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. Suddenly, Paramartha's bedroom caught fire and burned down, and with it, the guru's beard got slightly singed!
2. "Oh, Guru! Your three-foot-long beard has now become a stubble!" cried Matti, in distress.
3. "Let it be. Don't worry about it. A trimmed mustache doesn't reduce one's bravery, just as a shortened beard doesn't lessen the belly. Haven't you heard of this old saying? Look, my belly remains unchanged," said Paramartha.
4. Hearing this, the disciples were amused.
5. "Guru, if it stays this way, how should we care for our stomachs?" asked the fool.
6. "Master! Yesterday was the king's birthday celebration. During it, a program was announced to provide jobs for people with disabilities. So, we are pretending to have disabilities to earn money," said the simpleton.
7. "Alright. It only becomes a problem if we all go together. So, go separately. Pretend to be mute, deaf, blind, and lame. Let Matti stay here with me," instructed the guru, after wiping the sweat from his belly and applying a mark of valor (வீரத் திலகம்) on the devotees, going for job interviews.
8. Matti, going to the commander, asked for some work.
9. "I'll tell you a secret. Convey it to the king, and come back," said the commander.
10. Matti, thinking and acting deaf would secure him a job, exclaimed, "What? A bottle gourd? I haven't seen it!"
11. The commander repeated the secret.
12. "Oh! Does the king only have one nose? I know that!" exclaimed Matti.
13. Frustrated with Matti's foolishness, the commander muttered, "What am I to do with this idiot?"
14. Hearing this, Matti got angry. "Who's the fool? You're the fool! Your king is a fool! His grandfather is a fool!" he retorted.
15. That was it. The next moment, the commander ordered, "Melt lead and pour it into Matti's ears."
This tale from Constantine Joseph Beschi humorously reflects on wisdom, foolishness, and the human condition through the adventures of Paramartha Guru and his disciples.