How Many Crows in the Kingdom?

King Krishnadevaraya, in a mischievous mood during a slow afternoon at court, decided to test Tenali Raman with a question designed to have no possible correct answer: "Tell me, Raman — exactly how many crows are there in my entire kingdom?" The assembled courtiers grinned, certain this was one riddle even the clever Raman could not escape without embarrassment.

Without a moment's hesitation, Raman answered confidently: "There are exactly nine lakh, sixty-two thousand, four hundred and seventeen crows in your kingdom, Your Majesty." The court burst into laughter, certain he had simply invented a random number, and the king challenged him to prove it.

"If Your Majesty doubts the count," Raman replied evenly, "you are welcome to have every crow in the kingdom counted personally to verify it. If you find more than my number, it simply means some crows from a neighboring kingdom have flown in to visit relatives. And if you find fewer, it only means some of our own crows have flown out to visit relatives elsewhere. Either way, my number remains correct at the moment I gave it." The king, unable to fault the impeccable logic of an answer no one could ever actually disprove, laughed loudest of all and declared the round entirely Raman's — a lesson to never hand a quick wit an impossible question expecting it to go unanswered.