Pasurams for the Lord at Thiruvananthapuram.

Nammalwar is the only alwar to have sung pasurams to this Lord at Thiruvananthapuram.
in 3678.
he request the devotees to go to the Lord at Thiruvanantapuram and if obstacles come just mention Kesava and even Yama cannot come near you.
he uses the words"Kootrin tamargalum kuruga gillaar" the alwar says Kesava nama sankirtana will obviate experiencing the troubles associate with hell.
he also uses Vida mudai aravil refering to the divine serpant Adisesha as a venomous serpent. and the myraid kainkaryam he performs to the lord the only nitya suri not ever to get separated from the Lord. he says Adisesha is the yellow Peethamba cloth worn by the Lord, he is also the sandal worn by the lord when he walks, he is the bed when he lies down, he is also the chair on which the Lord sits, he is also the umbrella when the Lord walks for ever protecting the Lord. He is the inseparable from the Lord.
in 3679.
he uses the wordsUllu vaarku refering devotion through meditation, through mind body and tongue to recite at least a few names of the Lord at Thiruvanantapuram which is equivalent to reciting the Sahasranamam, and that not only one would reach the holy shrine but also be assured of Paramapada. he uses the word Poi pugutheer, the walking to the temple itself involving the body and the mind he is sure to think of only the Lord when one visits this magnificent temple.
in 3680
the alwar says that all ills and sins will get wiped out if with unswerving devotion and single minded attention you reach Thiruvanantapuram and offer supreme devotion to the Lord who resides there. He has Garuda as Vahanam and also on his flag mast. he is the same who during the deluge swallowed the worlds and kept them safe within him and later brought it out to continue this creation. he pleads with the devotees to please take at least any one of his thousand names and assures them that it would rid them of all their ills. he uses "Theeyinil doosaagum seppu" saying just like the cotton when ablaze is completely consumed with out any trace so to on taking the Lords name all sins will get destroyed thus proving the efficacy of chanting the Lords name.
in 3681
he says Oh ye men without any hesitation, proclaim loudly that those who are able to worship and shower flowers on the Lord who resides in Thiruvanantapuram, surrounded by the sea and full of luscious fields and scented flower groves are indeed very fortunate. he wonder what is the good deed they have done to merit such fortune?
in 3682
he says oh ye men I categorically with conviction affirm that those who worship the twin lotus feet of the Lord at Thiruvanantapuram full of scented groves, are equal to Nityasuris in being able to enjoy the divine presence. here he uses "Ennumin entha namam" there are no limitations of either time or any other constraints for repeating the Thirunamam of the Lord. he goes on to say the desire itself is sufficient to put an end to the cycle of births and deaths thus further proclaming the benifits of reciting the Lords Thirunamam. Patram, pushpam, phalam, toyam. conveying that ordinary flowers fruits water or even leaves are gladly accepted by the Lord and no costly ingredients are necessary to pray to the Lord. (mud flowers were accepted too)
in3683
if you worship the lord at Thiruvantapuram you will get qualified to render antharanga kainkiarya to the Lord he uses the word "Amarar aai Thirginraarkatku"  and "Amarar kone archikinru angu" and also "Naamum poi naduga vendum" Shiva Brahma Visvaksena and others also come to worship the lord here. he also seems to tell that the nitya suris worship him through the mukha dwara Brahma and other gods through the madya or middle dwara and the devotees of the world through the Pada dwara.
in 3684
by sprinkaling scented water making colourful kolams cleaning up the temple precincts will make one eligible for moksa. even today people perform the cleaning task in spirit and honour the words of Nammalwar. he uses the words "Pambanai male pallikondar" he says the Lord in the Yoga nidra pose is all the time contemplating as to how to safeguard and protect the world that he himself has created.
in 3685
here he says ye men go and worship the feet of the Anantha Padmanabha ye sure will be rid of all of your sins. he uses the words "Kodi vinai kadayal aagum" even the worst of the sins will be redeemed with the Lord's help here. he also says "Kaamanai payantha kaalai" "Naam umakku ariya sonnome" manmadha the son of Rukmini and Krishna has the quality of being ever youthful and beautiful also called Pradyumna.
an interesting story.
It is said that Manakkal Nambi the sishya of Naathamuni taught Alavandar all the basic tenets of Vaishnavism. and he advised him to go to Kurugai Kaavalappan and learn through him the yoga rahasyas. Alavandar accordingly went to requested Kurugai Kaavalappan to teach him he was advised to come at a later date. meantime Alavandar went to Srirangam and it was the time of Adyayana utsavam here he was enjoying the Araiyar sevai and listening to the beautiful pasurams the lines "Ezhil ani Ananthapuram oadumudai aravill palli payinravan paadam Kaana nadamino Namargalulleer naam umakku ariya sonnom." which on account of his deep concentration seemed to be repeating itself in his minds eye and therefore giving him a message to go to Thiruvananthapuram. once there our Alwar lost himself in service to the lord and the appointment with Kurugai Kavalappan too forgotten.
in3686 and 3687
he is in an urgent need to convey the message to all humanity that they have to approach the Lord in the temple and seek his blessings. itseems as if the Alwar is aware of his time on earth coming to a close and with his last words too wants to fulfill his purpose of living among mortals, drawing them too to see the Magnificent Lord at Thiruvananthapuram.
in 3688
The phala stuthi sloka emphasising that those who recite thses 10 verses and worship the Lord at Thiruvananthapuram will indeed be enjoying the union with the Lord in Paramapada too.

3794:##
ketum idaraayavellaam* kEchavaa venna* naaLum-
kotuvinai seyyum* kooRRin thamargaLum kuRukakillaar*
vidamudai aravilpaLLi* virumpinaan surumpalaRRum*
thadamudai vayal* anandhapura_nagarp pukuthuminRE.  (2) 10.2.1

1. Just Call lovingly "Kesavaa!" once. All sorrows will disappear. Even
the terrific yama kimkarars (Yama's men) get shivers when they hear
"Kesavan" name and will not come near us. Hence, We will reach today
itself such Emperumaan's place Thiruvananthapuram where He has, most
willingly, out of His own desire, appeared and be present Permanently.
Thiruvanathapuram is the place where Emperumaan has the venomous
AdhisEshan as His bed and reclines on it. Let us reach that beautiful
Divya dEsam today. (Right now!)

3795:
inRupOyp pukuthiraakil* ezumaiyum Ethamchaaraa*
kunRunNaer maatamaatae* kurundhuchEr serundhipunnai*
manRalar pozil* anandhapura_nagar maayan_naamam*
onRumOr aayiramaam* uLLuvaarkku umparoorE. 10.2.2

2. At Thiruvananthapuram, tall, huge, mountain like buildings are there;
Nearby lots of trees, lots of fragrant flowers, and most beautiful gardens
are there. If you reach such a beautiful Divya dEsam, you will never get
in any of your future births at all. Every name of the Lord who is here at
this sthalam, is capable of granting you fruits equivalent to the thousand
names of His. Hence, those who recite His name at this place, this place
itself is Paramapadham (Sri Vaikuntam).

3796:
oorumput kodiyum aqthE* ulakellaam undumizndhaan*
chErum thaNNanandhapuram* sikkenap pukuthiraakil*
theerum_nOy vinaikaLellaam* thiNNa_naam aRiyachchonnOm*
pErum OraayiraththuL* onRu_neer pEchuminE. 10.2.3

3. Emperumaan has the Strongest GarudA as His vaahanam. The same GarudA-
he has as His flag for His chariot. The Bhagawaan, who ate and brought the
universe back, after the PraLayam (Cosmic cycle) is here most gracefully
presenting Himself at Thiruvananthapuram. If you enter into this Divya
dEsam, all diseases, all sins, will immediately evaporate.  Let me tell
you all one thing firmly and decisively. Enjoy His Greatness and kalyANA
guNAs by uttering at least one of His Greatest unparalleled, unmatched
Names.

3797:
pEchumin koochaminRip* periya_neer vElaichoozndhu*
vaachamE kamazum chOlai* vayalaNiyanandhapuram*
nEchaNYcheythu uRaikinRaanai* neRimaiyaal malargaLthoovi*
poochanai seykinRaargaL* puNNiyam seythavaaRE. 10.2.4

4. Thiruvanathapuram is hugged by the vast deep ocean waters; Most
fragrant gardens surrounding the paddy fields are filled entirely in this
fertile Divya dEsam. Offer flowers and perform Thiruvaaraadhanam as per
saashthrAs to this Bhagawaan, who, most willingly shows Himself, at this
sthalam. Those who do that are blessed ones. And please do not feel shy or
ashamed of talking about such puNyavaans (blessed people) and their
bhAgyams.

3798:
puNNiyam seythu* _nalla punalotu malargaLthoovi*
eNNumiNn endhai_naamam* ippiRappaRukkum appaal*
thiNNam_naam aRiyachchonnOm* seRipozil anandhapuraththu*
aNNalaar kamalapaatham* aNukuvaar amararaavaar. 10.2.5

5. Have unalloyed deep, sincere bhakti on Emperumaan and offer pure water
and flowers in your arcchanai and think of His Names. Such a thought and
prayer will remove this birth cycle. Those who reach the Lotus Feet of
Thiruvananthapiram Emperumaan will become NityasUris for sure. It is
definite and have no doubts about it. We have told this assertively in
order to let everyone know of this great factual truth.

3799:
amararaayth thirikinRaargatku* aathichEr anandhapuraththu*
amarar_kOn archchikkinRu* angakappaNi seyvarviNNOr*
namargaLO! sollakkENmin* naamumpOy naNukavEndum*
kumaranaar thaathai* thunbam thudaiththa kOvindhanaarE. 10.2.6

6. This Emperumaan- Govindhan- is the One who removed the sin of
SubrahmaNyan's Father, Sivan (refer recent posts on 5th head of BrahmA!).
He is such Greatest Supreme Lord of all. Those who call themselves as
Devas also pay obeisance to Him as their Lord. Such Primordial Chief is
present here majestically and permanently at Thiruvananthapuram and is
worshiped even by VishvaksEnar (Senai Mudali) at this Divya sthalam. Even
NiyasUris and Mukthars, likewise, perform their kaimkaryams, to this Lord
here. Oh My DEAREST BHAAGAWATHAAS!  Listen to me please! Let us also join
these NityasUris and involve ourselves deeply in Bhgawath Kaimkaryams.

3800:
thudaiththa kOvindhanaarE* ulakuyir thEvummaRRum*
padaiththa emparamamoorththi* paampaNaip paLLikondaan*
madaiththalai vaaLaipaayum* vayalaNiyanandhapuram*
kadaiththalai seeykkappeRRaal* kaduvinai kaLaiyalaamE. 10.2.7

7. This Emperumaan- Govindhan- is the One who creates all the worlds, all
beings, all demi Gods, and everything - is the One who re-creates all of
these again after MahApraLayam. He is The Grandest and Greatest Primordial
Lord. Such Supreme Lord, is so simple to offer Himself for us at this
place for us, (the Greatest and Grandest mahA Sinners) to have such an
easy accessibility to Him here at Thiruvananthapuram. He reclines so
beautifully on AdhisEshan as Hs Bed. IF WE GO HERE (THIRVANDRUM) AND DO
SOME MOPPING WORK AND CLEANING UP KAIMKARYAM AT THE TEMPLE ENTRANCE, ALL
OUR IRREMOVABLE SINS WILL SIMPLY DISAPPEAR. (Dearest Sisters and Brothers!
Read the message! We shall perform such mopping, cleaning kaimkaryams at
temples- Sri yathirAjar was performing the kaimkaryam of bringing well
water to the temple. We should NEVER EVER think that it is not the work of
one who knows so much slOkams, has done kaalakshEpams, etc.. etc.. or one
who has earned so much dollars, or in a respected high post (manager) in a
firm - how can "we" do such cleaning the dirt from temples? No! what will
others think of me?. Great jnAni, BhakthA, Our kulapathi NammAzhwAr, our
Dearest AchAryA Sri rAmAnujAchAryA have advised  and done that. Where are
we? Are we learned( poginRa jnAnam? Pollaa ozhukkam?), wealthy? (naasthi
pithuraarjitham kinchith namayaa kinchithaarjitham).

3801:
kaduvinai kaLaiyalaakum* kaamanaip payandhakaaLai*
idavakai kondathenbar* ezilaNiyanandhapuram*
padamudaiyaravil paLLi* payinRavan paathamkaaNa*
nadaminO namargaLuLLeer!* naam umakkaRiyach chonnOm. 10.2.8

8. Bhagawaan- The Father of Manmathan (Cupid), is staying permanently at
this beautiful Divya dEsam Thiruvanathapuram. He is reclining on the Bed
of AdhisEshan here. To see His Lotus Feet and pay obeisance to Him , all
of you!  my dear ones! proceed towards this place. If you do that, the
enormous amounts of sins that you have accrued over the ages can simply
vanish. I just want to let you all know that.

3802:
naam umakku aRiyachchonna* naaLkaLum naNiyavaana*
chEmam naNnkudaiththukkandeer* seRipozilanandhapuram*
thooma_nal viraimalargaL* thuvaLaRa aayndhukondu*
vaamanan adikkenRu eththa* maayndhaRum vinaikaLthaamE. 10.2.9

9. FOR ALL OF YOU (Dearest Sisters and Brothers), THE FINAL DAYS ON DEATH
BED ARE FAST APPROACHING! This lovely Divya dEsam Thiruvananthapuram can
do good to us and protect us. You can really experience it here. Hence,
collect fragrant flowers, some incense sticks sincerely, without any
faults, and worship Him and pay obeisance to this Lord of
Thiruvanathapuram, by placing those flowers at the Lotus feet of Sri
Anantha PadmanAbhan, who came as Vaamanan. If you all do that, all paapams
will automatically vanish.

3803:
maayndhaRum vinaikaLthaamE* maathavaa enna* naaLum-
Eyndhapon mathiL* anandhapura nagarendhaikkenRu*
chaandhotu viLakkamthoopam* thaamarai malargaL_nalla*
aayndhukoNtu Eththavallaar* andhamil pukazinaarE. 10.2.10.

10. If you call Emperumaan as "MADHAVAA!", the same moment, all your sins
will disappear. Hence, those who can gather pure Sandal, Lotus flowers,
incense sticks, and a ViLakku (lamp), go daily to Thiruvanathapuram,
(which is surrounded by tall ramparts), and pay obeisance to the Lord
Emperumaan AnanthapadmanAbhan, will attain limitless, unbounded fame and
state.

3804:##
andhamil pukaz* anandhapura nagar aathithannai*
kondhalar pozil* kurukoor maaRan chollaayiraththuL*
aindhinOtu aindhumvallaar* aNaivar_pOy amarulakil*
paindhodi madandhaiyar_tham* vEymaru thOLiNaiyE.  (2) 10.2.11

11. The unbounded, limitless Greatest Lord Emperumaan is gracefully and
permanently staying in this Divya dEsam of Thiruvanathapuram and He is the
Primordial Chief and is the Parama Purushan. Sri SadagOpar of
Thirukkurugoor has song these ten (out of his 1000 pAsurams) pAsurams on
Thiruvananthapuram Emperumaan Sri AnanathaPadmanAbhan. Those who read
these ten ARE SURE TO ATTAIN SRIVAIKUNTAM and attain Nitya vibhUtI at the
end of their present lives. There (at Sri vaikuntam), they will be served
by Devamaathar (ladies in Deva lOkam) who have beautiful bamboo like
shoulders. (means: They all will be served with reverence, sincerity  and
affection, love by Deva maathargaL. However,  AARaayirappadi vyAkhyAnam
interprets little differently and in a beautiful manner: In as much as the
loving husbands are served lovingly, affectionately by their beautiful
wives, the readers of these ten will be served at Srivaikuntam.)

God reaching out to the alwar.

Who but Nammalwar can be the one.
ref verses 3722 to 3732 in these 11 verses in the eedu written by Nampillai he says the lord is eager to locate the alwar and seeks his company to lift him bodily to heaven. he has let the alwar be amongst the people so that he can sing the glories of the Lord to guide the other jeevathmas. here the alwar is seen conversing with his own mind and impressing on his mind the simplicity of the Lord, the magnitude of the lords love for his devotees. how very far away we are from even qualifying to be called a devotee of the Lord.
In the Phalastuthi the alwar says that the Nitya suris wish to listen to these pasurams of nammalwar and instead of satisfying them increases their desire to want to listen more and more of the verses sung by Nammalwar. no doubt the Lord too enjoys the verses by nammalwar.

to be continued.

A Brahmin widow, plate of rice salt and mango.(Tiruvattar)

Raja Marthanda Varma once was going about incognito trying to escape from his enemies who were after him. one night he happened to reach a brahmin widow's hut for the nights rest. the poor lady could offer to the king what she herself was to have for dinner. which was a plate of rice with salted mango. the hungry worried king did have the meal and relished it. when he regained his kingdom he wanted to pay back to the women her generous deed and also that the generations hence would be made aware of the kind lady he instituted the large plate of rice with salted mango to be offered at the temple of the Lord Adikesava to the Lord and thereafter to be given as neivedhyam prasadam to the old lady. this practice does continue even today where the family members of the kind old lady get the offerings.

Kulasekar alwar's pasurams for the Lord of Thiruvithvacode.

Pasurams 688 to 697.
Each pasuram reflects one aspect of the sambandha between jeevatma and paramathma.
in 688.
He picturises himself as a child and Perumal as mother.
in 689.
he is the dutiful wife and Perumal the Husband.
in 690.
He is the subject and Perumal the Raja.
in 691.
He is the Patient and God the doctor.
in 692.
He is a lone bird perched on the sail of the ship and Perumal the ship.
in 693.
He is the lotus flower and Perumal the Sun.
in 694.
He is the crop in need of water and Perumal the rain bearing cloud.
in 695.
He is the river that merges into the ocean which the Perumal is.
in 696.
He is the property and the Lord the owner of all the property.
in 697.
He is the supplicant medicant and the Lord the Benevolent, kind and extremely compassionate paramathma.
The perumal will not only reward the jeevathma of the alwar but of all those who read and recite the above ten pasurams

Akananuru

Akananuru As many as 145 poets are said to have contributed to Akananuru collection.^[2] Perunthevanaar, who translated theMahabharatham into Tamil, is one of the authors. Rudrasarman compiled this anthology^[3] at the behest of thePandya king Ukkiraperuvazhuthi.

Date

It is highly likely that the poems in Akananuru collection were prevalent independently before they were collected and categorized in this present form. The anthology is dated to around the first and the second century C.E. The poems probably are of a much earlier date. At least few poems must belong to 5th century BC to 3rd BC depending on the structure of poems. There were mentions of Nanda and Mauryas in few poems, which eventually date these poems to 4th to 3rd centuries BC.

Poetic characteristics

This book comes under the Akam (subjective) category in its subject matter. Ancient Tamil poems was categorised into the broad categories of Akam- Subjective, dealing with matters of the heart and human emotions, andPuram  Objective, dealing with the tangibles of life such as war, politics, wealth, etc. The poems of this anthology are of the Akaval meter.

In the poems on Akam, the aspects of love of a hero and a heroine are depicted. The story of love is never conceived as a continuous whole. A particular moment of love is captured and described in each poem as the speech of the hero or the lady-companion or somebody else. A young man leading a peaceful life of love and affection with his wife is referred as "A bird with two heads and one soul".^[4] Women are always referred as Mangala Mahilar, Melliyal Mahalir, Seyelai Mahalirand Manaiyal - all of these indicating the soft characterization and glorifying the house hold presence of women folk during the Sangam period.^[4] The auspicious time of wedding was considered to be the harvest season.^[5] A high standard of moral virtue seems to have prevailed among women of household.^[5]

Akananuru contains 401 stanzas and is divided into three sections^[2]

1. Kalintruyanainirai  121 stanzas
2. Manimidaipavalam  180 stanzas
3. Nittilakkovai  100 stanzas

Akananuru: Mullai - Poem 4

(The heroine’s companion consoles her friend at the advent of the rainy season)

The rumbling clouds winged with lightning

Poured amain big drops of rain and augured the rainy season;

Buds with pointed tips have sprouted in the jasmine vines;

The buds of Illam and the green trunk Kondrai have unfolded soft;

The stags, their black and big horns like twisted iron

Rushed up toward the pebbled pits filled with water

And leap out jubilantly having slaked their thirst;

The wide expansive Earth is now free

From all agonies of the summer heat

And the forest looks exceedingly sweet;

Behold there O friend of choicest bangles!

Our hero of the hilly track will be coming soon,

Driving fast his ornate chariot drawn by the steeds

With waving plumes and trimmed manes

When the stiffly tugged reins

Will sound like the strumming of Yal.

As he drives, he has the chariot bells tied up

So as not to disturb the union of bees

That live on the pollen of the blossoms in the bushes.

He rushes onward thinking all along of your great beauty.

O friend whose fragrance is like unto the blossoming Kantal

On the mountain, tall and huge,east of Urantai of dinsome festivity!

Venkanna.

Srinivasa nine paliso, Sritajanapala, Ganalola Srimukundane
Dhyana malpa sajjanara manadinda Paripalisuva, Venugopala Govinda, Veda vedya nityananda.

OSrinivasa surely you are my saviour you, shelter of those who seek your feet; one who finds joy in music, O Mukunda 
Those good souls who meditate upon you. You care for them and reward them.
O Venugopala Govinda you are knowable by the vedas, you are joy eternal.

Yendige nina padabjava ponduva
sukha yendige labhyavo madhava;
andhakaranyadalli nindu tattarisu 
tiheno, andadim bhavabdhiyolu
nindu nondeno Mukunda.

When Oh! when can I touch your lotus feet and be happy?
In the forest of darkness I stand and stagger;
In the ocean of births and deaths i stay and suffer
O Srinivasa, surely you are my saviour.

Kvacit prhvisayya kvachidapi ca paryankasayanah,
Kvacicchakaharah kvacidapi ca salyodana ruchi
kvacit kanthadhari kvacidapi ca divyambaradharo,
Manasvi karyarthi na ganayati duhkham na ca sukham.

To him who is bent upon reaping success, sometimes the earth will serve as bed, sometimes he may be lucky to roll upon a soft mattress. sometimes he may have to live upon green leaves; sometimes he may be treated with luxurious rice preperations. sometimes he may have to go in ragged clothes; sometimes he may wear brocaded silks. he is neutral to sorrow as well as happiness. All his attention is concentrated upon the task at hand.
In this way Venkanna's mind was engrossed with the thought of Lord Srinivasa.  

Sampatsu mahatam cittam bhavatyutpata komalam,
Apatsu ca mahasailasilasamghatakarkatam.

In the happy state the minds of great souls become soft as the blue lotus; but when in difficulties their mind gets hardened like the rocks of the hill. those rocks then are not disturbed by wind or rain and they face them boldly.

The lord seems ready to leave vikunta too but not abandon his baktha.
Vaikuntham va parityakse na bhaktan tyaktumutsahe. 

Kimalabhyam Bhagavati prasanne Sriniketane.

when Srinivasa smiles, what is impossible to gain! honours and comforts come seeking the person so blessed.

story time ages ago.

Here's another great story about Tenali Raman.

One morning, King Rayalu woke up early. He sleepily walked out of his room and called out to the guards. When a guard appeared, the king ordered him to fetch the barber immediately. The guard left to carry out his orders and the king returned to his room. He sat down comfortably in an easy chair and in no time he was in deep sleep again.

When the barber came to the king’s room, he found the king sleeping in the chair. He did not want to wake the king up. So, very quietly and expertly, he trimmed the king’s hair and shaved his beard. The king was still sleeping soundly when the barber completed his job and left.

A little while later, the king woke up. As he did not see the barber whom he had summoned, he got angry. He shouted for his attendant and told him to bring the barber to him that very instant. The attendant rushed off to carry out his order. Just then, the king happened to put his hand on his chin. To his surprise, his chin felt smooth and shaved. So, the king went to take a look at himself in the mirror. He saw that his hair had been trimmed neatly and his beard was properly shaved. The king was impressed with the barber’s work. When the attendant brought the barber, the king said to the barber, “You have done good work today. I am impressed with you. Ask for a boon and I shall grant it.”

The barber was very happy to hear this. He replied, “Your Majesty, you have been so kind that my family and I have no dearth of anything. But, since long I have had just one wish—that is to become a Brahmin if Your Highness can bestow this boon upon me.”

The king was astonished on hearing the barber’s wish but he said, “If that is what you desire, it shall be fulfilled tomorrow.” The barber was overjoyed and he left the room, praising the king.
Then, the king summoned some Brahmins and instructed them, “I have promised to transform the barber to a Brahmin. You have to make sure that you carry out the transformation with all your knowledge. I will reward all of you suitably.” Lured by the mention of the reward, the Brahmins agreed at once to transform the barber to a

Brahmin.

This news spread around the town and became a cause of great concern for the other Brahmins. They talked among themselves, “What the king is doing is not fair. It is something that goes against dharma. You cannot just transform somebody into a Brahmin. This will result in more and more people wanting to become a Brahmin.” But none of them had the courage to voice their objections openly for fear of being punished. So, they decided to go to Tenali Raman to seek a solution. Tenali listened to the whole story and assured the Brahmins that he would do his best to stop this activity.

The next morning, the Brahmins who were ordered by the king to change the barber's caste, took the barber to the holy river and began the procedure of the transformation by chanting hymns and mantras. The king was also sitting at a distance and supervising the proceedings.

Suddenly, the king saw that at some distance, Tenali was standing beside a black dog. Out of curiosity, the king walked up to Tenali and asked him what he was doing with the dog. Tenali replied that he was trying to transform the black dog into a white cow.

The king laughed loudly and said, “Oh Tenali. You are such a fool! How can a dog turn into a cow by giving it a dip in holy water and chanting hymns around him?”

Tenali replied, “My Lord, forgive me for being foolish. But tell me, if that barber can be transformed into a Brahmin, why can’t this black dog change to a white cow?”

On hearing Tenali’s words, the king realized his mistake. He called the barber and told him that it was not possible to transform him into a Brahmin so he should ask for another wish.

The barber replied respectfully that because of the king’s kindness he had plenty of everything and did not need anything.

The king appreciated Tenali’s intelligence and rewarded him for opening his eyes and stopping him from doing things against dharma.

Here's another great story about Tenali Raman.

The ruler of Vijaynagar, Krishnadeva Raya had a versatile minister at his durbar, Tenali Raman. He was a poet, jester and the personal adviser of the king. Raja Krishnadeva Raya was very fond of Tenali Raman as he could diffuse any tense situation with his ready wit and humour.

One day, Krishnadeva Raya saw a strange dream. He dreamt of a magnificent magical palace. It was made of dazzling stones and floated in the air. The palace had every comfort and amenity that one could ever wish for. It could be lit up with a thousand lights or made to disappear into the darkness in a jiffy.

The next day when the king woke up, he vividly remembered the dream. He summoned all his courtiers and told them about it. The courtiers sang praises of the king and his beautiful dream.

Then the king made a public announcement: “I will give a hundred thousand gold coins to the person who can build me the palace of my dream."

Everyone was startled at the king’s announcement. They knew that it was not practically possible to build the palacethat the king wanted. But no one had the courage to say so. Many of the king's well-wishers told him that such a palace can only exist in one's mind. But he refused to listen and threatened his courtiers with grave consequences if they did not find someone who could make his dream come true.

The courtiers got worried and approached Tenali Raman for help.

The senior minister requested Tenali Raman, “Dear Tenali, now only you can make our king understand that his wish to erect the palace of his dream is absurd or else all of us will get a severe punishment.” Tenali Raman assured them that he would try to help them.

A few days later, a very old man came to meet the king in his court. He was crying for justice.

Krishnadeva Raya asked, “What brings you here my good man? Tell me without fear and I assure you that justice will be done.” "I have been robbed , Your Majesty," wailed the old man. "Someone has taken away all my savings and now I don't have a single paisa left."

"Who robbed you?" asked the king angrily. "Such a crime cannot go unpunished. You name him and I

will have him hanged immediately!"

"Your Majesty! I will tell you but first assure me that on hearing upon his name, you will not get angry and punish me instead,” requested the old man.

"Yes, I promise," replied the king impatiently.

"It is you, my lord," said the old man in a trembling voice.

"How dare you say a ridiculous thing like that, I will…,” began the king, but then he remembered his promise and calmed down. He asked that the old man explain what he actually meant to say.

"Your Majesty! Last night, I dreamt that you came with your entourage of ministers and soldiers and looted my entire life's savings, five thousand gold coins!" said the old man.

"Are you a fool or completely insane?" roared the king. "How can you treat your dream as a reality? Dreams are not true!"

"But they are, Your Majesty! If your dream of a palace hanging in air can come true, why can't my dream come true?" retorted the old man.

This too was tenali rama