Paramārthar
Guru Stories
Constantine Joseph Beschi (8
November 1680 – 4 February 1747), also known under his Tamil name
of Vīramāmunivar
(வீரமாமுனிவர்),
was an Italian Jesuit priest,
missionary in South
India,
and Tamil language littérateur (a
literary person, esp. a writer of literary works)..-Wiky
He mastered the Tamil language and published many books with Christian
teachings in Tamil under the name Vīramāmunivar.
His narrative poem "Dembavani" is famous. In the 18th century, he
translated books such as Tirukkural, Devaram, Thiruppugazh and Athichudi
into Latin and other languages. Parmathaguru Kathas, which he wrote in
Tamil culture, adapted from the comic stories popular in Europe at that
time, were famous for their humorous nature and were translated into
many Indian languages.
Vīramāmunivar
wrote the Paramārtha
Guru stories in Tamil, steeped in humor. The naïve Guru and his five
disciples, Matti, Madaiyan, Pēthai, Mūdan, Milēcchan engage in acts,
which
Paramārtha
guru narrates in a story-form with humor. Their names are
everyday pejorative monikers in Tamil Nadu to describe people with
varying degrees of stupidity.
1. Somehow deceiving the king, Paramartha became the chief minister of Mada Nadu, with his disciples appointed as palace officials.
2. "Now that our guru has become the prime minister, we need not worry," rejoiced the five disciples.
3. One day, the Mada king asked Paramartha about the strength of their country's army.
4. Seeing an opportunity, Paramartha lamented, "Oh, my lord! I hesitate to say this, but our nation's elephants have become so weak and emaciated from hunger, they now resemble pigs!"
5. The disciples agreed, warning, "Indeed, my king! If we neglect this, we will surely be defeated in battle."
6. Hearing this, the king commanded, "Bring two elephants here."
7. Matti and Madaiyan hastily brought two piglets into the palace.
8. The king, dismayed, exclaimed, "Oh dear! I can hardly bear to look! Are these our country's elephants?"
9. Initially, the Mada king was skeptical, "If these are elephants, where are their trunks?"
10. "My lord! These were indeed elephants with trunks initially. But due to starvation, their bodies and even their trunks have shrunk," explained Paramartha.
11. "What must we do to restore them to their original form?" asked the Mada king.
12. "My king! There is another matter to address first. Then we will discuss the treatment," said the guru.
13. "Our country's cavalry horses have also become weak and resemble lambs," added a fool.
14. "Really? That is surprising! Tell us what we can do," the king asked.
15. "My lord! We have an excellent plan that will cost a thousand gold coins. Just give us the thousand gold coins, and we will restore everything to its original condition!" declared the fool and the simpleton.
16. The Mada king, being stingy, was reluctant to spend a thousand gold coins.
17. "If there is any other suggestion, let me know!" he commanded.
18. "Alas! Our plan has failed," lamented Paramartha, with the disciples also feeling frustrated.
19. "My king! Let all the elephants and horses graze in the country's fields. They will recover in a few days!" suggested the fool.
20. "We could try that," agreed the foolish king.
21. Following Paramartha's instructions, all the pigs and goats in the Mada kingdom were released.
22. They all went to graze in the people's fields, and within two days, all the crops were destroyed.
23. The following month, the entire country faced famine. Many people died from lack of food.
24. Seeing Paramartha and his disciples contributing nothing but becoming parasitic freeloaders, the king expelled them all.
25. "Ah! We thought we could somehow make a thousand gold coins. But in the end, everything was ruined!" they lamented as they returned to their old ways.