'Nyastra': a literary path of spiritual discipline

'Nyastra': a literary path of spiritual discipline

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

In Bali, literature is not only an aesthetic medium to express
personal feelings or aspirations but also a spiritual path
through which a writer can train and perfect his mind and soul in
preparation for that soundless, liberating communion with the
Divine Beauty. It is a path known as Nyastra.

"I have no desire to be a well-known writer. I have no desire
to get rich through my poems and plays," one of Bali's leading
writers, Cokorda Sawitri, stressed.

"I write because I want to give an offering to something
greater than myself, a tranquil tunnel inside my heart," she
added.

"A strange sense of melancholic fulfillment has always
engulfed my body every time I make that offering," she said.

Being born into an old royal family of Sidemen and growing up
among some of the island's most brilliant and well-versed high
priests have educated Sawitri not to treat literature as a mere
arrangement of letters and words.

"In my tradition, you have to partake in several esoteric
rituals, making offerings and abiding by certain disciplines,
such as fasting and meditation, before you are allowed to read or
compose a piece of literary work," she said.

Sacred Letters

It is a tradition that was born from the hallowed place
alphabets occupy in the Balinese Hindu's philosophy and
cosmology.

"Let's not forget that the Shakti (the active force) of Brahma
the Creator is Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge; letters in
particular. Without letters, there will be no creation
whatsoever," a Balinese scholar Sugi Lanus Kaleran noted.

Balinese Hindu scriptures clearly state that all letters are
sacred in nature. The ten magical letters or syllables of Sa, Ba,
Ta, A, I, Na, Ma, Si, Wa, Ya are said to directly represented the
most powerful deities. Moreover, the letters are believed to
reside at various parts of the human body.

The sacred communion between man and god, microcosm and
macrocosm, Sekala and Niskala, Bhuwana Alit and Bhuwana Agung,
can only be attained when a man is able to bring all these
letters to life.

A spiritually disciplined life of literary pursuit is seen as
the most appropriate way to attain that level of consciousness.
And that is what Nyastra is all about.

"You will be measured not only by your productivity or the
quality of your literary works but also, and most importantly,
the quality of your whole self. In Nyastra, your whole life; the
way you conduct your affairs, your attitude towards other
sentient beings; your moral stance and dignity must live up to
the very ideals of sastra, of literature," a poetess Mas
Ruscitadewi said.

Cok Sawitri is one of a few contemporary Balinese writers, who
still faithfully practices the discipline of Nyastra. In the
ongoing rehearsals of her play, The Plea of Dirah, she guides her
troupe through various spiritual exercises and physical
disciplines based on the Balinese Hindu's Siwa-Buddha teachings.

"Only a clean heart can be a medium for the birth of a
literary work that is able to touch people's heart," she said.

Ancient Sages

In ancient Bali, the island was blessed by the presence of
several towering figures who had shown the islanders,
particularly the ruling elites, the spiritual side of literature.

Toward the end of the 15th century, a brilliant Hindu priest
Danghyang Nirartha crossed the Bali Strait and made the
difficult, fateful journey to Gelgel, the seat of Dalem
Waturenggong, the benevolent ruler of the island.

Nirartha won the king's favor and became his trusted spiritual
advisor. In this elevated position, Nirartha was well known for
his political and religious achievements. He was responsible for
establishing the supremacy of the Siwaistic Brahmin family, which
survives until the present era, and for constructing various
major temples as the island's spiritual fortification against the
advancing Islam-based kingdoms in the neighboring island of Java.

Moreover, he was also known as an intrepid traveler and avid
writer, who was easily intoxicated by the wild beauty of Bali. He
was Bali's first travel writer, having made two long journeys
into the island's interior and along its southern coast.

Anyang Nirartha, Rasmi Sancaya, Sebun Bangkung and Edan
Lelangon are some of his most well-known collections of poems
that have not only succeeded in portraying the natural beauty of
the island, particularly its serene beaches and fragrant Pudak,
but also managed to reveal the divine love of God in each and
every creation, be it a wondrous sky or a mossy shrine.

"His works reflect the soul of a man who has fallen madly in
love with the Divine Beauty, and that's exactly the literal
meaning of Edan Lelangon. He has no other aspiration but
worshiping the Lord and the poems are his offerings," says
scholar Ketut Sumartha.

"To be able to reach that level, a writer must understand Rta
(the Law of the Universe) and Dharma (Spiritual Duty). In short,
he must travel the winding, difficult path of Nyastra," he added.

In later periods, the path was traversed by several
accomplished writers, including Ki Dauh Bale Agung, Ki Dalang
Tangsub and the heroic Queen of Klungkung, Dewa Agung Istri
Kania.

Early in the 20th century, the ideals of Nyastra shone
brightly from the island's twin suns of literature, Ida Pedanda
Made Sidemen and Anak Agung Ngurah Made Denpasar. The former was
the high priest from Sanur and the latter was the young ruler of
Denpasar, who in 1906 died a heroic death in the Puputan battle
against Dutch forces.

They were good friends who found mutual pleasure by discussing
ancient texts at the Denpasar Palace's Saraswati pavilion. Both
were visionary leaders and accomplished writers.

"Both Ida Pedanda Made and Anak Agung Ngurah Made Denpasar
spoke about using literature as a tool to carve, mold and refine
oneself, the basic tenet of Nyastra. Both showed the world that
they had stayed true to ideals of Nyastra during their life and
also in their deaths," Sumartha said.

"It is quite unfortunate that in the present day there are
many writers who can compose a beautiful poem but fail miserably
to make their life a testimony to beauty," he stressed.