Astrologer outsmarted by Tenalirama

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Astrologer outsmarted by Tenalirama

Tenalirama was the wise court-poet in King Krishnadevaraya's court.

One day an astrologer came to King Krishnadevaraya's court. He said

to the king, "Excellency, I come from the kingdom which is next to

your Excellency's. I am a renowned astrologer. I can predict the

future for anyone. If I am proved wrong by any of your men, then

Your Excellency can punish me. Otherwise, if proved correct in my

predictions, then Your Excellency will have to reward me suitably."

 

King Krishnadevaraya agreed. But the king's courtiers were not

willing to believe that the astrologer could predict the future

because "an astrologer does not know his own future, then how can he

predict anyone else's," they argued.

 

Thus, one by one, the king's ministers came forward to ask some

question or the other and the astrologer predicted correctly. They

all had to accept defeat. Tenalirama was watching these proceedings

with great interest. He decided to find out how correct the

predictions of the astrologer could be. Taking a small stick in his

hand, Tenalirama approached the astrologer to ask, "I carry this

stick in my hand. Sir, can you predict correctly, if tomorrow, I

will beat you with this stick or not?"

 

The astrologer was deeply perturbed at this query. He thought to

himself, `If I predict that he will not beat me, then he will

definitely hit me tomorrow with his stick. If I say that he will do

so, then also he will hit me with it. What shall I do now?'

 

Turning towards King Krishnadevaraya, the astrologer

begged, "Excellency, please forgive me. I accept defeat, because no

matter what I predict, Your Excellency's court-poet is bound to beat

me up. You have a very smart poet in Tenalirama." So saying, the

astrologer made good his escape from the kingdom.