Bandung Institute of Technology logo of Ganesha.The time for constituting an Indian Ocean Community (IOC) as an economic engine to restore over 59 nations of the Indian Ocean Rim to the share in world GDP they held in 1700. IOC may also be a solution to the present economic crisis faced by the European Community.
An extraordinary event occurred in Rishikesh in December 2012 which went unreported in the media. A group of artists came from Bali, Indonesia, conveying the message of Hindu dharma. Here are excerpts from Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International (AHYMSIN)Newsletter of January 2013. [Bali Comes to SRSG by Joanne Sullivan (Divya)]
"Indonesia is a land of many cultures and languages. It is the third most populous democracy in the world and the largest archipelago state, having 17,000-18,000 islands. Bali is one of its many gems. On New Year’s Eve, 2012, the ancient and mysterious island of Bali came to SRSG. She came in the form of gods, demons, high dignitaries and a holy man. I saw the holy man, the pedanda, or high priest, only briefly in passing one evening in the last week of December." SRSG is acronym for: Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama, Rishikesh.
The narrative continues: "It is impossible to convey what I saw. Diya Mahayani and Yastika are dancers and seekers from the Gandhi Puri Ashram of Sacred Art in Bali. Their dance, I believe, is an echo of live events that the eyes do not see. Swamiji was emphatic when he said that this was not a dance or an art form. Indeed, from the first dance, in a time outside of time, it was as if the dancers themselves became a divine presence. 
"Balinese Gamelan music is complex and primal with its strings, woodwinds, gongs and other percussions—crossing and crisscrossing in startling ways as if to create worlds. Amidst the clanging gongs and tinseling sounds, the Devi appeared. She was as if at the start of a new world. The Gamelan music stormed and swayed like wind-swept trees in a tropical storm. Her eyes flashed and soothed—one moment, the element fire as lightning, and the next, the moon as still waters. This was not just a highly skilled dancer portraying the Goddess. From the very start, She or Shri pervaded the room. I sat spellbound. There was enormous excitement in the front row where the children sat up close. The dancers’ every movement was like a force of nature as in the first stirrings of a storm to a storm in full force. Yet each movement of the eyes, arms, hands and feet—and yes—even the back, was precise. At one point, She stood with her back to us, her back shimmering and rippling in many minute particles of movement, like a rising wind through the leaves of a tree conveying one unmistakable force.
"I later asked Prince Indra Udayana. The first dance, he said, was Legong Sthri Shakti with three devis as one: Saraswati, Laxmi and Parvati. I had felt it. I sat there leaning forward in my chair like a child not wanting to miss a heartbeat of what was unfolding. Others expressed similar experiences. There were four dance offerings, all of them magnificent and otherworldly. Swami Veda enriched the experience with a lecture before the last dance. When Swami Veda says things, I try to regard it as a 3 or 5-dimensional thing that I am seeing like a flat piece of paper—and to keep open for what lessons I might grasp now—or in years to come. We learned a lot and if my guess is right, we only heard a very small part of the story. I am sure he could write a book about Bali. These are some of the things he said. The province of Bali is primarily Hindu though Indonesia, with the world’s largest Muslim population, is 86% Muslim. Over 700 languages used to be spoken in Indonesia, now only 20, though some say that 700 languages are still spoken in Indonesia. Swamiji told us many intriguing things about Indonesia and Bali."Other Dances, other Worlds
"In the Jauk Manis Dance, the jungle is full of danger, yet the valorous hero of this tale subdues every enemy to protect the peaceful lives of the humans and other beings who live there. A softness hides behind the fierceness of this warrior who has great compassion for the gentle and obedient inhabitants of the jungle. All harmony is restored as good once again conquers evil. The complex music and dance patterns intermingle in the gamelan’s gong."
"Another piece, Oleg Tambulilingan reenacts the intimate play of a beetle sipping nectar from a flower in the garden. Oleg means “graceful movement” while tambulilingan means “beetle.”An Important Meeting
Swami Veda met upstairs with Prince Indra Udayana and the high priest a few days earlier and regretted our missing him, saying “it would have been a great grace for you to see the venerable Pedanda.” His name is Ida Pandita Mpu Yoga Parama Daksa. The dignitaries and seekers who accompanied the dancers, Diya Mahayani and Yastika, were noteworthy. They included Prince Indra Udayana, who, as a Gandhian, usually goes by the name Brahmachari Indra Udayana. He is the founder and chairman of Ashram Gandhi Puri, Bali, Indonesia. He is the would-be heir to Puri Agung Negara Djembrana, but in 1945, the kingdom became a republic. He is also the 2011 recipient of the International Jamnalal Bajaj Award for promoting Gandhi outside India. “He is heir of one of the eight kingdoms of Bali. Udayana was one of the great kings of Bali by whose name even the university, Udayana University is named,” said Swami Veda. Their entourage also included Praptini, the deputy director of Institute Hindu Dharma in Denpasar, Pujavati, and Mr. Tarasana from Bali. Siddhartha Krishna of Omkarananda Ashram in Rishikesh accompanied them. This meeting produced an exciting outcome. Ten students will come from Bali each year to train in meditation and bring it back to Bali. There are also discussions for the Balinese to build a Pura, a Balinese Hindu Temple in Rishikesh."
Annual Day of Silence at the New Year
Swamiji said “there is so much that India needs to learn from Bali now, for example, Nyepi Day, a day of total silence once a year, when even the Ngurah Rai International Airport of Denpasar is closed from 6 am to 6 am. No cars, no traffic, no entertainment, no TV. Sit in the house, do contemplation, do prayers. Can we introduce that Nyepi Day in this noisy country called India?” It happens each spring on the day following the dark moon after the spring equinox.
Clues to Ancient India
“When I look at the culture of Bali or of Thailand I am looking at the history of India and I am trying to find out what the culture of India was like 2000 years ago,” said Swamiji. He said that he found in Bali the names of people that he had seen in ancient Indian texts, names which are no longer used in India. He gave the example of a Mr. Devadana whom he met in Bali. The only other place he had heard that name was in a 4th Century BC grammatical text by Patañjali.
Ancient Indian Rishis Taught in the Schools of Bali
Balinese culture is suffused with the legacy of ancient India. “The culture of Bali was begun by the Rishis of India, whose names are no longer taught in the schools of India but which are common in the schools of Bali— Markandeya, Bharadwaja, Agastya - the names we hear in the Puranas but they are part of the way the history of Bali is taught in the schools of Bali.”
Swamiji talked at length about the deep links between Bali and India such that Prince Indra Udayana remarked that Swamiji knew more about Bali than he did.
Lontar: Sacred Texts on Palm Leaf
Swamiji said that many books that have been lost in India are extant in Bali, but most have not been translated into English. He also expressed a wish to own at least one lontar text. In Bali, lontar are the sacred books and have traditionally been hand scripted on palm leaf, not printed by printing presses.
3-Fold PathSwamiji also spoke of tri-mandala—Parahyangan, Pawongan and Palemahan—the principle upon which Balinese temples and all of Balinese society are built. “This was all established by the Rishis whose names are just about forgotten in India which are taught in the schools of Bali.” It is a 3-fold path also known as tri-hita-karana. Swamiji explained that “the social, economic and political system of Bali is based on tri-hita-karana…three benevolent, beneficent principles— that every human being has three aspects …the duty, the relationship that we have with God [Parahyangan]; the relationship that we have with human beings [Pawongan]; and the relationship that we have with nature [Palemahan] and these are the three principles on which the entire culture of Bali is built.”
Gayatri Recitation in Schools
There is also “a compulsory daily practice of Tri-sandhya —Gayatri mantra recited by every Balinese school child three times a day,” Swamiji said. This practice is also known in India but not currently prevalent in most Indian schools.
The Great Yogi Dvijendra Nirartha
Swamiji said “Someone whose life story I am looking for and would like to popularize is Dvijendra Nirartha. I have heard it in Bali but not in English or Hindi-- and I wish somebody would write his full life story….I pay him great homage among the great yogis.” When Islam overtook the Majapahit Empire in the 16th Century, Dvijendra Nirartha brought an ancient, endangered culture over to Bali and revived it, where he built countless temples. It is said that he sent his family by ship to Bali. When he did not board the ship, the family did not understand how he would get there. He assured them that he would meet them there. “When the ship arrived,” said Swamiji, “he was already there because he had floated a leaf, sat down on the leaf and had gone across the sea.”
Unity in Diversity
Unity in diversity is an idea that runs deep in our lineage as it does in Indonesia. “One of the greatest contributions of Indonesia and of Bali is in this unity of religions,” Swamiji said. The next few sections will discuss this.
Interfaith Conference of 1011 AD
“In the year 1011 AD, at a place which is now known as Purasamantiga… there was the first interreligious conference of three religions: Shiva, Buddha and Baliyaga, the traditional pre-Buddhist, pre-Hindu, Balinese religion. The scholars and the leaders sat down and worked out a system by which the three religions should work together and exchange forms with each other and that is the religion of Bali today.”
Priests of All Religions Paid by the Government
Swamiji continued. “It’s a secular country. Indonesia is a country where the priest of every religion is paid by the government so every religion is supported by the government. That is the Indonesian form of secularism.” Swamiji felt that India has much to learn from Indonesia.
The National Motto from a 14th Century Text
This respect for unity in diversity is reflected in Indonesia’s national motto:
Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. One is many, many is one. "Garuda Pancasila with the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika"This phrase was taken from a 14th Century text called the Sutasoma Kakavin upon Indonesia’s independence from the Dutch after World War II. Swamiji read aloud to us from its 139th chapter. “The word Kakavin,” Swamiji explained, “means kavya or great epic.” He translated what he read for us:
“It is said that the well known Buddha and Shiva are two different substances; they are indeed different, yet how is it possible to recognize their difference in a glance, since the truth of Buddha and the truth of Shiva are one? They may be different, but they are of the same kind, as there is no duality in truth.” Swamiji explained that the poet made this point because there were many discussions between the nation’s Buddhists and the Shiva worshippers.
The Subak System: Farming, a Sacred Act
Swamiji also pointed out that in keeping with the principles of tri-hita-karana, a reverence and awareness of the sanctity of nature has made Bali one of the most important rice growers worldwide. The agricultural and water irrigation plan for the entire country was charted in the 9th Century. The priests of a particular water temple still control this irrigation plan.
Swamiji told us that every farm has a temple to Shri Devi and Bhu Devi. “No farmer will perform his agricultural duties without first making offerings to Shri Devi and Bhu Devi. That is called culture, that Subak System. And some World Bank or United Nations scientist did a computer model that would be ideal for Bali. And when they brought the model the Balinese said ‘we have been practicing this since the 9th century. What are you bringing here?’ And I don’t know how many million dollars these WTO, these World Bank people, United Nations people, spent on creating that chart which was already created in the 9th century without any computers…. and that Subak System still continues.”
Sanctifying Sacred Texts
Undoubtedly, the sacred texts bless these people just as they themselves bless the sacred texts. “When they recite the Ramayana Kakavin…where the book is kept, worship will be performed,” Swamiji said. “There is a special ritual of lifting the sacred book, carrying it in a procession, bringing [it] to a special place, doing the bhumi puja, worshipping the ground there and consecrating the ground, then placing the book there. Then the priest will sit and recite the Ramayana.”
Ancient Shadow Plays
Swamiji also discussed the Wayang Kulit, the ancient shadow plays which tourists think are mere puppet shows.” Eight hours the master sits in one position. Before that he meditates for many hours. Eight hours he sits in one position, in one asana—asana siddhi—and people watch the story as worship —of Ramayana or Arjuna or Mahabharata or whatever— all night, they are sitting worshipfully, and that is one of the worship forms—not art forms. And it survives because it is part of the worship, because it has devotion.”
Ahamkara and Metacognition
In writing this article, I was reminded of the concept of metacognition. It is an interesting process and is sometimes described as "cognition about cognition", or "knowing about knowing." Merriam-Webster Online defines it as “awareness or analysis of one's own learning or thinking processes.” I wonder how it relates to the concept of sakshin or witness.
The writing was sometimes difficult and I know why. I had to get it right. The I, the ahamkara, the I-maker that Samkhya-yoga talks about, was front and center.
Looking back now, I can see that we rise and rise again —only when we can learn to let the floodgates that run through us, let that divine unnamable that we all are, shine as the do-er, not the sometimes robotic small self we so often identify with in name, form and substance.
Bringing the Witness to the Fore
Sakshin, the witness, can help and that sakshin comes to the fore in so many ways—-with meditative practices, in raising a child, in kneeling to a flower rather than plucking it, in seeing our own Self in the multitudinous diversity of Mother Nature, of humanity, and in the sacred seed that we truly are.
It is in selfless action that beauty and sanctity are restored to their own true station. Beauty and Sanctity ask no reward or recognition; they belong to Beyond the Beyond. There is a Buddhist chant which calls this forward:
Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate bodhi swaha!
Gone, gone, gone beyond! Gone beyond the Beyond!
The Sanctity of All Peoples
Buddhists, Hindus, Baliyagins (the indigenous pre-Buddhist, pre-Hindu Balinese), Muslims, Sikhs, Navajo, Inuit, Sioux, Christians, Jews and so many traditions we can hope to learn from—express rich values and ways of being in abundance. It is for us to stand aside and let that sanctified flow simply be.
The Sacred Dance Goes On
Diya Mahayani and Yastika have been called to the stage to let the divine do His/Her dance. When we see such a high level of art express itself, it is no longer art. It is the divine at play.This is why I still sit in awe before the Sarasvati-Laxmi-Parvati Devi who is dancing before me—and why I hear Balinese Gamelan music in my room, though that orchestra is in another realm.
The named and the unnamable are at work all around us. I bow to that One beyond the beyond.
May She rest in Her own true abode always in the Self that we all are.
Om shantih! Shantih! Shantih!
Peace! Peace! Peace!
Hari om tat sat!
Editor's Note
An example of a performance by Sacred Art Ashram Gandhi Puri can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLL1u5KV5ZY (Note: This is not a video of the performance done at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama.)
Hindu influence in Indonesia
Some years back, a friend who had gone to Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, on his return met me at Adipur in Kutch (Gujarat) and showed me a high-denomination (20,000 rupiah) currency note of that country with Lord Ganesh imprinted on it. I was as surprised, as I was impressed.
When last month a group of eminent Sindhi gentlemen came to Delhi from Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia and invited me for a World Sindhi Conference scheduled to be held at Jakarta on July 9, 10 and 11, 2010, I readily agreed. One reason was that I had never before been to that country, though I had often heard reports about the impact of Indian civilization and more particularly, the impact of epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata on that country. The Ganesh inscribed currency note was only an example.
Accompanied by my wife Kamla, daughter Pratibha, my associate for decades, Deepak Chopra and his wife Veena, I left for Indonesia on July 8 and returned on July 13 with very fond memories of the trip. Indonesia comprises 13,677 islands of which over 6000 are inhabited. Of its total population of 20.28 crores, more than 88 per cent are Muslims, and 10 per cent Christians. Its 2 per cent Hindu population is concentrated mainly in the island of Bali, the famous tourist paradise.
Brand logo of Bali
The recently adopted above new brand logo for the Island of Bali is a manifestation of country’s Hindu traditions. An Indonesian Ministry of tourism publication explains the logo as : The triangle (shape of logo) is a symbol of stability and balance. It is formed out of three straight lines in which both ends meet, taking the symbols of a blazing fire (Brahma – the creator), lingga or phallus. The triangle also represents the three Gods of the universe (Trimurti – Brahma, Wisnu, and Siwa), three stages of nature (Bhur, Bwah and Swah Loka), and three stages of Life (Born, Live, and Die). The tagline ‘Shanti, Shanti, Shanti’ represents peace upon Bhuwana alit dan agung (yourself and the world) that will deliver a sacred and holy vibe that awakens a deep aura that balance and make peace to all living creatures.
Also given below is a specimen of the Ganesh-inscribed 20,000 rupiah currency note of Bank Indonesia. As I have mentioned in this piece earlier, I had seen this some years back and had resolved then itself to procure a specimen of the note to show it to others if I happen to visit that country.
Indonesian Rupiah with Ganesh inscription
The Sindhi Conference was a great success. More than a thousand delegates drawn from 32 different countries of all five continents – America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia - attended the conclave. Most of the delegates were youngsters or middle aged whose families had gone through the sufferings of mass migration which happened in 1947.
Partition of India had dealt a terrible blow to millions on both sides of the Radcliffe Line. Hindus from Sind had not only been uprooted from their hearths and homes, but unlike Hindus of Punjab and Bengal, who had the satisfaction of saving something like half of their home states, had also been despoiled off their entire province, and forced to adopt different states of divided India as their totally new homes.
Speaking to these Sindhi delegates I felt proud that they had not only gone through the traumatic experience of partition with confidence and fortitude, but, generally speaking, they had actually prospered immensely. They had succeeded in converting a calamity into an opportunity.
Of course, there were in this gathering delegates whose forefathers had gone to the countries they represented in this conclave, long before India became independent and suffered this trauma of partition. The main organizer of this Jakarta Conference for instance, Shri Suresh Vaswani was one whose grandfather had come to Jakarta some time around 1914, that is, nearly one century back! This family had since settled down here and made this island of Java their home. When we were in Sind, this class of traders who went overseas and earned wealth for their families were colloquially known as ‘Sindhworkies’.
For a visitor to Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, situated on the north-west coast of Java, the most striking landmark right in the centre of the city is the magnificently-constructed Shri Krishna-Arjuna pair mounted on a multiple -horse-drawn chariot.
Krishna-Arjuna statue at Jakarta main square
In Indonesia, the names of places, of people, and the nomenclature of institutions also give one a clear impression of a benign Sanskrit influence.
Statue of Bheem
It certainly pleased me to gather that the official mascot of Military Intelligence in Indonesia is Hanuman. The rationale offered by a local was that it was Hanuman who had been able to trace that Sita, kidnapped by Ravana, had been kept in confinement at the Ashok Vatika.
Our family spent four days in Indonesia – two days in Jakarta and two days in Bali.
Bali is one of the bigger islands of the country. Its industries include gold and silver work, woodcarving, weaving, copra, salt and coffee. But the moment you touch the place you can see clearly that the place is swarming with tourists. With a population of around three million, Bali has a tourist traffic of around one million every year.
The capital of this island is Denpasar. Our place of stay was the picturesque Four Seasons Resort, a seaside resort not very far from the airport.
On way to the Resort I saw a gigantic stone construction not very dissimilar to the Krishna-Arjuna one I had seen in Jakarta, except that this one was bigger.
Ghatotakach statue near the Ngurah Rai International Airport
I asked the driver of my car: Whose statue is this? And you can imagine my surprise when he replied: “This is a depiction of Ghatotkach of the Mahabharata.” He added; “And the statue in the city itself showing Ghatotkach’s father Bheema waging battle with a demon is even more massive!”
In India itself, of the two epics Ramayana and Mahabharat the average citizen is familiar with most characters of the Ramayana. But the characters of Mahabharata are little known. Indeed, even in India very few would be able to identify who Ghatotkach is. And here was the driver of our car knowing full well both Ghatotkach as well as his relationship with Bheema!
Both at the Sindhi Convention in Jakarta as well as in Bali we were able to witness glimpses of scenes from the Ramayana enacted with slight variations from the traditional form as known to us in India. The performance, the presentation as also the general climate at the sites where the shows were held were all marked by befitting piety and reverence.
Indonesia, I must say, seemed to know and cherish Ramayana and Mahabharata better than we do.
L.K. Advani
New Delhi
July 17, 2010
http://blog.lkadvani.in/blog-in-english/hindu-influence-in-indonesia
Ramayana narrative links many nations of Indian Ocean Community.
The building of Ramasetu depicted on Angkor Wat sculptures. It is the greatest love story of mankind. It also symbolises the protection of dharma for Sri Rama was called Vigrahavaan dharmah in Valmiki Ramayana for protecting dharma against evil represented by the imprisonment of Sitadevi in Ashokavana. Setubandha, Ramasetu is a celebration of the victory of dharma over a-dharma.More narratives at
https://sites.google.com/site/indianoceancommunity1/bali--java--indonesia
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