TENALI RAMAKRISHNA (VIKATAKAVI)

                           Tenali Ramakrishna (Tenali Raman)was very well known for his wit, brilliance and wisdom. He can turn any situation into a funny thing and make everyone laugh, no matter how serious the situation was. The children particularly in south India start life learning Tenali Raman stories, they were not just stories but was a part of a well known jester poet in the court of SriKrishnadevaraya, called Tenali Ramakrishna. Sri Krishnadevaraya was an emperor of Vijayanagara empire ruled between 1509 to 1530.

Early Life:

                       Ramakrishna was born in a village called Garlapadu in Andhra state in India, during earlier part of sixteenth century, in a Vishwabrahmin family. His father's name was Ramaiah and his mother's name was Lakshmamma. His father served as a priest in Ramalingeshwara swamy temple in Tenali. His father died when he was very young.  The boy was deprived of his father's love. His mother along with the boy returned to her native place Tenali, where her brother lived. Ramakrishna grew up in his uncle's town and so came to be known as Tenali Ramakrishna. The point to be noted here is that they were Shaivas and the dominating caste then was Vaishnavas and they hated Shaivas.

Suffered To Get Education:

                    In those days education meant study of Vedas, Upanishads and Religious Texts. As the vaishnava's were more in number in society than Shaiva's, the teaching profession was completely occupied by Vaishnava's. Lakshmamma had a strong desire to educate her son and make him a great scholar. But the Vaishnava's refused to teach Ramakrishna as he was a Shaiva.

                       Ramakrishna was not at all grieved by this. He was happy to to hang out with his naughty friends and was quite happy eating mangoes, apples and tamarind, stolen from fields.But his mother worried a lot because her son was utterly illiterate. At the age of ten ,he grew more sensible and recognised the importance of education by seeing the hardwork of his mother who did odd jobs in many houses nearby and fed herself and her boy. He then decided to get educated. Ramakrishna begged many pandits to accept him as their disciple but they insulted him and he was thrown out of schools and aashrams.

                     Ramakrishna then decided to stand beside a school wall and listened to the lessons taught in the classrooms and learned. But it did not continued for much longer as a pupil in school saw Ramakrishna hiding beside wall and shouted "thief,thief". Then the teacher went near Ramakrishna and shouted at him about what he has done.Ramakrishna started crying and told the teacher about his desire to get educated and how he got insulted by several teachers.The teacher was moved by hearing what Ramakrishna has told him.But he could not do much than to give him his blessings because he also could not go against his caste's orders by accepting him as his disciple. Last chance of getting educated was lost for Ramakrishna.

                       In a state of confusion and agony, he started walking into the forest. He walked and walked and grew very tired.He sat before an old mansion and began to weep. An old sage came there and saw Ramakrishna. He asked Ramakrishna that what was the matter. Ramakrishna told everything happened to him and he want to be educated and become a scholar. The sage said "I have a solution for you my child,see there is a temple.Its a temple of kaalika Devi. I will teach you an important mantra with which you can please mother Kali and get what you want from her. You should chant mantra a hundred and ten million times. "and the sage left.

                Ramakrishna did as said by the sage and Mother Kaalika Devi appeared before him with a thousand faces. She said "My chid I am pleased with your devotion, tell me what is your wish? "Ramakrishna started laughing and suddenly stopped. Kaalika Devi asked the reason for laugh and Ramakrishna told that, if we humans catch cold,two hands are not enough to wipe out our noses and what you, if you catch cold how two hands can wipe thousands of noses? and he said forgive me Mother kaalika for this laugh, I have been impudent. Mother Kaalika also got laugh by his humour in such serious situation and blessed him that "Ramakrishna, you have made even me laugh. so you will master all learning. You will speak so as to suit the situation. attain fame as a great Jester  and make people laugh. You will be famous as the great humorist, the comic poet. "and she guided him to go to Vijayanagara empire in the south and you will get your answers.

Joined in Ashtadiggajas:

                      Ramakrishna now wanted to catch the attention of Vijayanagara's king Sri Krishnadevaraya. He waited at the main gate daily for an opportunity to enter in to the kings court and show his talents to the king. An opportunity knocked one day.A famous "Bhagavatha Mela"troupe from Tanjore arrived to give a performance before the king. Ramakrishna wanted to join them. He went home dressed up like cowherd boy and came to the main gate. The guards questioned him who he was. He said "I am with the troupe,and I am playing the role of a cowherd boy.", he replied. The guards said "But you are too late,the troupe has already entered in to the palace and you should pay us penalty for entering in to the palace". Then Ramakrishna said "The king will be giving me reward for my role in the play,whatever I get, I give both of you Two halves". The guards readily agreed and sent him in.

                            The play was going on and the King felt bore of the regular story of the drama. Suddenly, Ramakrishna in the getup of a cowherd boy entered in to the play and he disturbed the drama. The play was totally out of line because of cowherd boy but the king started to laugh and so the court ministers. Atlast, Krishnadevaraya who laughed to his hearts content said "I am givng a special prize to the cowherd boy". But the leader of the troupe said "Your Highness, he was not part of our crew and we don't know him". By hearing this the king raged with anger and ordered the soldiers "Give this impostor a hundred lashes!That is his reward."

                Ramakrishna begged the king "Please wait for a while, your highness. The palace guards have to be summoned". On hearing this the king felt strange yet ordered the guards to summon.On seeing them, Ramakrishna asked them "Did I not promise you to give each of you half of whatever the king gave me?"

                                         "Yes,"said the guards.

                            Then Ramakrishna said to the king "Did you hear that,your highness? They are to share the hundred lashes." The two guards were shocked. The others roared with laughter,the shrewd king suspected there was a background for the drama done by Ramakrishna and ordered him for explanation. Then Ramakrishna narrated the entire story of his life.

                          The King Sri Krishnadevaraya said "Ramakrishna, there are seven mighty scholars in my court. But there is still a place for one who can mirth and laughter.Accept the place, be our comic poet and one of the eight famous poets. "So saying, the king honored Ramakrishna with the special robes of his court.

                          Tenali Ramakrishna has attained great fame as a jester poet. He was equally a great scholar and poet. He was the author of one of the great five classics of Telugu literature "Panduranga Mahatmyam".He was also the author of "Ghatikachala Mahatmyam. "He also wrote "Linga Purana". He is also known as "VIKATAKAVI" which means Jester poet.