In the kingdom of Vijayanagara,
there lived a man who was never satisfied.
If he earned ten coins,
he wanted twenty.
If he received twenty,
he wanted fifty.
People knew him for one thing—
his greed.
One day, he heard stories about Tenali Raman
and his clever wisdom.
The greedy man thought,
“If Tenali is so wise,
he must know how I can become richer.”
So he went to the royal court
and bowed dramatically before Tenali.
“Sir,” the man said,
“I want to be wealthy and happy.
Please guide me.”
Tenali looked at him carefully
and smiled.
“Come tomorrow morning,” Tenali said,
“I will give you something valuable.”
The man could hardly sleep that night.
“Gold?” he thought.
“Jewels?
Maybe a secret to endless wealth!”
The next morning,
Tenali handed him a small pouch.
The man opened it eagerly.
It was empty.
He looked confused.
“This pouch,” Tenali said calmly,
“has a special power.”
The man’s eyes widened.
“Whatever you desire,” Tenali continued,
“place your hand inside the pouch
and imagine it.”
Excited, the man put his hand in.
Nothing happened.
Tenali smiled gently.
“Now imagine being satisfied
with what you already have.”
The man frowned.
“That’s not what I want,” he said.
“I want more!”
Tenali nodded.
“Exactly,” he replied.
The greedy man looked puzzled.
Tenali explained softly,
“This empty pouch is your heart.
No matter how much you put inside,
it always feels empty
because greed leaves no space for contentment.”
The man stood silent.
Tenali continued,
“If you cannot feel full with little,
you will never feel full with much.”
The greedy man lowered his head.
For the first time,
he felt embarrassed—not angry.
He realized that
his constant hunger for more
had stolen his peace.
He thanked Tenali quietly
and left the court.
From that day on,
people noticed a change.
The man still worked hard,
but he stopped comparing.
He stopped demanding.
And strangely,
he finally felt richer than before.
🌟 MORAL OF THE STORY
Greed keeps the heart empty.
Contentment fills it.
True wealth begins
when desire learns to pause.
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