Kakawin
Encyclopedia
Kakawin are long narrative poems composed in Old Javanese, also called "Kawi
", written in verse form with rhythms and metres derived from Sanskrit
literature. Poets used a formalized literary language, rather than the vernacular. Poets composed and performed the poems at the courts of central and east Java kings between the 9th and 16th centuries, and in Bali
.
Although the poems depict events and characters from Hindu
mythology, the narratives are set in the local landscapes of the islands. They are rich sources of information about courtly society in Java and Bali.
rules of prosody. A syllable which contains a long vowel is called guru (Sanskrit for "heavy"), while a syllable which contains a short one is called laghu (Sanskrit for "light"). The term guru laghu denotes the structure of a line.
For example, each line of the kakawin metre called "Śardūlawikrīd ita"consists of 19 syllables. The guru laghu of each line is as follows" ---|UU-|U-U|UU-|--U|--U| U. The notation "-" means that the syllable in question is long, while the "U" means that the syllable is short.
As an example, the opening stanza of the Kakawin Arjunawiwaha, which is in the metre Śardūlawikrīdita, is taken:
A syllable which contains a long syllable is automatically long (ā, ī, ū, ö, e, o, ai, and au) and thus guru. But on the other hand, a vowel which is followed by two consonants is also long. In addition to that the last syllable of a line may both contain a long or a short syllable. It is an anceps
.
Kawi language
Kawi is a literary and prose language on the islands of Java, Bali, and Lombok, based on Old Javanese, a language with a sizable vocabulary of Sanskrit loanwords. Kawi is the ancestor language of modern Javanese. The name "kawi" is derived from the root ku, which in Sanskrit means “poet”, and, in...
", written in verse form with rhythms and metres derived from Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
literature. Poets used a formalized literary language, rather than the vernacular. Poets composed and performed the poems at the courts of central and east Java kings between the 9th and 16th centuries, and in Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
.
Although the poems depict events and characters from 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...
mythology, the narratives are set in the local landscapes of the islands. They are rich sources of information about courtly society in Java and Bali.
Structure of a kakawin
A kakawin stanza consists of four lines. Each line has a set number of syllables per line, set in patterns of long and short syllables based on SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
rules of prosody. A syllable which contains a long vowel is called guru (Sanskrit for "heavy"), while a syllable which contains a short one is called laghu (Sanskrit for "light"). The term guru laghu denotes the structure of a line.
For example, each line of the kakawin metre called "Śardūlawikrīd ita"consists of 19 syllables. The guru laghu of each line is as follows" ---|UU-|U-U|UU-|--U|--U| U. The notation "-" means that the syllable in question is long, while the "U" means that the syllable is short.
As an example, the opening stanza of the Kakawin Arjunawiwaha, which is in the metre Śardūlawikrīdita, is taken:
- A tentative translation in English:
- The thought of the one who knows the Highest Knowledge has leapt from the emptiness.
- It is not because he wishes to fulfill his senses, as if he only wants to have the worldly things.
- The success of his virtuous and good deeds are his goals. He endeavours for the happiness the world.
- He is steadfast and just a wayangWayangWayang is a Javanese word for theatre . When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang...
screen away from the "Mover of the World".
A syllable which contains a long syllable is automatically long (ā, ī, ū, ö, e, o, ai, and au) and thus guru. But on the other hand, a vowel which is followed by two consonants is also long. In addition to that the last syllable of a line may both contain a long or a short syllable. It is an anceps
Anceps
In Greek and Latin meter, an anceps syllable is a syllable in a metrical line which can be either short or long. An anceps syllable may be called "free" or "irrational" depending on the type of meter being discussed....
.
List of notable kakawin
- Inscription of Śivagŗha, 856856Year 856 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* December 22 – Another deadly earthquake strikes Damghan, Iran, killing 200,000 people.- Europe :...
- Kakawin Ramayana ~ 870
- Kakawin Arjunawiwaha, by mpuMPU-Science, medicine, and technology:* least publishable unit, or minimum publishable unit, the smallest piece of a scientist's results that can be made into an academic paper* medical grade polyurethane, an artificial rubber like substance used in medicine...
KanwaKanwaKanva was an ancient Hindu rishi, to whom some of the hymns of the Rig Veda are ascribed. He was called a son of Ghora and one of the Angirasas...
, ~ 1030 - Kakawin Krsnayana
- Kakawin Sumanasantaka
- Kakawin Smaradhana
- Kakawin Bhomakawya
- Kakawin BharatayuddhaKakawin BharatayuddhaKakawin 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...
, by mpuMPU-Science, medicine, and technology:* least publishable unit, or minimum publishable unit, the smallest piece of a scientist's results that can be made into an academic paper* medical grade polyurethane, an artificial rubber like substance used in medicine...
Sedah and mpu Panuluh, 1157 - Kakawin HariwangsaKakawin HariwangsaKakawin Hariwangsa is an Old Javanese poem in Indian metres which tells the story of Krishna, as an Avatar of Vishnu, when he wished to marry the Goddess Rukminī, from the land of Kundina, and daughter of Lord Bhishmaka...
- Kakawin Gatotkacaśraya
- Kakawin Wrtasañcaya
- Kakawin Wṛttayana
- Kakawin Brahmandapurana
- Kakawin Kunjarakarna, by mpu "Dusun"
- Kakawin NagarakṛtâgamaNagarakretagamaThe Nagarakretagama or Nagarakrtagama, also known as Desawarnana, is an Old Javanese eulogy to Hayam Wuruk, a Javanese king and the monarch of the Majapahit Empire. It was written as a kakawin by Mpu Prapanca in 1365 . The Nagarakretagama contains detailed descriptions of the Majapahit Empire...
/Kakawin Desawarnana, by mpu Prapañca, 1365 - Kakawin Arjunawijaya, by mpu Tantular
- Kakawin SutasomaKakawin SutasomaKakawin Sutasoma is an Old Javanese poem in poetic metres . It is the source of the motto of Indonesia, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which is usually translated as Unity in Diversity, although literally it means ' in pieces, yet One'...
, by mpu Tantular - Kakawin Siwaratrikalpa/Kakawin Lubdhaka
- Kakawin Parthayajña
- Kakawin Nitiśastra
- Kakawin Nirarthaprakṛta
- Kakawin Dharmaśunya
- Kakawin Hariśraya
- Kakawin Banawa Sekar Tanakung
Further reading
- A. Teeuw, 1950, Hariwangsa, Den Haag: Martinus Nijhoff. VKI 9. (Extracts of texts, in DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
) - Petrus Josephus ZoetmulderPetrus Josephus ZoetmulderPetrus Josephus Zoetmulder S.J. was a Dutch expert in the Old Javanese language. He came from Utrecht and was associated with the Society of Jesus by 1925. He worked at Leiden University in the 1930s. His first work appeared in 1930 and he continued to write into the 1990s...
, 1974, Kalangwan. A Survey of Old Javanese Literature, The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
: Martinus Nijhoff.