tenali, have you lost your mind? What are these armed ruffians doing in my court?”
Tenali Raman replied humbly, “Your Majesty, I have brought the most skilled ironsmiths of our kingdom. They have come armed with their best sharpened weapons. With these men possessing such fine weapons, we can go to the war with the king of the neighbouring kingdom.”
The king understood the message conveyed by Tenali Raman, who was right that you cannot fight a modern war with bows and arrows and swords. You need the latest and the best weapons that are repeatedly in use so that they are not rusted to fight a war. The king called his commander and ordered, “From today onwards the soldiers should be provided with the best and the latest armaments so that whenever we are attacked, we are well armed and well prepared to confront the enemy.”
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