Tenali Raman: A Short Story (The Cursed Cat)

One day, a group of Brahmins told King Krishnadevaraya that milk was sacred, and if milk was consumed by cats, it would bring bad luck and curses upon the kingdom. They demanded a royal decree prohibiting cats from drinking milk.

The King agreed and issued an order: any cat found drinking milk would be immediately put to death.

Tenali Raman heard this order. He was very intelligent and could see that the Brahmins were simply greedy — they wanted all the milk for themselves. So, he devised a clever plan.

He went home and fed his cat hot milk every day, burning its mouth. After many days, the cat was so terrified of milk that it would run away the moment it even saw a bowl of milk.

Some time later, the King held a royal test. A bowl of milk was placed in front of every person's cat in the court. Every other cat eagerly rushed to the bowl to drink. Only Tenali Raman's cat saw the milk and immediately ran away in fear.

The King was amazed and asked, 'How did you train your cat so well?'

Tenali Raman smiled and said, 'Maharaj, your law only says cats shouldn't drink milk. It doesn't say how you should stop them. I simply showed my cat that milk can cause pain. A good law needs no punishment — only understanding.'

The King laughed, realized the Brahmins' trick, cancelled the ridiculous order, and rewarded Tenali Raman for his extraordinary wisdom.

Moral: Wit, intelligence, and creative thinking can solve problems that brute force and punishment cannot. Understand the spirit of a rule, not just the letter.