le money and gold he had. They entered Ramakrishna's house and

were hiding in the back yard. Ramakrishna sensed their presence and secretly

informed his wife. Then they said to each other: "Thieves are active in the town.

So let us hide our valuables in the well at the back of the house." The thieves

heard their words clearly. Ramakrishna and his wife filled a trunk with stones and

dropped it into the well with a splash, which the thieves could hear.

The thieves were convinced that the trunk contained the jewels. They

wanted to get the trunk. The entire night they drew water from the well and

poured it into the garden. All plants in the garden got plenty of water! Early next

morning, Ramakrishna cried aloud, "Our plants have had enough water; you can

stop now!" On hearing these words the thieves fled. Ramakrishna and his wife

enjoyed their practical joke!

Ramakrishna had a son by name Bhaskara Sharma. He was as intelligent

as his father.

It is said that he helped his father on several occasions to knock sense

into the heads of vain people.

Ramakrishna's life fills us with wonder. He was yet a boy when he lost his

father. Because of the narrow-mindedness of the teachers of the day he was

denied education. By his own efforts he acquired education and attained fame as

a scholar and poet in the court of Krishnadevaraya. He used humor to teach

arrogant people a lesson. He corrected any one - a rich man or a learned man or

a minister - who did wrong; he corrected even the king.

Life demands serious thought, it is true. But laughter, too, is necessary.

Humor lightens the mind. But our object in laughing at others should not be to

wound others; our object should be to correct them. Laughter should be gentle

and friendly. Such was the humor of Tenali Ramakrishna.