Story: Tenali Rama & Rama Raja Bhushana

It was one of those finest days at Bhuvana Vijayam. King Rayalu along with his Ashta Diggajas was enjoying the literary discussion session that day.

Rama Raja Bhushana was known to be a romantic poet, authoring prose and poetry reciting women and their beauty. Rayalu asked Rama Raja Bhushana to frame a stanza on the beauty of women, extempore.

Rama Raja Bhushana rose from his seat and thought for a second or two and immediately composed,

“Naanaa soona vithavai vaasanala naa ghraaenchu saarangame
Laa nannolla datanchu gandha phalithabal, kakan bondiyo
Shaa naasaa kruthii booni sarva sumassourabha samvasamai
Poonen brekshana maalika madhukaree punjambui lirvankalakun”
Rayalu was impressed about the way Rama Raja Bhushana described the beauty of woman instantly. Pleased over, Rayalu appreciated him and felicitated him with one thousand gold coins.

Raman, as everyone knows is not for sitting quite on any happening. He sprung off his seat to say, “My Lord, Rama Raja Bhushana bought this poem from Nandi Thimmanna for one thousand gold coins. It is surprising how come you know the exact price of the deal. It would not be profitable to him if you pay him exactly the same price at which he purchased…”

Hearing this the total gathering immersed in laughter. Rama Raja Bhushana had no way to counter Raman, though he wished to, as the damage was already done. He could only manage sitting calm grinding his teeth on Raman.

Some days later, one fine evening Rama Raja Bhushana along with his disciple was passing through the street in which Nandi Thimmana’s residence was located. A subject discussion was going on in Thimmana’s house during that time. Rama Raja Bhushana could locate Raman from distance, participating in the discussions.

Loudly Rama Raja Bhushana told his disciple describing the session as,

“Vaakila Kaavali Thimmana
Vaakita Kavi Koti Maadhavakitakaade”
The sarcastic poetry described that the session was like an assembly of pigs that gathered near the threshold of Nandi Thimmana.

Hearing this, Raman picked up the tone in which Rama Raja Bhushana was speaking. Immediately he stopped the discussion and said,

“Prakrutha, Sanskrutha, Ghaarjhura
mookee krutha kukavi thunga mustha thathikin
Vaakila Kaavali Thimmana
Vaakita Kavi Koti Maadhavakitakaade”

This meant that the discussion session would resemble similar to the gathering of pigs, for those who composes prose and poetry with a mixture of nonsense, brutal language, and irrelevant issues.

Rama Raja Bhushana taking the meaning immediately rushed off the place along with his disciple.

That was how Raman humiliated Rama Raja Bhushana.