René Fullop Muller
SOB MIL MÁSCARAS DIVERSAS
-A História das Primeiras Missões Jesuítas
மேற்கண்ட போர்ச்சுக்கீசிய புத்தகத்தின் ஆங்கில மொழி பெயர்ப்பு (
http://translate.google.com/# வழியாக)
2. AMONG Pearl-Rajas
In the extreme south of India Gangetic lived caste of Paravars, a tribe that covered more or less twenty thousand souls. Paravars these were, for the year L530, attacked by a
Muslim savage tribe, and touched by their plight, decided to cry for help from the Portuguese.
A deputation of pearl fishers to move towards Goa and stated there that if they ripped off the Portuguese Muslims back height, would be willing to convert all the religion of the Europeans.
The governor entered the real under this proposal, gladly, and also established condition as merely an annual tribute of two boats laden with pearls. Shortly before Cape Comorin anchored a fleet Portuguese, which expelled the marauding Muslims; in then it landed on the Catholic priests who had come together, entering the country under the leadership of the vicar
Generally, in order to perform the baptism of the whole tribe. From everywhere the Paravars surged and were putting themselves in order ranks: after the priests uttered some words in
Latin, which the pearl fishers did not understand, and each PARAVER TEBRAL answered a few words in Tamil, which the Fathers, in turn did not understand well. The ceremonies w
ere needed quickly, soon after distributed paper ballots which were written names
Portuguese baptism among the population, and the fleet began to way back to Goa, taking the vicar general, and other priests. The Portuguese colonial authorities, however, could report to his king with pride that they succeeded in saving twenty thousand souls from eternal damnation,
Leading them to the bosom of Holy Mother Church. Thereafter, the Paravars were delivering, annually, its tribute, and the whites of his hand, took care in exchange for the Mohammedan pirates keep away from the coast pearls. But, moreover, might remain in the Paravars
Peaceful observance of their traditional customs; never came a Christian priest in these strips of land and thus
Those pieces of paper on which was traced a name in letters not less incomprehensible
Incomprehensible, were the only reminder that linked the Paravars with his religious conversion.
When Francis Xavier came to Goa, already had eight years elapsed since the Christianization of the pearl fishers; eight years that a priest had also been there in the south between the community neophyte.
The miserable huts covered with palm leaves, in which these people lived, were located just behind the Cape Comorin, in a deserted coastline and Safara, whose dunes burning sporadically grew hedges arrays of palm trees and thorns. Here lived the Paravars, people muscular and slender, of a dark skin tone loaded, scattered in small villages. Day after day, because of the roner dawn, put them on the way to the sea, clad in cramped boats with candles in the shape of dovetail, and the sunset, they returned to their huts of reeds, bringing the prey of pearls conquered. In Tuticorin, the main town of the region, continued there is still the old pagan temples with idols colorful mounds of clay painted white and red, horses made of loam, stone tablets with snakes sacred bulls, cows and monkeys, and even in small villages, were grotesque and obscene symbols, very many, of all kinds, representing the cult traditional, to which the pearl fishers belonged since centuries. Paravars attended the baptism, to the multitudes, these
sanctuaries, and when they felt afraid before genies of fire (which, presaging misfortune, danced the night sea) then gave up in a hurry to go to their offering the fish gods oblate, or building new temples of mud and reed.
Then one day Xavier appeared in their midst, with his feet "Barefoot, taking over his body, a garment of a thousand patches, bringing his head covered by a hood miserable black wool. Maintained a canainha in hand, it tolled without cease and called them, with a few words of Tamil foreign accent, it sounded more or less: "Come, I preach good news. "
Still in Goa Xavier had with him that interpreters translate some sermons and prayers in Tamil and stood with great effort to decorate them. When, now, now that, since
Paravars of that village, managed to attract with the tinkle of canainha their children of natives, went on to explain them catechism, taught them to pray and sing the AVE, the small ones
delivered, most often, the task, as if there had treaty to learn a new toy. Were also children who have supplied the most important help in their fight against the pagan idols. They felt happy and
Happy when, under the direction of Father White, had permission to destroy the statues of various deities, in extent of their desires. Satisfied Xavier wrote this occasion to his brother who was in the homeland: "When someone tells me to worship idols, so what I do is meet the children's place and drive me with them to the point where they are idols. The insults that the devil Children are receiving more honors than that pagan adults it taxed, because the small snatch idols, reduce us to powder finer than ash, spit on them, trample us to toe and vex us from other ways even worse. "
Soon thoughts all the children focused in their enthusiastic parents as well by the strange man, and just as it is given in the city with you and Portuguese their slaves, it happened now with fishermen Pearls: Xavier has won them affection, they deposited blind trust in it and regarded it as a being higher; for since the night his canainha tinkle and its strange words about the invisible God, a kingdom of the blessed in heaven and a place of conviction had resonated deeply within the earth, over the back, since the fishermen have seen more feared the jinn from fire danced on the waves. Had the impression that the sound of your canainha there expelled from there the odd ghost.
After the mission accomplished on the backs of fishing started out with much success, Xavier was visiting, one after the other, all regions of the Portuguese colonial empire. Yet he trailed
along the coastline, through deserts of sand, in which feet dipped in warm soil, well, walking along inenetráveis through virgin forests. His remarkable talent language enabled him to learn, more or less, the
In those times the mass conversion to Christianity, brought out by Paravars in exchange for military aid Portuguese become a favorite custom in India. Thus the Prince of Candy, threatened by neighboring peoples, called for help of Portuguese troops and promised in exchange conversion all his people. With this he established military requirements very important because they could rely on the fact that in his principality was the famous rock, on which still had
opportunity to clearly see the footprint of Buddha, and that in a pagoda in the capital was saved a tooth PERFECT. Within such circumstances, the prince decided to give up the
belief of its greatest only in exchange for the referral of a strong military.
With the white soldiers had also entered into Candy traditional priests who, while they had
named the prince and the people. But later, when the tribes Mohammedan enemy were thrown out and the body Portuguese expeditionary left Ceylon again, Prince also returned to the old religion and ordered to open again the temple that held the tooth of Buddha.
A year later, precisely during the stay at Xavier South India, the sovereign was involved again in a military conflict and needed again, the urgent assistance of Portuguese arms. Xavier's fame has also penetrated into Ceylon, so the prince asked him for his mediation with the Government of Goa. Xavier accepted this task with joy and personally, went in company of the military Portuguese Candy and there sought to pursue new Christianization. Also in this case he has used, again, children, to do away once and for all, of idolatry. Children, his command, irroneram the famous temple, snatched the tooth Buddha, and zealous work, began to rub the rock sacred until no more could see traces of PERFECT footprint.
Other princes of the country also called the missionary, the learned so well that deal with the Portuguese authorities, and asked him to go to their courts, because at any moment,
the need arose to quell local rebellions with the help Europeans. Wherever this is a case so soon
Xavier appeared also to gather the inhabitants of the principality under consideration in exchange for military aid, through its canainha, and there, he began his catechism lessons.
After an activity of six years, Xavier had created in India a large sector of work. Earlier in the year of l549 he writes to Ignatius: "At the moment living members of our Society
in all parts of India where there are Christians. They are four in the Moluccas, two in Malacca, six in Cape Comorin, in Coxun two, two and four on the island Bascin Socotra. Each group is headed by a superior. His letters took a year to reach the country, after a long sea crossing. When one of these epistles arrived in Europe, that would always be a celebration of joy
for Catholic Christendom, so troubled by the heresy. King John of Portugal was enthusiastic about the success obtained by the mission which he himself initiated and enhanced.
Xavier sent letters to Spain too, where were read by order of the archbishop of Toledo in all
pulpits.
"They know us now, in Spain," wrote this Peter Faber occasion to Ignacio. "Where there until then nobody had heard about us or where we thought just taking into account the slander, there now praise God, nowhere else, no palace, no arrests and no hospital, where anyone,
rich or poor, noble or bourgeois, wise or ignorant, woman or child does not know how we live and what is the purpose of our Order. "
Link:
http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/sine-data,_Muller_RF,_A_Historia_Das_Primeiras_Missoes_Jesuitas,_PT.pdf
