Sugi Lanus' translation of ancient accounts on Balinese lontars confirmed many of my reflections. From some of my observations and personal experiences, I believe that the term 'Pulau Dewata' (the Island of Gods) for Bali is not a joke. Please note that dewata is plural form of dewa (god).
The Balinese lontars, which contain guidelines for yadnya and mantra or stawa, mention that various visible and invisible beings in the universe have a major role in moving the human world. Dewa is one of the six levels of spirit in the universe. There are countless spirits in this universe. The spirits live in various worlds or realms, or more commonly called ‘loka’. So, not only in the human loka. Each loka has its universal order.
The six levels of spirit are Pitara, Kinnara, Gandharva,
Yaksha, Dewa, and Siddha. Pitara is a human spirit that has died, has been
cremated or buried according to a proper ceremony. Siddha is a human spirit who
have attained the highest attainment – maraga siddhi. This highest
level spirit is also referred to as 'hyang guru' or 'guru hyang'.
According to ancient belief as it is today in Bali, the entire universe was
under the control of 33 devata or gods.
Balinese Cultural Landscape
Before proceeding to the discussion of sekala-niskala
(tangible-intangible), it helps us understand the term 'desa pakraman'.
In Bali, the term 'desa pakraman' is more often used to mean 'customary
village' or 'traditional village'. Pakraman is the formation of the
basic word 'krama' which has the same meaning as villagers. In the midst
of the swift current of globalization, Bali traditional villages – both in urban
and in rural areas – continue to preserve their customs. Although they have
many similarities between one another, each desa pakraman is unique.
The villagers of
Desa Pakraman Megati Kelod
In the past time, Desa Pakraman Megati Kelod was one of five division areas of the Jelijih Traditional Village. They were called banjar adat. Then since the 1960s, each of the division areas has become a desa pakraman. So, previously, Megati Kelod was only a customary banjar area. The existing bale (community center) desa is the old bale banjar. Bale desa with sufficient area (for the increasing number of krama) is being pursued, but has not been completed until now due to limited funds.
In general, the similarities and likeness of many
pakraman villages in Bali is the existence of pura kahyangan. At least, surely
every pakraman village – in terms of geography-cultural-landscape – has pura-pura kahyangan (celestial temples), namely Pura Dalam, Pura
Puseh and Pura Desa. Usually, Pura Puseh is adjacent to or even integrated with
the Pura Desa.
In addition to these three main temples, there are several
other temples that are traditional and natural exist in each desa pakraman.
Pura Mrajapati, usually adjacent to Pura Dalam, is located on the lowest land,
usually near a river. Pura Bedugul adjacent to Bale Subak is located on the
edge or inside an agricultural area or better known as subak, both subak yeh
(rice fields) and subak abian (dry fields). In general, a desa pakraman has a natural-holy
water spring, in Bali it is called 'beji'. And at the site of the holy spring
there is also a temple, called Pura Beji. Desa Pakraman Megati Kelod has Pura Beji
Taman Sekar, where the krama usually take “tirta” or holy water for odalan
ceremonies.
In Megati Kelod Pakraman Village, there is Pura Taman. This
temple is not determined by location criteria, but its existence is more about
its function, namely as a home-place for Barong (Betara Bagus) and Rangda
(Hyang Shri). In the neighboring, other desa pakraman, this function is
incorporated into the Pura Dalam site. In time, there has been a growth of
regional development, the village area which is divided by the provincial axis
highway, then also has the Pura Perempatan (Catus Pata) or Intersection Temple which
is more like a monument to four goddesses, and a deity overlooking Mount
Batukaru in the North. This monument was later known as the Pura Tugu Catur Dewi.
This Tugu Temple was built, then inaugurated on June 30, 2016. You can check it on the web-GIS at the GPS point of -8.499080, 115.056143.
In every desa pakraman there are rules or agreements that
are general and written, and there are also rules or agreements that are
somewhat secret, unwritten but understandably even giving the spirit of life.
This second type has a lot to do with things that are abstract, intangible or
non-material.
Meetings or deliberation activities usually take place in
Bale Banjar or Bale Desa. Bale Banjar in Megati Pakraman Village is more
functioned as Bale Gong. The Bale Desa itself is still in the process of being
built, so kramas or villagers meetings are held at Bale Subak, which is located
across from Pura Desa.
In Bali, an extended family usually lives in a compound, large
piece of land, called a "karang". Within the boundaries of each karang,
the building masses have their own order based on the "asta
kosala-kosali" philosophy. There are several types of sacred places on
each compound, in the form of a family temple called sanggah or mrajan with several
shrine (pelinggih) and other more shrines at other points. One of the shrines
is called "pelinggih taksu", so it is a place to pray whenever any family
member will go out or will leave their home-place.
Pelinggih Taksu in
a compound of an extended family
Intangible Cultural Heritage
There are not many aspects of abstract and mystical life
discussed or studied openly, either in academia or on mainstream media portals.
Perhaps, because of its invisible nature, non-material, and being overlooked by
the busyness and routine of daily life in this increasingly materialistic
world. So, not many people are aware of it anymore.
In this paper, I focus on raising some aspects that are
abstract and mystical. Namely, especially the things that are too common, but
are not recognized as special cultural heritage; and things that are considered
taboo or controversial, however, openly and somewhat secretly are still held.
What I mean is:
2. Trance (kerauhan) on the Calonarang stage;
3. Traditional dice gambling game;
4. Tajen or metajen
The first two points are part of the ceremony/event which are very interesting for tourists too. Indeed, both are more open and have no problem of moral controversy. However, in general, both of them are only considered as established customs.
The last two points, in ancient times, were by no means
taboo or controversial. But in the present, both are included in the gray
realm.
Both the first two points and the last two points, will
actually have special values – especially in the evolution of human
consciousness – if we can understand their secret meaning. Actually, this is
not a secret, it's just that very few people want to think deeper about, and
ponder their meanings in more depth. These are the things that fall under
esoteric philosophy. These are thoughts and ideas that actually originate from
the Cosmic Mind. There are contributions of gods in the sky, spirits, and
fairies in the unseen realms.
In the translation of Balinese papyrus notes, it is said
that the real power of the 'gods' resides within humans – dewata ring sanira
(the gods within humans). Gods are present in every human cell and
consciousness. ‘Dewata ring sanira’ means the quality of divinity that
we express through our character. For example, virtue, brilliance, compassion,
happiness, and others.
Because in general, humans cannot feel or realize the
presence of gods within themselves, so in Bali it is taught to worship gods who
are outside the human body. For the worship of gods who are outside the self,
then temples are needed, they are built for the purpose. The temples are also
called 'parahyangan'. The goal is to ask for blessings, glory, and the power of
the gods, so that humans can become better and noble creatures.
Parahyangan is harmony between man and God and spiritual
beings, it is one of the three sources of happiness. The other two are
'pawongan', namely harmony between and among human beings, and 'palemahan',
harmony between humans and the environment. The balance of these three sources
of happiness is called Tri Hita Karana.
Returning to the abstract or intangible aspect, the contributions
of these incorporeal gods and spiritual beings, usually manifest as
individuals. People who become "vehicles" of these gods and spiritual
beings are called people who have 'taksu', or commonly called 'metaksu'.
Human Vehicle of the Gods
One of the kramas in Megati Kelod Pakraman Village – who
according to my observations and investigations – is an individual who has
taksu related to the four things I am discussing. He is Gusti Made Endra Tenaya
(43) or Gus Endra, better known as Ajik Yoshee. Although his physical appearance is a bit
sloppy, long dreadlocks, both arms are tattooed, but Gus Endra is the type of
'family man', a man who is full of care and warmth towards his family, wife and
three children. Gus Endra is married to Nita Rianti (37), their three lovely children are Gusti Ayu Putu Mayoshee (16), I Gusti Made Bram Pangestu (11), and
the curvaceous, Gusti Ayu Komang Trisyana Anjani (6).
Gus Endra and his
core family
So, apart from being the main resource person, Gus Endra is
also the main character in this writing. One by one, from the four points
mentioned above, we will reveal the secrets of their privileges with him.
1. Baleganjur Music to accompany the Ngaben
ceremony
There are at least 10 traditional
Balinese musical instruments, namely gendang (drum), gong, gamelan, ceng-ceng,
gangso, tawo-tawo, gender, seruling (flute), kecek, and tingklik. What are often and main
in the musical accompaniment of the Ngaben ceremony are drum, gong, gamelan, and
ceng-ceng.
In the latest coverage, namely at
the Ngaben ceremony, on Monday Legi, August 8, 2022, I intentionally didn't
bring my cellphone (to use its camera), because I wanted to concentrate more on using the
"dual perception mode". I observed Gus Endra who acted as the leader
of the musical accompaniment squad for this ceremony.
In the procession of krama walking
from the front alley of the 'funeral house' to the setra (cemetery)
site, I realized that the atmosphere was different from funeral processions in
other regions or cultures. Here, there was a balance between sorrow and joy.
Mainly because of the dynamic beauty of gong music, as if it invites our nerve
nodes to dance. So I felt more filled with joy when I watched this community
procession to the funeral parlor. I can feel and realize that the harmony in
this series of ceremonies was the embodiment of the Cosmic Mind which has a
very high artistic taste.
These Balinese, celebrate life
every day with all their complexities and dualities that are kept in harmony.
For them, death is also part of life, or rather part of the cycle of life. In
Bali, I witnessed the existence of an order of life that is beyond all
dualities.
According to Gus Endra, this music
is meant for the spirit, aka 'pitara candidate', from the body to be burnt
in cremation, the spirit is invited to rejoice and be grateful. In addition, so
that all family, relatives and friends can sincerely release the dead one.
2. Trance (kerauhan)
on the Calonarang stage
At the Calonarang stage which took
place at Pura Dalam Desa Pakraman Megati Kelod, Thursday Legi, March 31 –
Friday Pahing April 1, 2022, I attended and deliberately took a strategic
position to observe and experience the aura and magical energy of the actors.
The entire performance took place in four hours, from 22 to 2 o’clock in the
morning.
At this stage, there were two
groups of gong/gamelan music players, on the left side were youths from the
neighboring village, Desa Pakraman Serampingan, and on the right side were youths
from this village, Megati Kelod. They took turns playing music.
Rangda aka Calonarang who is also
called 'Hyang Shri' is played by Ajik Gede. This Rangda was accompanied by Gus
Endra. In the scene of the battle between Barong (Betara Bagus) and Rangda, I
felt a vast magical atmosphere, especially because of the beauty of the gamelan
music. It was as if, the fierce battle that was taking place on the stage was
also happening inside of me. The sensation is very similar to that which can be
felt when we make love, just before the peak of orgasm. Ni Komang Ari Santi, a Bali native author called this Barong-Rangda fight as Cosmic Fertilization.
Both Barong and Rangda have several
followers. Lenda-lendi are the students of Calonarang (also called Rangda
followers), played by five beautiful girls with white shawls as hoods.
Followers of Barong are played by men with real kris, sharp and shiny in the
light of the lamp. When Barong fell defeated by Rangda, the men armed with kris
stormed Rangda. They stabbed Rangda's body, but it didn't work. Rangda's
attackers finally froze and stabbed themselves each, also to no avail, and they
fell like dead. The mangku sprinkled tirta (holy water) on all those who were trance
with chanting of mantras. They return to the human realm, which is actually a
virtual reality in spiritual understanding.
Overall, this Calonarang stage is
very beautiful. I experienced the harmony of all the components: the music, the
dance, and the earnestness of the actors, as well as the decorations using
local natural materials. This stage shows the paradoxical coexistence of many
things: sacred-profane, hard-soft, life-death, love-hate, attachment-detachment,
and natural-artificial as well as fall-fertile. This is the higher reality of
life. This stage presents things that are beyond all duality.
Ni Made Andien Nugraha
as a lenda-lendi on
Calonarang stage
3. Traditional Dice Gambling Game
In the epic legend of the
Mahabharata, it is narrated that the Pandavas lost in gambling against the
Kauravas. Behind this gambling game using dice, is Shakuni's control. In
ancient times, Shakuni was believed to be the 'god of gambling'. In Bali until
now, bookies also believe in supernatural powers played by the god of gambling, Shakuni, or Sangkuni (in Bali).
According to Gus Endra's
confession, the koprok dice gambling game is usually an interlude to fill time
while waiting for the burning of the body to finish. This game usually takes
place in the bale of Pura Mrajapati, as I witnessed on August 8, 2022 and at
the previous Ngaben ceremony. This type of gambling is only in small amounts,
the stakes only range from 10,000 to 50,000 rupiah.
However, even with a small nominal
amount, the role of the god of gambling Shakuni also comes into play. Here, it
takes the courage of the players to let go of their money, ready to win or
lose. In other words, there is actually no absolute defeat or victory. Life is
just a game; it will always come back to balance.
Traditional dice game equipment
I looked at the media of this
koprok dice game. Tarpaulins with paintings of six kinds of mythological animals
made by hand, as well as on the six faces of the dice. This is a very beautiful
artwork. This gaming equipment is not an industrial product that is easily
found in stores or in the market. If you want to have it, you need to order
from the experts. This is a work of art that is sustainable, because there are
also certain individuals, certain artists, who have the taksu to create this
game media and equipment.
4.
Tajen or metajen
It's no secret that tajen or cockfighting is
a very controversial gambling game. Some academics, both local and global, have
discussed it. It was Clifford Geertz (1926-2006), an American anthropologist who wrote the essay "Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight".
According to his ethnographic
research, that even the double meaning of the word "cocks" which also
means hero, warrior, and champion, exists in Balinese, as well as in English. He
also writes about the intimate relationships many Balinese men have with their
cocks, which are actually also a symbol of their penises.
They, these bebotohs (the
owners of the fighting cocks) take care of their chickens, feed them,
observe them, and discuss them with each other. Geertz also writes, "cocks
are symbolic expressions or magnifications of their owner's self, the
narcissistic male ego writ out in Aesopian terms, they are also
expressions--and rather more immediate ones--of what the Balinese regard as the
direct inversion, aesthetically, morally, and metaphysically, of human status:
animality."
I relate Geertz's synthesis above
to my reflection on "human animal life stage" in the book The
Secret History of The World. At this stage, humans can reproduce sexually.
In the previous stage, namely the plant life stage, humans develop reproduce
parthenogenesis, like plants, without genitals. And then, that the penis – which
is also symbolized as a cock – is the last organ in human anatomy to take its
final form as it is today.
From Gus Endra, is Tabuh Rah,
which is meant to feed the Earth by shedding blood on the life-and-death battle
between the cocks being pitted. Tabuh Rah is a ritual of performing bhuta
yajña. Blood is a liquid that is used as a meaning to balance Bhuana Agung
and Bhuana Alit.
One of Gus Endra's cocks at
his home family compound
Outside as a ritual in the
Parahyangan site, this cockfighting activity is called tajen. The
transformation of tabuh rah into tajen is a natural process. Tajen
or metajen is a social-recreational tradition. Basically, in this
game there are rules of the game that involve the abstract or intangible dimension. I
remember reading the book 'The Secret History of The World', about the fortunes
of gamblers. It's not just a 50:50 probability law.
In other words, the laws of
probability only apply when all human subjectivity has been deliberately
excluded. In the normal run of things when human happiness and hopes for self
fulfilment depend on the outcome of the roll of the dice, or in the case of a
tajen – which cock survives – then the laws of probability are bent. Then
deeper laws come into play.
On Wednesday Kliwon, August 17,
2022, I was in a cockfight arena, watching several fightings there. The arena
is not far from the site of the Pura Dalam Desa Pakraman Megati Kelod. This
tajen game on Independence Day was the third time for me, watching at the tajen
arena. Twice before, in Gunung Salak Village in 2017, and in Surabrata Village
in 2018. Unlike my previous experience, this time I found a rule that it is not
allowed to use cellphone cameras in the tajen arena. It's also good for me now,
because I'm in the practice of using and developing the ability of the
“multiple perception mode”, that is, by using the physical perception organs,
and the metaphysical perception organs.
Previously I had read several
articles about Shakuni, the God of Gambling in Hindu mythology and in the story
of the Mahabharata. It is said that there is a God of Gambling in every
gambling arena, who also controls the game. Perhaps this is why, in the arena
of tajen, there is also a pelangkiran, a place to put canang (offerings). So,
if later this ritual activity becomes a gambling game activity, there is still
a metaphysical aspect that comes into play. As in the previous discussion,
there is a gambling god Shakuni who controls the gambling game.
On this third occasion, I
'recorded' everything I could perceive, and kept them as memories in my mind.
There is one thing that I remember, namely the nameplate hanging on one side of
the eaves of the roof of the tajen arena, a silhouette image of a Pegasus, a
winged horse. I remember this is a Greek mythological animal.
Pegasus is the trusted war horse of
the god Zeus aka Jupiter. During battle, Zeus has the power to cast lightning
and throw thunder at enemies. Pegasus is responsible for bringing Zeus' thunder
and light during battle. Sometimes during the battle, the enemy will be very
strong and Zeus' army will be frightened. Pegasus always stays with Zeus, even
when the enemy is fighting very hard. As a reward for the loyalty and courage
of Pegasus, Zeus placed him in the sky as a constellation.
So, what is the relationship
between tajen, Pegasus and Shakuni?
I again recalled the results of my
reflection also related to the evolution of humans (from Mark Booth's book), both their consciousness
and the way they reproduce. In the transition from the vegetable life stage and
the animal life stage, there was intervention of gods or angels in human
reproduction, because at that time, the male human penis had not yet appeared,
but the female human already had ovaries, could experience pregnancy. These
rebellious angels descend to Earth and impregnate women with sound, that is,
with songs and incantations.
These angels then asked Enoch alias
Prophet Idris to intercede for them to Allah. In the Old Testament Bible, it is
told that Enoch riding a fiery chariot drawn by four winged horses, he ascended
to Heaven. Pegasus!
Pegasus took Enoch to Heaven, also
to emphasize to God, that angels no longer need to marry female humans, that
humans can reproduce on their own, because male humans already have penises!
Gus Endra told me that sometimes,
when he had no money at all, there were invitations to participate in the tajen
arena. He also discussed with his cocks, then brought one of them to the cockfight
arena. He and his cock won! On other occasions, when he was having a lot of
money, and taking part in the game among bebotohs, he lost. Doesn't this
show that actually this cockfight gameplay, is also a god's means to maintain
the balance of life in a beautiful way? Life and livelihood are a Cosmic Mind
game.
Remembering the message of my late husband, Prof. Sung-Kyun
Kim, Founding President of the Asian Cultural Landscape Association, I continue
my ethnographic research independently. This type of research is qualitative in nature,
digging deeply, experiencing the phenomena firsthand, directly and repeatedly,
so as to find the deepest meaning of each ancestral wisdom that needs to be
preserved.
Anita Syafitri Arif
Megati Kelod, Tuesday Wage, 16 August 2022, continued on Friday
Pahing, 19 August 2022.
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