What are some good sources for learning about Balinese Hinduism?
Of course you can!
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The Pagan, Buddhist, and Hindu Thread
- Thread starter JustGeorge
- Start date
What’s stopping you?
Three. And the four of those are covered by three DIRs. Hinduism and Buddhism are in the same DIR.
First, there are some informative replies on Quora that answer a question concerning differences between Indian Hinduism and Balinese Hinduism. I recommend Rami Sivan’s reply because he is an ācārya who spent time in Bali and became acquainted with their form of Hinduism. Also, I recommend Mr Jaya’s reply because he is a practitioner over there.
Second, when it comes to books, I have been reading one so far. Jãvanese-Śaivism: A Philosophical Study of Tattva Texts by Ida Bagus Putu Suamba is about Śaivism as understood and practiced in Java before the arrival of Islam. The author even systematically compares and contrasts the tradition with other traditions within Śaivism. I recommend this book because Javanese Śaivism is an important influence on Balinese Hinduism.
Third, there is a ‘Hinduism in Bali’ course available online in the form of four episodes. The woman who put it together is a Westerner who has been living in Bali for many, many years, she teaches yoga there, and she learned about Balinese Hinduism from the people there. I myself bought the course, and I’ve only watched one episode so far.
Lastly, considering that Balinese Hinduism is better known in Indonesia, many webpages about it are written in Indonesian. Thankfully, we can use online translators in order to translate them. From what I’ve seen, the Indonesian Wikipedia has more information than the English version on Balinese Hindu thought, practice, festivals, and myths. One interesting article that I want to read again is about Batara Anantaboga. There are also articles on Hindu festivals in Bali. The English article on the Wuku Calendar and the Indonesian article on the Wuku Calendar are complementary (the former calls it ‘Pawukon,’ which, from what I recall, is a booklet about the weeks on the calendar.).
When I finish all the videos from the course, I will try to post a review here.
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That Quora link isn't working.
Try it now.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Which is weird since I'm not Hindu but can post in the DIR.
When a parent DIR is selected, the member selecting the DIR has access to DIRs under that parent DIR, but under Rule 10 of the RF rules, is trusted to post only in the DIR whose religion with one identifies.
Members of the Dharmic Religions DIR may cross-post into DIRs of other religions under that parent DIR under an exception agreed to in that DIR by that DIR's members, which is why you may post in the Hinduism DIR. This is exclusive to the Dharmic Religions DIR and the Judaism DIR only.
I can't speak for Paganism, but there's no need to create any gods in Hinduism, or believe in any in Buddhism.
Namaskar, everyone. Today (Sunday, Nov. 26) is the first day of the seven-day week of Kelawu on the Wuku Calendar. Each seven-day week has a deity attached to it, and the deity of this week is Batara Sadana. He is the brother of Dewi Sri, who I posted about the previous Sunday. According to this Indonesian article, Batara Sadana is the god of vegetables, fruits, potatoes, tubers, and prosperity. His name is from the Sanskrit sādhana which means, among other things, 'wealth' and 'accomplishment.' Just as I offered incense to Dewi Sri almost every day the previous week, this week I will try to offer incense every day to her brother Dewa Sadana.
This coming Monday (Nov. 27), Pūrṇamā Kanem (the full moon day of the sixth lunar month) begins at sunrise. On full moon days of the Balinese Saka Calendar, many Hindus on the island present offerings to Candra, Ketu, and Śiva and give dakṣiṇā (donations) according to an Indonesian article that I've recently found. My plan is to pour offerings of water into the river from a new copper bottle that I had ordered online. Then, I'll go the local Buddhist temple and place some paper money on the shrine.
This coming Monday (Nov. 27), Pūrṇamā Kanem (the full moon day of the sixth lunar month) begins at sunrise. On full moon days of the Balinese Saka Calendar, many Hindus on the island present offerings to Candra, Ketu, and Śiva and give dakṣiṇā (donations) according to an Indonesian article that I've recently found. My plan is to pour offerings of water into the river from a new copper bottle that I had ordered online. Then, I'll go the local Buddhist temple and place some paper money on the shrine.
Namaskaram. Today (Sunday, Dec. 3) is the first day of the seven-day week of Dukut on the Wuku Calendar. This is the 29th saptawara (seven-day week) of the 30 saptawaras on the calendar. Each saptawara has a deity attached to it, and the deity of this one is Batara Baruna. He is the Vedic god better known as Varuṇa, who is associated with the god Mitra. His spheres are ṛta, the ocean, rivers, and the sky. His mount (vāhana) is the makara, a guardian crocodile.
This coming Tuesday (Dec. 5), the third day of the saptawara, Anggara, coincides with the fourth day of the pancawara (five-day week), Keliwon. When it is Anggara-Keliwon on the calendar, it is a special time. There are a few other times like that but with other days of the two kinds of weeks.
This coming Tuesday (Dec. 5), the third day of the saptawara, Anggara, coincides with the fourth day of the pancawara (five-day week), Keliwon. When it is Anggara-Keliwon on the calendar, it is a special time. There are a few other times like that but with other days of the two kinds of weeks.
Namaskaram. Today (Sunday, Dec. 10) is the first day of the seven-day week of Watugunung on the Wuku Calendar. This is the 30th and final saptawara (seven-day week) on the calendar. The deity attached to this saptawara is Batara Antaboga. He is a nāga (serpent deity) who resides in the saptapātālas (seven netherworlds), apparently the seventh. His name means 'Infinite Food/Prosperity.' From his meditation came a turtle called Bedawang Nala, who holds up the land, which may just be a reference to the island of Bali.
This coming Saturday (Dec. 16), the last day of the week of Watugunung, is a holiday called Hari Raya Saraswati. In Indonesian, it means 'Sarasvatī Holiday' or 'Great Day of Sarasvatī.' On that day, Hindus in Bali offer to Sarasvatī all of their books, and no books are to be read that day. Observing this holiday is a wonderful way to remind ourselves that all of the books we possess actually belong to Sarasvatī, the goddess of knowledge, science, learning, music, and arts. For this reason, Hindus try to avoid touching books with their feet. (Whenever I accidently touch a book with my foot, I reach down, touch the book with my right hand, and then touch my chest to show reverence to the book and thus to its true owner: Sarasvatī.) This coming Hari Raya Saraswati will be my first observance of the holiday. I have a very small mūrti of Sarasvatī in the Tibetan depiction that I had ordered several weeks ago for the holiday. My plan is to present all of my books before the mūrti as an offering. Some new pencils will be included as offerings. The holiday always falls on the Saturday in Watugunung.
The Sunday (Dec. 17) after Hari Raya Saraswati will be the first day of the seven-day week of Sinta, the first of the 30 seven-day weeks or saptawaras. On the Wuku Calendar, there are no months and no years. It is simply a cycle of 210 days that belong to 10 different kinds of weeks that run concurrently. The saptawaras alone have names (Watugunung and Sinta are examples). Two other important kinds of weeks are the pancawaras (five-day weeks) and triwaras (three-day weeks).
Lastly, this Tuesday (Dec. 12) will be Tilem Kanem, the new moon day of the sixth month on the Saka Calendar observed in Bali. Many Hindus on the island make offerings to Sūrya on each month's tilem. My intention is to pour an offering of water into the local river to him at sunrise that day. I have a special copper bottle for these kinds of offerings. The next day (Dec. 13) will be Suklapaksa 1 of Kapitu, the seventh month.
This coming Saturday (Dec. 16), the last day of the week of Watugunung, is a holiday called Hari Raya Saraswati. In Indonesian, it means 'Sarasvatī Holiday' or 'Great Day of Sarasvatī.' On that day, Hindus in Bali offer to Sarasvatī all of their books, and no books are to be read that day. Observing this holiday is a wonderful way to remind ourselves that all of the books we possess actually belong to Sarasvatī, the goddess of knowledge, science, learning, music, and arts. For this reason, Hindus try to avoid touching books with their feet. (Whenever I accidently touch a book with my foot, I reach down, touch the book with my right hand, and then touch my chest to show reverence to the book and thus to its true owner: Sarasvatī.) This coming Hari Raya Saraswati will be my first observance of the holiday. I have a very small mūrti of Sarasvatī in the Tibetan depiction that I had ordered several weeks ago for the holiday. My plan is to present all of my books before the mūrti as an offering. Some new pencils will be included as offerings. The holiday always falls on the Saturday in Watugunung.
The Sunday (Dec. 17) after Hari Raya Saraswati will be the first day of the seven-day week of Sinta, the first of the 30 seven-day weeks or saptawaras. On the Wuku Calendar, there are no months and no years. It is simply a cycle of 210 days that belong to 10 different kinds of weeks that run concurrently. The saptawaras alone have names (Watugunung and Sinta are examples). Two other important kinds of weeks are the pancawaras (five-day weeks) and triwaras (three-day weeks).
Lastly, this Tuesday (Dec. 12) will be Tilem Kanem, the new moon day of the sixth month on the Saka Calendar observed in Bali. Many Hindus on the island make offerings to Sūrya on each month's tilem. My intention is to pour an offering of water into the local river to him at sunrise that day. I have a special copper bottle for these kinds of offerings. The next day (Dec. 13) will be Suklapaksa 1 of Kapitu, the seventh month.
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Namaskaram. Today (Dec. 16) is Hari Raya Saraswati, the Great Day of Sarasvatī. As always, it is the last day of the 210-day cycle on the Wuku Calendar. So, the day of the seven-day week is Saniscara and the day of the five-day week is Umanis.
Tomorrow (Dec. 17) is the beginning of the cycle of 210 days. Redite is the first day of the seven-day week and Paing is the first day of the five-day week. These weeks run concurrently through the 210-day cycle. Each seven-day week has a name, and the name of the first of them is Sinta. This is the Javanese/Balinese form of Sītā, the consort of Śrī Rāmacandra. The deity attached to Wuku Sinta is Yama. Lastly, it will be a holiday called Hari Raya Banyu Pinaruh. It is a day to bathe in sacred rivers and cleanse things with consecrated water. My plan is to pour consecrated water all over myself and then sprinkle consecrated water everywhere in my apartment. I make consecrated water by holding a vessel of water and chanting the ‘Gaṅge ca Yamune’ śloka twice.
Tomorrow (Dec. 17) is the beginning of the cycle of 210 days. Redite is the first day of the seven-day week and Paing is the first day of the five-day week. These weeks run concurrently through the 210-day cycle. Each seven-day week has a name, and the name of the first of them is Sinta. This is the Javanese/Balinese form of Sītā, the consort of Śrī Rāmacandra. The deity attached to Wuku Sinta is Yama. Lastly, it will be a holiday called Hari Raya Banyu Pinaruh. It is a day to bathe in sacred rivers and cleanse things with consecrated water. My plan is to pour consecrated water all over myself and then sprinkle consecrated water everywhere in my apartment. I make consecrated water by holding a vessel of water and chanting the ‘Gaṅge ca Yamune’ śloka twice.
This is my small bronze mūrti of Sarasvatī. I had ordered it a few weeks ago on Etsy from a seller in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region. Earlier tonight, I offered her a short stack of small copies of the magazine Tattvāloka and then set her on top of it. They are on a stand. Then, one by one, I offered her six books. They are on a cushion on the floor before the mūrti. It doesn't look like much, but she appears exalted above the offerings. The energy of the little area feels auspicious. I haven't read any of the books all day. I haven't even read any books in digital or webpage format. All knowledge comes from Sarasvatī, and all books belong to her.
I've also offered four new mechanical pencils that look amazing because of their colors. The offering reminds me of something in the Chāndogya Upanishad regarding offerings. When the devas receive our offerings, they don't actually eat them, which is obvious. What they do is they look upon our offerings and they are satisfied with what they see. Today, Hari Raya Saraswati, the goddess is pleased with what she sees.
Jaya Sarasvatī Devī.
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Well, they don't usually eat them.
It does happen sometimes.
I'm so glad Saraswati was happy with what was offered.
I love that story!There are such moments, yes. The videos of Gaṇapati drinking milk come to mind.
I had a deity take an offering in my old house once. That shocked me.
Today (Sunday, Dec. 17) is a holiday called Hari Raya Banyu Pinaruh. The name can be translated as ‘Great Day of Water Knowledge,’ with banyu being Javanese for ‘water,’ and pinaruh meaning ‘knowledge.’
After having a shower, I poured consecrated water on myself thrice. Next, I walked around in my apartment and sprinkled consecrated water everywhere. The vibration of the place felt quite nice after all of the sprinkling. Then, I prepared some rice and made it yellow using turmeric. I put half of it in a plate used exclusively for worship and set it before a small mūrti of Śrī Venkaṭeśvara and offered it to him. Afterward, I received it as prasādam.
Hindus in Bali typically observe this holiday by bathing in sacred rivers and making offerings of yellow rice. You can read more about it in this Indonesian article from 2021. If you’re like me and don’t understand Indonesian, you can do what I do: use an online translator.
After having a shower, I poured consecrated water on myself thrice. Next, I walked around in my apartment and sprinkled consecrated water everywhere. The vibration of the place felt quite nice after all of the sprinkling. Then, I prepared some rice and made it yellow using turmeric. I put half of it in a plate used exclusively for worship and set it before a small mūrti of Śrī Venkaṭeśvara and offered it to him. Afterward, I received it as prasādam.
Hindus in Bali typically observe this holiday by bathing in sacred rivers and making offerings of yellow rice. You can read more about it in this Indonesian article from 2021. If you’re like me and don’t understand Indonesian, you can do what I do: use an online translator.
Namaskaram. Today (Monday, Dec. 18) is Hari Raya Soma Ribek. The name Soma Ribek means 'Full Monday.' It is always the Monday in the seven-day week of Sinta on the Wuku Calendar. As I had mentioned in a previous post, Sinta is the Javanese/Balinese form of Sītā.
According to this English/Balinese/Indonesian article, Soma Ribek is the day when Hindus in Bali don't sleep on their beds in the afternoon because Lakshmī (or Dewi Sri) resides on the beds. Further, many people place offerings to her on their beds. Also, according to this Indonesian news article, Soma Ribek is a day when offerings are made to Sang Hyang Amerta in the barn, where rice is stored. The name Sang Hyang Amerta can be translated as 'The God Immortal.' The word Amerta comes from the Sanskrit Amṛta. It might be the name of a particular deity (very likely the case due to the title Sang Hyang) or perhaps an epithet of another deity. Lastly, on this day, rice is not to be sold or beaten.
At about noon before heading off to work, I sprinkled some consecrated water on my bed and then placed on it a small standing cutout of Lakshmī and a plate of offerings for her. As you can see in the picture, they are a bag of instant brown rice with quinoa, three bags of Twinings, and a 10,000 won banknote. I get the feeling that the goddess is pleased!
According to this English/Balinese/Indonesian article, Soma Ribek is the day when Hindus in Bali don't sleep on their beds in the afternoon because Lakshmī (or Dewi Sri) resides on the beds. Further, many people place offerings to her on their beds. Also, according to this Indonesian news article, Soma Ribek is a day when offerings are made to Sang Hyang Amerta in the barn, where rice is stored. The name Sang Hyang Amerta can be translated as 'The God Immortal.' The word Amerta comes from the Sanskrit Amṛta. It might be the name of a particular deity (very likely the case due to the title Sang Hyang) or perhaps an epithet of another deity. Lastly, on this day, rice is not to be sold or beaten.
At about noon before heading off to work, I sprinkled some consecrated water on my bed and then placed on it a small standing cutout of Lakshmī and a plate of offerings for her. As you can see in the picture, they are a bag of instant brown rice with quinoa, three bags of Twinings, and a 10,000 won banknote. I get the feeling that the goddess is pleased!
It happened here, and about 2000 people offered Him milk. I didn't bother to go because I had had even more powerful personal experiences with that murthi, plus the fact I dislike crowds and hulabaloo over miracles.