Chapter 3 The Greedy Brahmins
The mother of King Krishnadevaraya was very religious. One day she came and told the king that she would like to offer ripe mangoes to the brahmins the next morning. The king asked his attendants to get mangoes for her. That very night, the king's mother died. The king was very sad, but he remembered her last wish.
The king performed all the necessary religious rites. On the last day, he called some brahmins and asked them to suggest a way to fulfil his mother's last wish. However, the brahmins were greedy. After a discussion, they told the king that his mother's soul would be at peace only if the king donated mangoes made of gold to them.
The king invited the brahmins the next morning to give away gold mangoes to them. Tenali Raman heard this and at once understood that the Brahmins were greedy. He invited them to his house to teach them a lesson.
The next day the Brahmins were very happy to get the mangoes made of gold from the king. Then they went to Tenali's house thinking that he too would donate something good to them. But when they went inside his house, they saw Tenali standing with the hot iron bar in his hand.
The Brahmins were shocked. Tenali told them that his mother had died after suffering from rheumatism. She always wished to burn her legs with the hot rods to ease the pain. Thus, he wanted to burn the legs of the Brahmins so that his mother's soul could rest in peace.
The Brahmins understood his trick. Feeling ashamed, they returned back the gold mangoes to Tenali and fled from there. Tenali returned all the gold mangoes to the King and told him how the king had been fooled by the brahmins