Cosmogony and Creation in Balinese Tradition

188 Pages·1974·10.44 MB·English

by  C. Hooykaas (auth.)

COSMOGONY AND CREATION
IN BALINESE TRADITION
To Dr. TH. G. TH. PIGEAUD on his 75th birthday
as a token of admiration for his invaluable work.
BIBLIOTHECA INDONESICA
published by the
KONINKLIJK INSTITUUT
VOOR TAAL-, LAND- EN VOLKENKUNDE
9
COSMOGONY AND CREATION
IN BALINESE TRADITION
by
c. HOOYKAAS
THE HAGUE - MARTINUS NIJHOFF - 1974
The Bibliotheca Indonesica is aseries published by the
Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde
(Royal Institute 0/ Linguistics and Anthropology), Leiden.
The series contains critical editions 0/ texts in various
Indonesian languages, together with a translation and
commentary in English.
Through the publication 0/ this series the Institute hopes
to contribute to the opening up 0/ the Indonesian literatures,
which are not only 0/ literary interest but also 0/ value to
anthropologists, linguists, historians and other scholars 0/
South-East Asia. It aims to help preserve the wealth 0/ the
I ndonesian literary heritage by drawing the attention 0/
international scholarship to it and by encouraging its
/urther study.
ISBN 978-94-015-0042-5 ISBN 978-94-015-0516-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-015-0516-1
CONTENTS
page
Abbreviations . . VI
I. INTRODUCTION
Introduction . . . 1
11. THE SIX BEST SOURCES OF INFORMATION
1. Introduction and Table of Contents 5
2. Text, Translation and Notes. . . . . . . . . . 10
111. THE LITANY OF THE RES I BHUJANGGA
1. Introduction and Table of MSS used. . 52
2. Text, Translation and Notes. . . . . . . 60
Appendix 1. The Incomplete Version G . . 78
Appendix II. The Too Complete Version X . 80
IV. KANDA MPAT (THE FOUR ELDER BROTHERS/SISTERS)
Drawings. . . . . : . . .' . . . . . . . 85
1. Introduction . . . . . .'. . . . . . . . . 93
2. Summary of Weck's main findings with balians, a-y. 95
3. The Four and the others priests, z 1-11 117
4. The Four in Recent Publications, 1-7. . . . . 125
V. MAINLY ON PANCA-KOSIKA (THE FIVE SEERS)
Plates
1. Pafica-Kosika in the Writings from the Past . . .. 129
A. P.K. as known mainly from Indian Inscripj:ions. 129
B. P.K. according to Javano-Balinese Imprecations 132
C. P.K. as found in Javano-Balinese Secular Writings 133
2. Pafica-Kosika in the texts and in the rituals of Bali's various
priests, A-Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 141
3. The most recent Publications about the four, Z 1-4 158
4. The seers Kosika, Garga, Metri, Pratanjala individually 161
VI. FINAL WORD
Final Word 171
Bibliography 173
Manuscripts Consulted 116
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
A Pürva Bhümi Kamülan, Pajaten, p.c.
A' Pürva Bhümi Tuva, Sukawati, p.c.
AT Agama Tirtha, Five Studies in Hindu-Balinese Religion by C.
Hooykaas, Amsterdam, 1964.
B Pürva Bhümi Kamülan, Panarukan, p.c.
BBB Balinese Bauddha Brahmans by C. Hooykaas, Amsterdam, 1973.
Bh(a) Bhatära.
Bh(i) Bhatärl.
BKI Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde door het Koninklijk
Instituut (for the same), Nijhoff, Den Haag.
C Cantin Kunin, Cakra Nagara, K 1545.
C Pürva Bhümi Tuva, Blumbang, p.c.
D Pürva Bhümi Kamülan, K 322.
E Pürva Bhümi Kamülan, LOr. 5360.
Ep. Ind. Epigraphia Indlca.
F Pürva Bhümi Kamülan, K 556.
FBG Feestbundel uitgegeven door het Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genoot
schap, Kolff, WelJevreden, 1929, 2 vols.
G The incomplete version, K 556.
Goris Ph.D. thesis: Bijdrage tot de Kennis der Oud-Javaansche en Balineesche
Theologie door R. Goris, Leiden, Vros, 1926.
H. Hyan.
IHQ Indian Historical Quaterly.
J San Hyan Aji-Tiga-Jfiäna, Bandung, K 670.
J., B., S. hss: Javaansche, Balineesche en Sasaksche handschriften.
Ju. Juynboll, Dr. H. H., Supplement Catalogus der Javaansche enMa
doereesche Handschriften in de Leidsche Universiteits-Bibliotheek,
Brill, Leiden, I 1907, II 1911.
K Pürvaka Bhümi, Griya Krotok, p.c.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS VII
K Collection of Balinese MSS in Library called Gedong KIRTYA,
Singaraja, Bali.
KBNW(dbk) Kawi-Balineesch-Nederlandsch Woordenboek door Dr. H. N. van der
Tuuk, Batavia, Landsdrukkerij, 'I 1897, II 1899, III 1901, IV 1912.
Käma and Käla, Materials for the study of the Balinese shadow theater by C.
Hooykaas, Amsterdam 1973.
KK (as above)
LOr Oriental manuscript, University Library, Leiden.
na. naranya, 'his/its name is', i.e.
o Pürva Bhümi Tuva, 'Bon Biu, p.c.
OJ Old Javanese.
OJO Oud-Javaansche Oorkonden, cf. Krom.
P Pürvaka Bhümi, Buleleng, K 929.
p.c. private collection.
S Tutur Sundari Gadin, Tabanan, K 271.
S. San.
Soebadio, Ph.D. thesis: Jiiänasiddhanta, Secret Lore of the Balinese saiva-Priest,
by Haryati 'Soebadio, Bibliotheca Indonesica 7, 1972.
StSt Stuti and Stava (Bauddha, saiva and Vai~J;1ava) of Balinese brah
man priests, by T. Goudriaan and C. Hooykaas, Amsterdam 1971.
Sudarshana, Ph.D. thesis: Wrhaspati-tattwa, an Old Javanese philosophiccal text,
critically edited and annQtated by S. Devi, Nagpur 1957.
SuSe Surya-sevana, the way to God of a Balinese siva priest, by C.
Hooykaas, Amsterdam, 1966.
T Pürvaka Bhümi (Cantin Kunin), Griya Tegeh, p.c.
TBG Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, uitgegeven
door het Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en
Wetenschappen.
Van der Tuuk, cf. KBNW dbk.
VBG Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap van
K. & W.
VKI Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor de Taal-, Land
en Volkenkunde, Nijhoff, Den Haag.
X The too complete version of Fakultas Udayana.
CHAPTERI
INTRODUCTION
Life is stranger than fiction. Considerably so. Judge from this:
The Javanese develop a feeling towards their afterbirth, wbich is not
thrown away at birth in the heathenish Western way, but which gets a
decent burial and has the name: ari-ari, younger brother (- sister) .
I know of a Javanese schoolgirl who wTote in an essay: "How couldn't
I have tender feelings towards the spot where my ari-ari lies buried?"
The Balinese are in the happy position of having no less than four
elder brothers (sisters). The 'concomitants of physical birth', being the
amniotic fluid, the blood, the vernix caseosa and the afterbirth together
are the baby's kanda mpat, bis four elder brothers, or her elder ~isters
in the case of a girl. Though the first three, due to their liquid state,
mostly disappear and receive little care, the ari-ari is carefully buried
under a round riverstone of about one foot in diameter, for a boy at
the one side of the steps leading to the sleeping house, for a girl at the
other side. The innumerable writipgs, partially or completely dealing
with the kanda mpat, do not weary from inculcating their readers that
the four are helpful as long as one gives them the (material) food and
reverential thoughts they are entitled to, in which case they from their
side behave as true eIder brothers. U. however, one neglects and ignores
them, they punish their younger brother. Several times I saw them
portrayed in writings dealing with them, but always as evil beings.
On the other hand I know from a friend that he feels protected by
them when in difficult circumstances; he must have bestowed proper
care on them.
As early as when still in the womb the kanda mpat monthly get
another name, and in course of life this name-giving is repeated several
times, be it not with as short intervals as before. During adolescence
there is about a dozen occasions when rites de passage should be
bestowed upon a child. Right so, and silly would be the parent who
did not· take care that the four got their proper share in the offerings
- but I don't think that such parents exist· in Bali. When the help of
2 COSMOGONY AND CREATION IN BALINESE TRADITION
the four is invoked, they keep watch during the night, they assist when
one takes a bath in the river, exposing his nava-dvära, nine openings
of the body, and they help in war. But he who ignores them will lack
their help and even meet them in the Hereafter as the hellish assistants
of the Supreme Judge. In, 1937 at the court of Karang Asem at the
occasion of the last stage of care of the dead, called memukur (after the
bukur, high bamboo turrets which then will be incinerated) there was
one bukur for the kanda mpat.
A thousand years ago five Indian ascetics, Kusika, Garga, Maitri,
Kurusya and Pratafijala acquired such a fame of their type of holiness
that they have been mentioned in stone inscriptions and hence are
dateable. Shortly afterwards they appear to have been upgraded in Java
where they are equated with the Buddhist Five Tathägata: Ak~obhya,
Ratna-sambhava, Amitäbha, Amogha-siddhi, Vairocana, and with the
saiva Five Aspects of siva: Sadyojäta, Bäma-deva, Tatpuru~a, Aghora,
ISäna. In the Western part of Java they are equated with the five kinds
of professional men. In philosophy they are equated with the five gross
elements, panca-mahä-bhilta (sky, heat, wind, water, earth). In practical
life at the occasion of oath-swearing they until recently were invoked
(and perhaps somewhere still are) as divine witnesses, in one breath
with the crocodile who is to crunch a possible perjurer between· his
powerful jaws.
Once a year, at nyepi, i.e. practising silence and desertion, the Balinese
people try to keep quiet as much as possible and to forgo lighting lamp
or fire avoiding light and smoke, the best visible signs of life. This
suggests to the ever invading forces of evil, bhilta, that the island has
been deserted. The exorcist priests, senguhu, try actively to expell the
bhilta and to that purpose recite a litany which should exist of at least
three hundred octo-syllabic lines. In it we learn how Kusika, Garga,
Metri, Kurusya were the first sons of the Primordial Being, Who felt
lonely. They are told to create a world; but refuse, pleading their
ignorance. They are cursed to be beasts of prey and sent into the four
directions. The fifth son, Pratafijala, is now duly educated. He learns
some mantras and actually creates the world. The four ask for forgive
ness which is granted ; they are given the names ISvara (East), Brahmä
(S), Mahä-deva (W) and Vi~1!u (N); obedient Pratafijala, however,
is by far the highest in the Centre.
Bali's brahman Buddha priests, the padanda Bodha, might be less
conversant with the Kufijara-Karna, the ancient West-Javanese prose
writing in which Pafica Kosika were equated with the Pafica Tathägata,