Joyoboyo
Encyclopedia
Sri Mapanji Jayabaya or Jayabhaya, (Javanese
spelled: Ratu Joyoboyo) was Javanese King
of the Kediri in East Java
from AD1135 to 1157.
Ratu Jayabaya is creditied with reunification of the Kediri kingdom following a split due to the death of his predecessor Airlangga
. Ratu Jayabaya was known for his just and prosperous rule, and reputed to have been an incarnation of the Hindu
deity Vishnu
. Ratu Jayabaya epitomized the archetypal Ratu Adil
: the just king reborn in the dark age of suffering "Jaman Edan" to restore the Jaman Raharja: social justice, order, and harmony in the world, as Javanese believed in a cyclical history of alternating prosperity epochs
of (Jaman Raharja) followed an era of suffering (Jaman edan), to cycle back to an era of prosperity (Jaman Raharja).
Jabaya termed his kingdom Widarba, meaning a thousand cities in Pamenang, modern Kediri Regency. Intertwined between fact and myth are records that his father Gendrayana, was claimed to have descended be great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of the Pandavas as being son of Yudayana: the son of Parikshit: the son of Abhimanyu: the son of Arjuna from the family Pandavas.
From Jayaba's queen consort
Dewi Sara wife were born all daughters Dewi Jayaamijaya, Pramesti Dewi, Dewi Pramuni and Dewi Sasanti. Queen Dewi Jayaamijaya was married to King consort Astradarma Pramesti Yawastina king and birthed King of Anglingdarma: Malawapati.
Jayabaya abdicated in old age and sought a life of meditation as a Hindu recluse, informing a moksha he was the incarnation of Wishnu, in the village of Menang, in Pagu sub-district of Kediri Regency, until the modern era still considered a sacred pilgrimage site, according to Kejawen belief system. Sukarno
and Suharto both meditated at length in Menang to attain an air of kingly legitimacy, supernatural
abilities, Jayabaya's blessings and/or powers.
s or prophesies attributed to him, namely the Serat Jayabaya Musarar, Serat Pranitiwakya, and some debatable others. The manggala (prologue
) of the famous Kakawin Bhāratayuddha
names King Joyoboyo as the patron of the two poets, Mpu Sedah and Mpu Panuluh who were the authors of the work. Joyoboyo is also attributed as author of the Prelambang Joyoboyo, a prophetic book that played an important role in the Japanese occupation.
According to a selectively abridged set of stanza
s within a Joyoboyo prophesy (all are extremely long epic poems):
When Japan
occupied the Netherlands East Indies, in the first weeks of 1942, Indonesia
ns danced in the streets, welcoming the Japanese army as the fulfillment of the prophecy ascribed to Joyoboyo, who foretold the day when white men would one day establish their rule on Java and tyrannize the people for many years – but they would be driven out by the arrival of yellow men from the north. These yellow dwarves, Joyoboyo had predicted, would remain for one crop cycle, and after that Java would be freed from foreign domination. To most of the Javanese, Japan was a liberator: the prophecy had been fulfilled.
The Japanese freed Indonesian nationalists from Dutch
prisons and hired them as civil servants and administrators. In the waning days of 1944, however, it was clear that Japan could not win the war
. The Japanese officially granted Indonesia its independence on 9 August 1945, and the commander of Japan's Southeast Asian forces appointed future President Sukarno
as chairman of the preparatory committee for Indonesian independence. As one account of Indonesian history puts it, "With the minor exception that three crops had been harvested, Jayabaya's prophecy had been realized."
Many believe that the time for the arrival of a new Ratu Adil is near (as the prophecies put it, "when iron wagons could drive without horses and ships could sail through the sky"), and that he will come to rescue and reunite Indonesia
after an acute crisis, ushering in the dawn of a new golden age.
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
spelled: Ratu Joyoboyo) was Javanese King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
of the Kediri in East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
from AD1135 to 1157.
Ratu Jayabaya is creditied with reunification of the Kediri kingdom following a split due to the death of his predecessor Airlangga
Airlangga
Airlangga was the only raja of the Kingdom of Kahuripan, which was built out of the rubble of the Kingdom of Medang after the Srivijaya invasion...
. Ratu Jayabaya was known for his just and prosperous rule, and reputed to have been an incarnation of the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
deity Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. Ratu Jayabaya epitomized the archetypal Ratu Adil
Ratu Adil
The Ratu Adil, literally meaning Just King, is a messianic figure in Indonesian folklore. He will establish universal peace and justice in the manner of similar figures, such as King Arthur in European folklore...
: the just king reborn in the dark age of suffering "Jaman Edan" to restore the Jaman Raharja: social justice, order, and harmony in the world, as Javanese believed in a cyclical history of alternating prosperity epochs
Epoch (reference date)
In the fields of chronology and periodization, an epoch is an instance in time chosen as the origin of a particular era. The "epoch" then serves as a reference point from which time is measured...
of (Jaman Raharja) followed an era of suffering (Jaman edan), to cycle back to an era of prosperity (Jaman Raharja).
Jabaya termed his kingdom Widarba, meaning a thousand cities in Pamenang, modern Kediri Regency. Intertwined between fact and myth are records that his father Gendrayana, was claimed to have descended be great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of the Pandavas as being son of Yudayana: the son of Parikshit: the son of Abhimanyu: the son of Arjuna from the family Pandavas.
From Jayaba's queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
Dewi Sara wife were born all daughters Dewi Jayaamijaya, Pramesti Dewi, Dewi Pramuni and Dewi Sasanti. Queen Dewi Jayaamijaya was married to King consort Astradarma Pramesti Yawastina king and birthed King of Anglingdarma: Malawapati.
Jayabaya abdicated in old age and sought a life of meditation as a Hindu recluse, informing a moksha he was the incarnation of Wishnu, in the village of Menang, in Pagu sub-district of Kediri Regency, until the modern era still considered a sacred pilgrimage site, according to Kejawen belief system. Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
and Suharto both meditated at length in Menang to attain an air of kingly legitimacy, supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
abilities, Jayabaya's blessings and/or powers.
Prophecies
Ratu Jayabaya is most famous for his oracleOracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
s or prophesies attributed to him, namely the Serat Jayabaya Musarar, Serat Pranitiwakya, and some debatable others. The manggala (prologue
Prologue
A prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
) of the famous Kakawin Bhāratayuddha
Kakawin Bharatayuddha
Kakawin Bhāratayuddha is an Old Javanese poetical rendering of some books of the Mahabharata by Mpu Sedah and his brother Mpu Panuluh in Indian meters . The commencement of this work was exactly November 6, 1157. The year of the composition is given in a chronogram sanga-kuda-śuddha-candramā which...
names King Joyoboyo as the patron of the two poets, Mpu Sedah and Mpu Panuluh who were the authors of the work. Joyoboyo is also attributed as author of the Prelambang Joyoboyo, a prophetic book that played an important role in the Japanese occupation.
According to a selectively abridged set of stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
s within a Joyoboyo prophesy (all are extremely long epic poems):
"The Javanese would be ruled by whites for 3 centuries and by yellow dwarfs for the life span of a maize plant prior to the return of the Ratu Adil: whose name must contain at least one syllable of the Javanese Noto Negoro."
When Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
occupied the Netherlands East Indies, in the first weeks of 1942, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
ns danced in the streets, welcoming the Japanese army as the fulfillment of the prophecy ascribed to Joyoboyo, who foretold the day when white men would one day establish their rule on Java and tyrannize the people for many years – but they would be driven out by the arrival of yellow men from the north. These yellow dwarves, Joyoboyo had predicted, would remain for one crop cycle, and after that Java would be freed from foreign domination. To most of the Javanese, Japan was a liberator: the prophecy had been fulfilled.
The Japanese freed Indonesian nationalists from Dutch
Dutch Empire
The Dutch Empire consisted of the overseas territories controlled by the Dutch Republic and later, the modern Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century. The Dutch followed Portugal and Spain in establishing an overseas colonial empire, but based on military conquest of already-existing...
prisons and hired them as civil servants and administrators. In the waning days of 1944, however, it was clear that Japan could not win the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Japanese officially granted Indonesia its independence on 9 August 1945, and the commander of Japan's Southeast Asian forces appointed future President Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
as chairman of the preparatory committee for Indonesian independence. As one account of Indonesian history puts it, "With the minor exception that three crops had been harvested, Jayabaya's prophecy had been realized."
Many believe that the time for the arrival of a new Ratu Adil is near (as the prophecies put it, "when iron wagons could drive without horses and ships could sail through the sky"), and that he will come to rescue and reunite Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
after an acute crisis, ushering in the dawn of a new golden age.