Tenali Raman Exposes the Truth Behind the King’s Parrot

The palace was abuzz with tales of the king’s parrot, a remarkable bird that chanted mantras flawlessly. The king boasted about the bird’s divine powers, claiming it was an example of achieving God’s grace through devotion. He even gave the parrot a fruit, and as soon as the fruit was placed in the cage, the parrot began chanting prayers, astonishing all present.

Raman, however, was skeptical. “Your Majesty, the parrot chants not because of divine powers, but because it knows that chanting will bring it a reward,” he remarked.

The king, slightly offended, challenged Raman to prove his point, promising him 100 gold coins if he succeeded. Raman confidently accepted.

The Experiment

The next day, Raman arrived at the palace with a mischievous plan. He brought a cat and tied it near the parrot’s cage. The moment the cat appeared, the parrot stopped chanting and instead screeched loudly in fear.

The king and the onlookers were stunned. The parrot, trembling, never chanted again, completely abandoning its “divine” prayers. Raman turned to the king and said, “Your Majesty, this parrot was never divine. It merely chanted mantras as a means to get the fruit. Its devotion was as shallow as its fear of the cat.”

The Result

The king, though embarrassed, acknowledged Raman’s wisdom. He handed over the promised 100 gold coins, and the tale of the “divine parrot” faded into obscurity.