In the land of Vijayanagara, there was a man called Ramaya. He was considered inauspicious by the people in the town. They believe that seeing him in the morning would destroy their whole day, and they would not be able to eat anything throughout the day. When the King came to know about this, he invited Ramaya to his court and asked him to stay in the next room. The next day the King was ready for his lunch, and there was a fly on his plate. He ordered for a fresh lunch to be made. By the time it was made, he had lost his appetite.

The King believed that he had lost his appetite because of Ramaya. Therefore he sentenced the man to death. Hearing this, Ramaya’s wife rushed to Tenali Raman with a lot of grief and sadness. The next morning, the soldiers were taking Ramaya to be hanged. Tenali Raman met them on the way, whispered something in Ramaya’s ear and went away. Before hanging him, the guards asked Ramaya for his last wish. He replied that he wanted to send a note to the King.

When the King read the note, it said: “By seeing my face somebody lost his appetite all day, but by seeing the King’s face somebody loses his life. Then, who among us is the most cursed man. Me or the King?” The King realised his mistake and set Ramaya free.

Moral of the story : Do not believe in superstitions.