Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE MAHABHARATA
Like its companion piece the Ramayana, the Mahabharata is an epic moral narrative of
Hindu ethics that came to Indonesia from India in the eleventh century. Written during the
fourth century AD by the Indian poet Vyasa, the original poem is phenomenally long -
more than a hundred thousand verses. The Balinese version is translated into the ancient
poetic language of Kawi and written on sacred lontar books kept in the Gedong Kirtya lib-
rary at Singaraja. Its most famous episodes are known to every Balinese and reiterated in
paintings, sculpted reliefs, wayang kulit dramas and dances.
THE PANDAWAS AND THE KORAWAS
At the heart of the story is the conflict between two rival branches of the same family, the
Pandawas and the Korawas, all of them descendants of various unions between the deit-
ies and the mortals. The five Pandawa brothers represent the side of virtue, morality and
noble purpose, though they each have their own foibles. The eldest is Yudhisthira , a calm
and thoughtful leader with a passion for justice, whose one vice - an insatiable love of
gambling - nonetheless manages to land the brothers in trouble. Then comes Bhima , a
strong, courageous and hot-headed fighter, whose fiery temper and earthy manner make
him especially appealing to the Balinese. The third brother, Arjuna , is the real hero; not
only is he a brave warrior and an expert archer, but he's also handsome, high-minded and
a great lover. Arjuna's two younger brothers, the expert horseman Nakula and the learned
Sahadeva , are twins. Their rivals are their cousins the Korawas , who number a hundred
in all, and are led by the eldest male Durodhana , a symbol of jealousy, deviousness and
ignoble behaviour.
AN EARLY EPISODE
An early episode in the Mahabharata tells how the Pandawa boys are forced by the usurp-
ing Korawas to give up their rightful claim to the throne. Banished to the mountains for
a minimum of thirteen years, the Pandawas grow up determined to regain what is theirs.
Meanwhile, both families engage in countless adventures, confrontations with gods and
demons, long journeys, seductions and practical jokes. A particular favourite is the exploit
known as Bhima Swarga , in which Bhima is dispatched to Hell to rescue the souls of his
dead father and stepmother. While there, he witnesses all sorts of horrible tortures and pun-
ishments, many of which are graphically depicted on the ceilings of Semarapura's Kerta
Gosa. When Bhima returns to earth with the souls of his relatives, he's immediately sent
off to Heaven in search of the holy water needed to smooth his dead parents' passage there.
This episode is known as Bhima Suci and features the nine directional gods, as well as a
dramatic battle between Bhima and his own godly (as opposed to earthly) father, Bayu.
Finally, a full-scale battle is declared between the two sets of cousins. On the eve of the
battle, Arjuna suddenly becomes doubtful about the morality of fighting his own family,
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