The Key To Heaven

In the city of Vijayanagara, there was a buzz that a great sage had come to the city. It was rumoured that the sage had magical powers and could grant any wish. Every day, the citizens of the city would gather near the temple to offer the sage various delicacies. 

Tenali Raman heard about the sage and decided to see the truth for himself. The next day, Raman went to the temple and observed the sage whilst he pretended to be a disciple. The sage sat under a tree, wore a saffron dhoti, and had a long beard. Raman noticed that the sage was chanting a mantra and listened to him closely. Upon listening to the sage closely, he realised that the sage was simply repeating the same sloka over and over again. This convinced him that the sage was an imposter. 

Raman reached out and plucked a strand of hair from the sage’s beard. He help the strand of hair and held it in the air, declaring that he had the key to heaven. People around Raman looked at him, perplexed. He then said that the sage was so powerful that if he kept the strand of hair with him, he would be sent straight to heaven after death.
Hearing this, other people rushed towards the sage to pull a strand of hair from his beard. Seeing the mob rush towards him, the sage ran away and never came to the city again. 

The people realised their mistake and thanked Tenali Raman for enlightening them. 

Moral
There is no shortcut to success; never be someone you’re not.