One day, Ramakrishna was looking at colored pictures newly painted on
the walls of the royal ladies' apartments. He saw the picture of a nymph. He
thought she was scantily dressed. So, taking hold of the brush and colors, he
made some changes.
The Chief Minister happened to go there just then. He exclaimed:
"Ramakrishna, what a foolish thing you have done! You have daubed the picture
specially painted under the king's own supervision! The king will be angry and will
surely punish you severely. You had better hide your head somewhere."
The next morning, Krishnadevaraya was taken aback to see a person,
whose face was covered with a mud pot, waiting at the door of the apartments.
The king asked: "Who are you? Why are you standing here with the face
covered?"
"Ramakrishna replied: "Your Highness, I am Tenali Ramakrishna. I
committed a small offence; the Chief Minister said you would have my head cut
off and that I should hide my head. Therefore ..."
The Chief Minister narrated the incident to the king; he appreciated
Ramakrishna's plan and forgave him.
Ramakrishna and his Family
Ramakrishna had a good wife. She knew her husband was generous, and
adjusted herself to his ways.
The king got a big house built for Ramakrishna. In spite of this, usually
Ramakrishna was short of funds. But he was a man of self-respect and he would
never beg the king for money.
Occasionally Krishnadevaraya used to go about in the city in disguise at
night. One night, he went to Ramakrishna's house and peeped through the
window. He saw Ramakrishna sitting before a grinding stone, engrossed in
powdering the grains! Touched by the poverty of Ramakrishna, he granted a
raise in his monthly salary.
