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The Gods and his functions
Dewa brahma
brahma created everything in the world from his sakti. both
are very important element in the hindu teaching, with his sakti,
brahma becomes the source, the origin of life. he created heaven,
earth, sky, and the cardinal directions as a perfect environment
for all creatures to live and procreate.dewa bhrama together
with his sakti, dewi saraswati created science and knowledge,
which is revealed and passed down through maha rsi to guide
the people in the way to truth and goodness as a way of life.
brahma as four faces, which he created to better watch nilotama
and very attractive and sumptuous dedari because he left shy
turning his head left and right following her dance for the
gods. he also has four hands, which hold tasbih ( rosary ),
cemara ( folding paper fan ), kendi ( pitcher ), and genitri
( bell ). dewa brahma travels on a sacred swan, his sacred letter
is a ( ang ) and he rules the south with the weapon gada ( club
), balinese pray to dewa brahma at pura desa.
Dewi saraswati
Symbol of awareness and clarity, goddness of knowledge, expression
and insight, she is also the creator of the alphabet. the whiteness
of her skin and gown as well as her attractiveness, beauty,
tenderness and exaltation represent the purity of spiritual
knowledge. with her four arms, she brings the purpose of caturweda
( 4 vedic principles )
•musical instrument : symbol of art and splendor
•lontar : symbol of sacred knowledge
•genitri : symbol of the everlasting of science
•red lotus : symbol of the holiness of sang hyang widhi.
The white swan symbolizes the ability to differentiate between
good and bad because only swan can separate water from mud.
balinese pray for wisdom with devotions to dewi saraswati every
6 months, on the conjunction of calendar days : saniscara, umanis
and watugunung ( see bali traditional horoscope ), with ceremonies
for holy scriptures, lontar, books and all inscriptions.
Dewa wisnu
A a form of ida sang hyang widhi wasa he has capacity to manifest
on earth in different forms as awatara. ( dewa rama, sri kresna,
budha ). he is the protector and guardian of the survival of
life in the universe, including the propagation of humans, animals
and plants. he his assisted in his task by two sakti ; dewi
laksmi who gives happiness to all creatures in the world and
dewi sri . in his four hands wisnu hold : sangka ( conch shell
), cakra ( disc shape weapon ), gada ( club ), and cintamani
( jewel ), which is used to bestow mercy upon the people who
asks through worship. garuda a giant bird of incredible strength
and courage, carries wisnu. this came to be when garuda looked
for tirta sanjiwani to free his mother, dewi nata from the bondage
of dewi kadru's snakes. in a cave mount mah meru he found the
precious liquid, he was stopped by the gods but, stronger than
they were including wisnu, he obtained tirta sanjiwani. feeling
compassion towards the gods, he peomised dewa wisnu to bid to
his will and wishes and also became his vehicle. wisnu's scared
letter is u ( ung ) and he rules the north with his cakra. balinese
pray to wisnu at pura puseh for fertility and prosperity.
Dewi sri
In wiracarita ramayan, when dewi sinta came back to ayodya from
alengka, the people doubted her purity. although trusting her
faithfulness, sang rama dewa had to let her go through mesatya
to prove that she was undefiled. as sinta burned in the flames,
rama went through moksa and his body became water, from the
ashes of sinta sprouted a new type of grass bearing many seeds
( rice ) proving rama and sinta to be both awatara : rama of
dewa wisnu and sinta od dewi sri. to this day, the people believe
that rama and sinta always live together, because rice grows
well in a padi filed flooded with water. every family has a
sanggah in their rice fields dedicated to dewi sri and it is
used to perform many different types of upacara. these are some
of the most often celebrated. upacara ngurip, to give the rice
soul before planting, upacara dewa when the rice goes to seed,
upacara cili or nini, before harvesting and mesaiban, every
day while the rice is stored in the lumbung, because it is believed
that it will always bring blessing and sustenance to the family.
Dewa siwa
Aform of ida sang hyang widhi wasa as pralina ( dissolver ),
whose purpose is to return to the source all of dewa brahma's
creations that have become obsolete and are unprotected by dewa
wisnu, completing the cycle of life. because of dewa siwa's
great power, ida sang hyang widhi wasa bestow him with three
titles and functions :
•bhatara kala : rules the time of death of all creations
unprotected by wisnu
•bhatara guru : theaches and guide the people to keep them
away from sin.
•maha dewa : head of the gods, with his strong sakti, dewi
dhurga.
his sacred letter is m ( mang ) and he rules the center with
padma anglayang (8-petal lotus ). balinese pray to dewa siwa
at pura dalem.
Dewi dhurga
A a very long time a go in suargan dewa siwa wanting to meditate,
ask dewi uma to guard their newborn son. because the baby fell
and was bleeding, uma had an unexplainable strong urge to lick
the baby's blood and eat him, until she couldn't resist the
temptation any longer and so ate the child.finding out siwa
was very upset and turned uma into a raksasa and sent her to
guard the cemeteries. dewi dhurga would return to her original
beautiful form of dewi uma only when her terrible tendencies
would dispel.
Sri kresna awatara
Ida sang hyang widhi wasa manifested in the world in his most
exalted form as sri kresna in order to save mankind from moral,
cultural, and spiritual destruction by killing raksasa maduand
bhoma ( demos ) while retrieving wijaya kusuma ( blue lotus
) flower from bhoma's hand.he also came to arjuna, hesitant
about killing his cousins ( the korawa family ), to reveal to
him his destiny to destroy evil. handsome and forever young,
his smile and the sweet sound of his flute captive the hearth
of millions of devotees. sri kresna holds dharma, good will
and virtue. the back of his left hand is adorned with om kara
( symbol of ida sang hyang widhi wasa ), as does the bracelet
of peacock feathers on his right arm. sri kresna is often pictured
with lembu ( sacred white bufallo ) and peacocks by hide side.
Ganapati
son of dewa siwa, he has the power of keep under control the
occult forces that brings disaster upon mankind. balinese hindu
prays to ganapati also know as ganeca, for well being and safegueard.
ganapati has large belly symbol of the ability to self- discipline.
he hold's kapak ( axe ), to clear away stupidity and darkness,
and genitri, symbol of purity.in constant respect for siwa,
ganapati advises mankind to always be devoted to the supreme
being : ida sang hyang widhi wasa. in bali there is a ceremony
called rsigana performed with the purpose of obtaining the protection
of ganapati against calamity and hindrance.
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