A COMPROMISE
For the last so many years King Krishna Dev Rai had been estranged from his neighbouring king. Many times it had happened that the armies of both the kingdoms had come face to face with each other. The position was no better and there was a lot of tension on both the sides, when a courtier came and began telling the King that Tenali Ramakrishna, whom he trusted most, was, in fact, a traitor. The courtier had taken advantage of isolation when King Krishna Dev Rai was having a stroll in his royal garden early in the morning.
"What did you say?" King Krishna Dev Rai looked at the courtier in disbelief and said, "Are you aware of what you are saying?"
"My Lord!" said the courtier, "I can dare bring the bitter truth to your knowledge only when you promise to spare my life after coming to know of the fact.
King Krishna Dev Rai thought for a moment and then said, "All right! Now come out with whatever you have to say."
"My lord! There is great rumour in the air that our Tenali Ramakrishna ji is an agent and informer of your enemy. Every secret matter discussed at your court reaches the ears of your enemy; that too in minute details."
Once again Krishna Dev Rai lost his temper and began shouting at the courtier.
"My Lord! This is what I was scared of. It seems you are under his hypnotic effect. And this precisely is the reason why no one of us could dare bring the truth to your knowledge. You cannot hear anything against him, My lord."
"It's a matter of individual belief My Lord. I am just as confident of my informer as you are confident of Tenali Ramakrishna. I don't believe in entering into any controversy before making sure of my statement. I have tested my information from all angles and then only dared bring it before you."
Seeing the firmness of the courtier, King Krishna Dev Rai was compelled to think that the information given by the courtier had some solid basis. He thought for some time and then said, "All right! I shall have the matter investigated secretly. And if Tenali Ramakrishna is found guitly, he will be awarded suitable punishment for treachery."
The courtier saluted him and left.
King Krishna Dev Rai summoned Tenali Ramakrishna to his presence as soon as the courtier left, and asked a straight question-----
"Tenali Ramakrishna! I have been informed that you are involved in treachery and are hand in glove with my neighbour king who is my enemy. I have also been informed that you have been supplying secret information to him. Is it true?"
Tenali Ramakrishna was stunned to hear this.
He remained in that position for quite some time wearing a blank look on his face. The blame was of such magnitude that he was totally nonplussed. He was silent; he couldn't say anything.
"Your silence is the proof of your treachery; is the proof of the correctness of the information given to me. You are a traitor," said King Krishna Dev Rai angrily.
"My Lord!" Tenali Ramakrishna's eyes brimmed with tears, "What are you..."
But King Krishna Dev Rai wouldn't let him speak. He said, "If you have so much sympathy for my enemy, go and live in his kingdom. Leave this kingdom at once."
The King had made him aware of his final decision.
"My Lord! So simple a punishment for so big a crime?" said Tenali Ramakrishna in a choked voice.
"Taking into consideration the past services rendered and the status of the post held by you, it is deemed fit to award you a minor punishment only-had the crime of the same magnitude been committed by someone else, I would have had his body cut into pieces and offered to kites and crows," said King Krishna Dev Rai boiling with anger.
Tenali Ramakrishna listened to his final decision quietly and bowed before the King respectfully, and without uttering a single word, he left the place and went away.
Next day------
The news spread like wildfire all over Vijayanagar that Tenali Ramakrishna had been exiled by the King. The jealous courtiers were filled with boundless happiness. Now they began thinking of enhancing their powers and getting promotions.
Meanwhile, Tenali Ramakrishna, exiled from his motherland, reached the capital of the kingdom of the enemy king, and met him. He described the good qualities of the enemy king and his kingdom in couplets. The King was not acquainted with him. He asked him his identity. The enemy king was extremely pleased to know the identity of Tenali Ramakrishna. He had heard a lot about him. He ordered a royal welcome and hospitality in his honour.
After having met all the formalities, the enemy king made Tenali Ramakrishna sit by his side and said, "Tenali Ramakrishna Ji! Your King considers me his enemy, then how is it that you came to my kingdom without any fear. Didn't you think that something untoward could have happened to you in my kingdom. Or is it that you have come with some message from your King?"
"King! You are an erudite scholar; you are gentle and virtuous; you are extremely powerful and a capable administrator; you are a well-wisher of your subjects. My King too possesses just as many qualities. He doesn't consider you a foe, he considers you a friend. My King has sent me to you to remove the misunderstanding of prolonged enmity between him and you."
"What did you say?" the enemy king was startled, "King Krishna Dev Rai has himself sent you to me and he considers me his friend? But my spies say that he is preparing to launch an attack on us."
"King! I can only say that this is the ignorance of spies. It seems there is some grave misunderstanding between us, and the armies of both the kingdoms are standing face to face with each other at the borders. King! History is witness to wars that have fetched no positive results except destruction and loss of human lives. And for this very reason my King has sent me to you to find out the reason why you are so much willing to have a war with him."
"But this is not true," said the enemy king, "I, in no way, want a war. Seeing your army at the borders,I too had to send my army in self-defence. Now you say that King Krishna Dev Rai doesn't want a war-but how to believe that he doesn't want a war and wants to make friends with me."
"In that case," said Tenali Ramakrishna, "send your emissary to Vijayanagar with a few presents and a compromise letter. I shall also give a letter to your emissary. If King Krishna Dev Rai accepts your presents, you should believe that he is willing to make friends with you, and if he declines to accept, I shall be ready to take any punishments awarded by you."
"But this will be considered a compromise from my side. This will rather be taken as a cowardice on my part. People would think that I have sent the compromise letter out of fear," said the enemy king.
"No, there isn't anything like cowardice in it. Anything done for the well-being of the subjects and for maintaining peace is never considered shameful," said Tenali Ramakrishna.
The enemy king realised the truth in what he said, and the very next day he sent an emissary to Vijayanagar with lots of valuable presents and a compromise letter.
Meanwhile, in two days, King Krishna Dev Rai had found out the real truth and also discovered how the cunning courtiers had played a dirty trick on him and Tenali Ramakrishna. Coming to know that Tenali Ramakrishna was not guilty, he had decided that he would award severe punishment to the guilty courtiers. But right now he was restless about his well-being and whereabouts.
On the third day, as soon as the emissary arrived at his court with lots of valuable presents and a compromise letter, and narrated the matter to him, he became extremely happy. With a lot of praise for the wisdom of Tenali Ramakrishna in his heart, he immediately sent a minister to the neighbour king with lots of valuable presents, and requested in a letter addressed to the king that Tenali Ramakrishna may be sent back with honour.
And King Krishna Dev Rai embraced Tenali Ramakrishna with great love, when he returned to Vijayanagar.
The jealous courtiers who had hatched a conspiracy against Tenali Ramakrishna had to fight shy of their shameful acts. King Krishna Dev Rai was in favour of awarding severe punishment to those courtiers, but Tenali Ramakrishna requested him not to do so, and said, "My Lord! Had they not hatched such conspiracy, a chance for a compromise with your neighbour king would not have arisen-you should be grateful to them.
The jealous courtiers were ashamed when they saw Tenali Ramakrishna counteracting in this manner.
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