Village bumpkin becomes prime minister!
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Village bumpkin becomes prime minister! |
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Venkanna was an orphan who was not tutored or taught any useful skills. He made a living by tending to cows. He had heard of the greatness of RAyaru and was eager to meet him and seek his blessings. His prayers were answered when the retinue of RAyaru passed close by. He immediately ran to the palanquin that RAyaru was travelling in and prostrated before it. RAyaru looked at him and inquired about his antecedents. Venkanna explained his plight and stood with utmost devotion and humility. RAyaru took pity on the boy and gave him some mantrAkshate (consecrated rice) and told him “When you are in real distress and need my help, put this on your head and think of me”. The palanquin moved on. Venkanna tied the precious rice into a bundle and always carried it with him.
One day, Venkanna was forced into a major life and death predicament. He was handed a scroll by the Nawab of Adoni, Siddi mAsood Khan and asked to read it. Poor Venkanna was in a dilemma since he was also illiterate. He could not refuse a direct order of the Nawab since that would mean immediate death, nor could he tell the truth that he was illiterate because the Nawab would not believe him and would think that Venkanna was trying to fool him. Caught in this deadly trap, he suddenly remembered the kind guru who had promised to help him in his hour of need. He took the consecrated rice and put it on his head. With this mind full of devotion towards RAyaru and his lips secretly muttering “rAghavEndra, rAghavEndra”, he boldly opened the scroll. Lo behold, the characters on the scroll began to make sense and he could read! It was actually a piece of good news, informing the Nawab that his army had scored a victory in battle. The Nawab was overjoyed to hear the good news and wanted to reward Venkanna. Venkanna asked for a good job in the Nawab’s administration and promised to serve him faithfully and honestly to the best of his ability. The Nawab was pleased with this answer and accordingly gave him a good job. Through hard work and diligence, Venkanna worked his way up the ranks and in a short time became the Nawab’s trusted divan. Thus a chance encounter with RAyaru transformed Venkanna’s entire life into a bed of roses!