The Cat Who Guarded the Milk

A wealthy merchant, finding his large pot of milk mysteriously emptied each night, blamed his household cat and beat the poor animal repeatedly, certain no other creature could be responsible.

Tenali Raman, hearing of the cat's suffering and suspecting the truth was more human than feline, offered to solve the mystery. That night, he hid quietly in the merchant's storeroom and watched — and saw not the cat at all, but the merchant's own trusted servant sneaking in to drink his fill of milk before carefully replacing the lid to hide the theft.

The next morning, Tenali Raman gathered the household and, rather than accuse the servant outright, staged a clever test: he announced that anyone who had never stolen the milk could safely place their hand into a pot of "magic" flour without it sticking, while a guilty hand would come out coated. In truth, the flour stuck to everyone equally — but the nervous servant, sure his guilt would show, refused to place his hand in at all, exposing himself instantly through his own fear. The innocent cat, finally cleared, was never beaten again.