Tenali Rama and the Secret of the Cursed Face

In the glorious empire of Vijayanagara, King Krishnadevaraya's court was filled with scholars, but Tenali Rama stood out for his extraordinary wit. One day, a peculiar rumor gripped the city. People claimed that a man named Ramaya was cursed. It was believed that anyone who saw Ramaya's face first thing in the morning would lose their appetite and face misfortunes throughout the day. Curious to test this, the King summoned Ramaya and housed him in a room adjacent to the royal bedchamber. The next morning, before seeing anyone else, the King looked at Ramaya's face.

As fate would have it, the King's day turned out to be disastrous. A fly fell into his breakfast, forcing him to discard it. During an afternoon hunt, his horse stumbled, causing the King a painful leg injury. By evening, he received news of diplomatic tensions with a neighboring kingdom. Having missed every meal due to constant interruptions, the King’s frustration boiled over. He concluded that Ramaya was indeed a 'jinx' and ordered him to be hanged the following morning to protect his subjects from such bad luck.

Ramaya’s terrified wife sought Tenali Rama’s help. Tenali visited the prison that night and whispered a secret message into Ramaya’s ear. The next morning, just before the execution, Ramaya requested to send a final message to the King. The message read: 'Your Majesty, people say seeing my face makes one lose their meal. But today, after seeing your face, I am losing my very life. Between the two of us, who is the bigger jinx? Whose face should the people truly avoid?' Upon hearing this, the King realized his folly. He understood that his misfortunes were mere coincidences and that his superstition was about to cost an innocent man his life. He immediately cancelled the execution, apologized to Ramaya, and rewarded him. Once again, Tenali's wisdom had saved a life and dispelled a dangerous superstition.