Taken from ‘Bungklang Bungkling’, ‘Punyah’, featured in Bali Post, Sunday, 7th June 2009, a
column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
Astronomy
It is said our ancestors had broad knowledge on the universe, as we can see in the Balinese calendar.
Therefore, before we do something, we have to check the calendar first; every ceremony is always conducted based on good days indicated in the calendar, whether it is good or not to it on certain day.
“You know, all ceremonies, from the small ones to the big ones held at Besakih are based on the calendar that was intricately made by our ancestors based on positions of the moon, stars, and the sun, says I Made Mula Keto.
“It has been based on scientific theories like what they do in the west,” I Made further says.
Since he got his degree, I Made always talks something scientific. His degree is called S2 komersial, that is a post-graduate degree obtained by ‘buying’ instead of studying hard. He paid 15 million for the certificate, 10 million for inaugural ceremony, and 1 million for the certificate frame. He has analyzed a lot of issues. And he acts as if he was an intellectual.
Two days ago he made his comment on the relation between the word ‘Lanjutkan’ (Continue) and advertising on instant noodle. According to him, it means that Indonesian people should continue having fried noodle for their meals. On the other occasion he said that ‘arak’ is alcoholic drink for butha kala (ground spirits). And his conclusion is that if you drink ‘arak,’ your behaviour will be like ground spirits.
“Only the Balinese use three calendars; one calendar is based on the moon, the two others are based on the sun and earth,” he further says.
Everyone nods to what Made is saying. Nobody seems to give their comments. As drunkard, they will have no idea to say unless they drink.
Let alone no more arak or tuak available now at Ni Luh makin Digosok Makin Sip’s warung. It turns to a normal village warung: offering coffee, tea, sugar ice, daluman (Balinese herbal drink with coconut milk), and rujak kuah pindang (Balinese fruit salad with fish gravy dressing), seaweed with grated coconut.
“I am afraid if I offer arak, they will put me in jail,” says Ni Luh
Even the methylated spirits, mosquito coil and soap have been removed from her warung.
You never know that someday someone orders daluman, and he mixes it methylated spirits. If this happens, I might be sent to jail.
She looks a bit nervous. She knows the situation is getting worse. Even an innocent woman, like Prita Mulyasari can be sent to jail, let alone her, if she dares to offer daluman mixed with spritus (methylated spirits) in her warung.
“I thought that this situation was because of our lack of knowledge about astronomy or position of the stars, or about good or bad days,” Made says while sipping his daluman.
He has drinking three glasses of daluman. Everybody is hoping that he will get diabetes so that he will not talk too much. Everyone is sick of his big talking.
“If you understand about good and bad days, like what day you have to go out, what time you have to sleep, when you have to do something ‘lebih cepat lebih baik’ (the sooner the better), when you have to say ‘lanjutkan’, I Made keeps talking like a preaching priest to his sisya (follower).
But today nobody wants to be followers, all want to be leaders, all just want to talk.
Let alone knowing about astronomy, they don’t even know how to distinguish arak and poison, nor action and talk,” says Ni Luh angrily.
So the point is, never talk about astronomy when you do not know anything about it, and never talk big if you don’t feel you are smart enough.
It is said that Balinese ancestors were very smart, but the Balinese now are nothing, they talk more but less action, although they claim they have done a lot.
Glossary:
I Made Mula Keto: It was like this ever since.
‘Lanjutkan’ is the motto of President SBY
Ni Luh makin Digosok Makin Sip: More ‘ready’ when more rubbed.
