One day in the court of the king, an old and trusted minister by the name of Deva Priyan said that he would like to retire from the court as he was very old and feeble. Even though the king insisted, he did not change his stance. Hence, the treasurer paid all his due respects and Deva Priyan retired to his village. The king was very upset and depressed after this incident and all the ministers noticed this including Tenali Raman.
The next day when the king searched for Tenali, he was reported missing too. The king grew very sad upon hearing this and became more depressed. It was then that one of his other ministers suggested to him that if he took a tour around the kingdom, it might make him feel better. The king too thought this to be a splendid idea and so taking his horse, he decided to roam around the kingdom. After journeying for a while, he eventually came to a river. The flowing water of the river made a beautiful impression upon the king. His heart was filled with its beauty. He saw a sage sitting nearby too. After spending some time, he went back to the palace.
The next day, he came again to the river and admired its beauty saying that the same water was beautiful to see again. The sage who was sitting nearby then began to laugh loudly. The king got annoyed and asked the sage as to why he was laughing at him. The sage then replied saying that the water which flows today is different from the water that flowed yesterday. The sage then compared this to the people in a person’s life - no one remains constant, people come and go, just like the water in a river. No matter how many people come and go, life must continue, said the sage to the king. The king then understood the wise message said by the sage.
The king then asked the sage regarding the whereabouts of Tenali Raman. He requested the sage to bring Tenali Raman to him. The sage said that he can bring Tenali Raman right away in front of him. In return for this, the sage requested that the king must rule the kingdom wisely. As soon as the king accepted, the sage removed his disguise and revealed himself to be Tenali Raman. The king was happy and both of them immediately embraced each other in joy.
Moral - Whatever happens, one must always move on in life in order to progress.