अप्पाजींचे चातुर्य Appajinche Chatur (Appaji's Cleverness)

फार पूर्वी विजयनगरमध्ये कृष्णदेवराय राजा राज्य करत होते. त्यांचे प्रधान अप्पाजी अतिशय हुशार होते. उत्तरेकडील कलिंग राज्याच्या राजाला अप्पाजींच्या हुशारीची परीक्षा घ्यायची होती, म्हणून त्याने विजयनगरची ताजी कोबी मागितली.

This part sets up the story's background. Krishnadevaraya ruled Vijayanagar, and his minister Appaji was famed for his intelligence. The king of the northern kingdom of Kalinga wanted to personally test Appaji's cleverness, so he sent word to Krishnadevaraya asking for some of the tasty cabbage that grew in Vijayanagar. This shows that Appaji's reputation had spread even to distant kingdoms.

कृष्णदेवरायांना कोबी पाठवायची होती, पण त्या काळी बैलगाडीने कलिंगला पोहोचायला तीन महिने लागत. इतक्या लांबच्या प्रवासात ताजी कोबीही कुजून जाईल, अशी राजाला भीती वाटली.

This part presents the real problem. Krishnadevaraya wanted to fulfil the Kalinga king's wish, but there was no fast means of transport in those days - travel happened only by bullock cart, and reaching Kalinga took a full three months. Even fresh cabbage would surely rot during such a long journey. This genuine difficulty led the king to share his worry with Appaji.

अप्पाजींनी सोपा उपाय सुचवला. गाडीवानाच्या जागेव्यतिरिक्त उरलेल्या जागेत माती भरून त्यात कोबीचे बी पेरायचे आणि रोज पाणी द्यायचे. गाडी कलिंगला पोहोचेपर्यंत कोबी तयार होईल. राजाने तसेच केले आणि तीन महिन्यांनी ताजी कोबी कलिंगला पोहोचली.

This part shows Appaji's intelligence at work. He suggested that a bullock cart be filled entirely with soil, leaving only enough space for the driver to sit, and that cabbage seeds be sown in that soil. The driver would water the seedlings daily during the journey, so that by the time the cart reached Kalinga, the cabbages would have grown fresh. The king had a cart prepared exactly as advised, and three months later it arrived in Kalinga with perfectly fresh cabbage inside. This clearly shows Appaji's practical cleverness and foresight.

ताजी कोबी बघून कलिंगचा राजा खूश झाला, पण त्याने अप्पाजींची आणखी एक परीक्षा घ्यायचे ठरवले. त्याने एकसारख्या दिसणाऱ्या तीन मूर्ती पाठवल्या आणि विचारले की यांतील कोणती मूर्ती निकृष्ट, कोणती मध्यम आणि कोणती उत्कृष्ट आहे. इतर कोणालाच हा फरक ओळखता आला नाही.

This part brings a new turn to the story. Delighted with the fresh cabbage, the Kalinga king nevertheless wanted to test Appaji's sharpness once more. He procured three idols that looked completely identical and declared that one was inferior, one was of medium quality, and one was excellent - Appaji had to identify which was which. No one else could tell the idols apart, showing just how difficult this puzzle was.

अप्पाजींनी एक लवचिक तार घेऊन ती प्रत्येक मूर्तीच्या कानात घातली. पहिल्या मूर्तीत तार तोंडातून बाहेर आली, म्हणून ती निकृष्ट. दुसऱ्या मूर्तीत तार दुसऱ्या कानातून बाहेर आली, म्हणून ती मध्यम. तिसऱ्या मूर्तीत तार आतच अडकून राहिली, म्हणून ती उत्कृष्ट.

This part shows Appaji's true cleverness. He took a flexible wire and inserted it into the ear of the first idol; the wire came straight out of its mouth, so Appaji declared it inferior. He then put the same wire into the second idol's ear; it came out of the idol's other ear, so this one was judged medium quality. He repeated the experiment on the third idol, but this time the wire went in and did not come out anywhere - it stayed stuck inside - so Appaji declared this idol the finest. With one simple wire experiment he solved a difficult riddle.

अप्पाजींनी सांगितले की ज्या मूर्तीतून तार तोंडातून लगेच बाहेर येते, तो माणूस ऐकलेली गोष्ट न पडताळता लगेच पुढे सांगतो - हा निकृष्ट स्वभाव. दुसऱ्या कानातून तार बाहेर येणे म्हणजे ऐकलेली अफवा सोडून देणारा माणूस - मध्यम स्वभाव. तार आतच राहणे म्हणजे अफवेची खातरजमा करून, पुरावा असल्याशिवाय न सांगणारा माणूस - हा उत्तम स्वभाव. राजा हे उत्तर ऐकून खूश झाला आणि अप्पाजींचे व कृष्णदेवरायांचे कौतुक केले.

In the final part Appaji explains the hidden meaning of the idols and delivers a great life lesson through it. The idol whose wire came straight out of the mouth represents a person who hears a rumour and passes it on immediately without checking whether it is true - this is the inferior character, because it harms society. The idol whose wire came out of the other ear represents a person who hears a rumour but lets it go in one ear and out the other - neither helping nor harming, so this is of medium quality. And the idol whose wire stayed stuck inside represents the truly excellent person, who verifies a rumour before believing it and never repeats anything without proof. The Kalinga king, satisfied with this wise answer, praised both Appaji and Krishnadevaraya.