Once upon a time, Tenali Raman set out on a long journey. On the way, another traveler joined Raman. “This place is full of thieves. I am afraid they will rob me. Can I travel with you?” the man asked Tenali Raman. Tenali Raman agreed.

That night, the two of them stopped at some place to rest. Tenali Raman was tired and fell asleep soon. His companion was waiting for this moment. In fact, he was a thief who used to rob travelers. He got up and looked under Tenali Raman’s pillow without disturbing him. He found nothing. He carefully searched Tenali Raman’s pockets looking for money. To his disappointment, he did not find anything. Then he opened the bundle Tenali Raman was carrying. Again, he found nothing.

The next morning, the two resumed their journey. They halted for the night. Tenali Raman had a sound sleep. His companion searched Tenali Raman’s belongings, looking for money and valuables. Again, he was disappointed.

The next day, they reached Tenali Raman reached his destination, and they had to part thier ways. The companion confessed that he was a thief. “As we are parting our way, please tell me where did you hide the money in the night?” pleaded the thief. “Unless I know your secret, I may not be able to sleep,” he confessed.

Tenali Raman smiled, “I knew you were a thief the moment I saw you. I took care to hide money where you would never find it.”. “But where? I looked for it everywhere,” cried out the thief.

“Did you look for it under your pillow?” asked Tenali Raman.

“Why should I look for your money under my pillow?” asked thief.

“Because I hid the money under your pillow,” said Raman, “I was confident it was the one place you would never look for my money.”