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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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| 1. While Paramartha
Guru was traveling in the late hour, he encountered a fast-moving river.
2. Since sala-sala noise was coming from the river, the Guru thought the river was awake at that time. He was afraid that crossing the river at that time posed a danger. Therefore, he decided to cross the river when it slept. sala-sala noise = white noise of a river. 3. He and his disciples rested under a tree on the riverbank. 4. After a short while, the Guru called one of his disciples named Matti. He handed him a burning stick (கொள்ளிக் கட்டை), asked him to go near the river, and find out whether the river was awake or sleepy. 5. Matti dutifully undertook the Guru’s order, carried the burning stick, and approached the river. 6. He stood away from the water’s edge so as not to get wet and immersed the burning torch into the river. The torch extinguished itself with a hissing sound. 7. Hearing the sound, Matti, in a state of flurry, ran off towards the Guru. 8. Matti reported to the Guru, "O Guru, the river is still awake. When I dipped the burning stick into the river, the river hissed. By mere good luck, I escaped (its fury) and ran out of there." 9. Upon hearing this, the Guru said, "You did well by coming back after checking. If we attempt to cross the wide-awake river now, we would have been subjected to the river’s vicious anger. We will wait patiently until it is in deep sleep and then resume the journey." So saying, he sat down. 10. The disciples spent their time telling stories among themselves. 11. Dawn broke. The Guru, from his deep sleep, woke up suddenly in a state of fright. He called Madaiyan and asked him to find out whether the river was in a deep sleep or awake. 12. Soon, Madaiyan took Matti’s burnt-out stick and approached the river. He dipped the stick in the river. No sound came out. Enthralled by the absence of hissing sound, he ran fast to the Guru. 13. "Guru! The river is asleep now," he said. 14. The Guru replied, "That is good news. Without making any distracting sounds, come calmly. If you make sounds, the river will wake up." Having cautioned the disciples, the Guru took one step at a time gingerly and walked towards the river, followed by the disciples. With fear gripping them, they crossed the river and reached the other side. 15. The Guru counted to make sure all the disciples were safe on the riverbank. He called one of his disciples and mentioned, "Including me, we are six. Are we all safe? Did the vicious river swallow anyone of us? Count, make sure it tallies correctly, and report to me." 16. Abhishtu (Bad-Omen-Meister) counted all those who stood before him, saying one, two… He counted all except himself and reported, "O Guruji! We are only five here." 17. Of the six, one is missing. The Guru was deeply upset. All were shocked to realize that one of them, the river swallowed. 18. The Guru asked another disciple to do the count. He too counted everyone except himself and concurred with Abhishtu. "One is missing. Only five are present," panicked the disciple. 19. Likewise, the disciples and the Guru counted all except himself, fell into depression, sobbed, and wailed. 20. The Guru was irritated and angered towards the river for having swallowed one of his disciples. He slandered and cursed the river. 21. Grieving at the loss, they all wailed. They were unhappy not knowing who the missing person was. 22. At that time, a wayfarer came towards the grieving bunch. Seeing them in grief, he felt pity and asked what the problem was. The disciples narrated the events that led to their sorrow and resumed their wailing. The wayfarer counted them, and thinking of their stupidity, laughed within himself. 23. "Dear ones, what has happened has happened. I have the power to bring back those who have gone missing. What reward will you offer me for bringing back the person you lost?" asked the passerby. Guru mellowed and said, "Ayya! If you bring back the missing one, we will give all the money we have and remain in gratitude to you forever." 24. The passerby held a small stick in his hand. Taking it, he said, "In this stick lies the power of magic. Stand in a line, and I will touch the first person with this stick. He must say 'one' and then say his name." 25. As advised by the wayfarer, first, the Guru and the disciples stood in one line. First, he tapped the back of the Guru. He said, "One. My name is Paramartha Guru." He tapped the next one. He said, "Two" and his name. Likewise, the rest, upon receiving the tap on the back, uttered their respective number and the name. The last one said, "Six, I am Mūdan." The Guru and the disciples jumped for joy for having all six of them there. 26. They wondered at the wayfarer’s magical prowess for the rescue and recovery of the lost disciple and gave him all the money they had. 27. Thinking of what happened, the wayfarer thanked God for his potluck. |