RAMAN ESCAPES ANOTHER ATTEMPT
The death of the monk had its consequence. The mental patient was arrested for killing the monk. He was acquitted on the grounds of mental insanity. But the trial of the case continued.
The trial proved that Tenali Raman was guilty. So Raman was ordered to be executed by the king. The mode of killing, ordered by the king was strange. Raman was to be brought to an isolated area and his body was to be covered with earth up to the neck. Later, he was to be trampled to death by an elephant.
The soldiers began to execute the king’s order. Raman was brought to the spot where a pit was dug for the pur-
pose and kept him in it with neck deep in mud. The soldiers then went to bring the elephant. At that time, a dhobi came that way. He was a hunch back. Raman noticed the hunch on the dhobi. He laughed at the dhobi. The washerman looked at Raman, who was covered up to his neck by mud.
‘Why are you standing in the pit covered with earth?’ The dhobi asked Raman. ‘I am a hunch back. I am standing like this to remove the bent on my back’, Raman told. ‘If I too stand like this, will my hunch also vanish?’ the dhobi asked. ‘Definitely. If you have any doubt, remove the earth and look,’ Raman said. The dhobi removed the earth covered on Raman. He didn’t see any hunch on Raman. The dhobi was unaware of the good health of Raman. He thought that Raman had a hunch on his back, before covering his body with mud. The dhobi had trust in the wortds of Raman. He stood in the pit and covered his body upto neck with earth. Raman returned home. In the meantime the elephant came and trampled the dhobi to death.