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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.
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| Tales of Paramartha
Guru– The Froglet Disciple 1. Everyone except the fool and the blockhead waited on the royal road along with the True Guru and the other disciples. The country's king was going in a procession on his chariot. 2. As the chariot came near, Matti threw a dead frog and a lizard into the wheel of the chariot, which he had ready in his hand. 3. Once the wheel ran over them and moved on, the idiot picked up the crushed frog and lizard. 4. Paramarthar went in front of the chariot and exclaimed, "Oh! You have killed my disciples! Is this how you protect your citizens?" 5. Matti and Madaiyan together lamented, "Oh, just a short while ago, you were laughing and talking with us. And now you have turned into a squashed mess!" They lamented and eulogized the life and times of the frog and the lizard. 6. The king and his ministers were confused. "Who did I kill?" asked the king. 7. "You have indeed run over and killed my dear disciples, Muttal and Mūdan!" accused the Guru. 8. "Then where are their bodies?" asked a minister. 9. Pointing to the crushed frog and lizard, the True Guru exclaimed, "Here they are!" 10. Everyone was astonished. 11. "This is a frog, isn't it? Is this your disciple?" asked the king. 12. "This is a lizard! Is this your disciple? Whom are you trying to deceive?" asked a minister angrily. 13. "Oh King! Why should I deceive you? Truly, this frog and lizard were my disciples. They were humans just like us. They have turned into this state due to a curse from a sorcerer," lied the True Guru. 14. "Even if it's a frog, it speaks like humans! Even if it's a lizard, it used to bring home a hundred gold coins every day!" lied Matti. 15. Hearing this, the king and his ministers felt a great dilemma. 16. "Alright... What has happened has happened. What do you suggest now?" asked a minister. 17. "What to do? Our livelihood was based on these. So, bring these same frog and lizard back to life. Otherwise, you must provide a hundred gold coins daily," demanded the True Guru. 18. The king, seeing no other way, agreed, "I cannot bring them back to life. Therefore, I will give a hundred gold coins daily." 19. Once back at the monastery, "We have deceived the king with a dead frog and lizard! Now, we will receive a hundred gold coins daily," they rejoiced. 20. Looking at Muttal and Mūdan, "We claimed that you two were dead. Therefore, you must not leave the monastery from now on. If you do, we'll get caught. Be careful!" warned the Guru. 21. A week passed. Everyone was deep in sleep, snoring at night. 22. Only Muttal and Mūdan were awake. "Ah! It's been a week since we roamed around the town! Let's take a round without anyone noticing!" they desired. 23. With a torch (burning wood) in hand, both ventured outside. Within a two-street roaming , they were spotted by the night guards! 24. Immediately, the guards chased and captured them. By dawn, the rest of the disciples and the Guru were also arrested. 25. "You deceived everyone by pretending these two were dead when they were actually alive. Therefore, I am now going to truly crush them under the chariot!" declared the king. 26. Hearing this, the Guru and the disciples screamed. "Oh, King! We did it unknowingly. We will return all the money we received from you. Please forgive us," they pleaded, falling at the king's feet. 27. The disciples also pleaded, lying prostrate. 28. The king, feeling "let bygones be bygones," forgave and released everyone! |