'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.