The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c28.83

v1.c28.83

One of these talks with Venkata about the Christian tenets is related in a letter of Fr. Coutinho: "The other day", he says, "we were talking about the things of God; and His Majesty heard at length the explanation of the ten commandments. When in explaining the first we said that there was only one God and that the others were false gods, idols (Devils), the King did not say anything. The Brahmans, however, asked him what was the use of hearing such things; to which the King replied that it was a very good thing and so worthy of notice. He was also pleased to see the album of holy pictures which the Brother showed him, drawing his attention especially to the ones by Fr. Nadal ³. He saw them one by one and at the same time inquired minutely about their meaning; in so doing he was very glad to know of these high mysteries. But the King's religious preceptor (viz. Tatacharya) wished to convince us of the falsehood of the passion (of Jesus Christ). He was one of those whom St. Paul represents to us as saying that our doctrine was folly; he tried to convince him of the stories of their false gods, who are so unworthy of divinity; but we declared to him how perfect was the love of Jesus Christ, who came to the world for our salvation. The King heard everything in silence, and was by no means angry when at what we said against his idols and temples" ⁴. The same letter records that once, when the King was praising the Fathers for 'being Saniaces (sannyasis), and religious and chaste people’, ‘Tatacharya happened to be present, and being an enemy of the Fathers, replied to the King’s remark:—