Lepaslah duka karena api mengantarkan pada kesempurnaan perjalanan hidup. Kematian adalah perjalanan menuju nirwana, berkendaraan lembu putih yang diukir 3 bulan lamanya hanya untuk dilahap api, mengabu dalam beberapa detik. Lembu menjadi kendaraan menuju nirwana.
“Aneh ya agamaku, bikin berbulan-bulan hanya untuk dibakar,” kata Cok Sawitri, budayawan Bali. Siang itu ia memimpin upacara pelebon atau ngaben ayahnya, Tjokorda Gde Raka di Puri Sidemen, Karangasem, Bali. Barangkali tak banyak, untuk tidak menyebut satu-satunya, perempuan memimpin pelebon atau ngaben. Tapi siang itu, Cok melakukannya, memimpin upacara yang dihadiri ribuan orang dari berbagai desa.
Siang itu, saya masih menyaksikan gotong royong yang kadang mulai samar terdengar di Nusantara ini. “Semua yang datang itu datang dengan sukarela, tidak dibayar. Kaukira aku kuat membayar sekian ribu orang?” kata Cok dengan senyum, meski wajah duka kepergian ayahnya jelas tergambar di matanya. Dahulu upacara tradisional adalah ajang saling membantu. Di sini, di tanah para dewata, saya masih bisa menyaksikan spirit gotong royong yang pernah membangun Nusantara lama itu berkumandang.
Bahkan lebih lagi, satu nada yang tak bisa membendung air mata saya. Ketika wahana (tempat jenazah) diangkat dan dibawa ke kuburan tempat Ngaben dilaksanakan, di antara iring-iringan dan nyanyian lontar berbahasa Sansekerta, terdengar nada rebana yang mengalunkan ayat suci Al-Quran. Ya, saya mengenalinya, mengalun merdu dari sepasukan lelaki gagah berbusana hitam dan emas itu.
“Itu Tari Rudat dari suku Sasak,” kata Cok. Ia mengisahkan, leluhurnya pernah berperang dengan suku Sasak di Lombok. Perang tak pernah indah untuk ditulis, dengan alasan apapun. Hanya satu hal yang indah dari kisah berdarah ini bahwa kemudian muslim Sasak dan umat Budha Mahayana (kerap ditulis sebagai Hindu, meski alirannya banyak sekali) hidup sebagai saudara di Karangasem.
Di beberapa upacara, terjadi asimilasi kebudayaan tanpa melanggar agama masing-masing. Misalnya ketika terjadi pertalian pernikahan dengan muslim Sasak, upacara kelahiran ada lontar Hana Kidung. Isinya mengenai seribu malaikat, kisah Nabi Muhammad sampai Fatimah yang dibacakan lantas ujung lontar dimasukkan ke dalam air suci dan dipercikkan ke dada sang bayi.
Ketika Maulud Nabi, suku Sasak ini kerap menari di depan puri, menabuh rebana, dan ber-sholawat sebelum kembali ke rumahnya. Pun demikian, ketika upacara pelebon, keluarga Gde Raka mengirimkan kambing untuk diolah saudara suku Sasak karena mereka tak makan babi. Mereka pun menggelar upacara sendiri untuk mendoakan Gde Raka.
“Pada dasarnya orang Bali sangat toleran,” kata Cok ketika suara rebana itu mulai sayup dan api mulai menjilat lembu. Saya memejamkan mata, mencium harum dupa, dan mendengarkan keagungan asma Allah dilagukan. Karena doa, apapun bahasanya, mengumpulkan kebaikkan Semesta. Nusantara adalah rangkuman perbedaan itu, keindahan itu.
Klik halaman berikutnya untuk membaca dalam Bahasa Inggris. (Next page for English version).
Release the grief because fire leads to the perfection of life’s journey. Death is a journey to nirvana; driving a white ox carved for three months “only” to be burned in flames, turn into dust in just a few seconds. Ox becomes a vehicle to nirvana.
“Strange isn’t it my religion, takes months for making it only to be burned,” said Cok Sawitri, Balinese humanist. That afternoon he led pelebon or ngaben (cremation) ceremony of his father, Tjokorda Gde Raka in Puri Sidemen, Karangasem, Bali. Perhaps it’s not much, not to mention the only one, female leading pelebon or ngaben. But that afternoon, Cok did it, leading the ceremony which was attended by thousands of people from various villages.
That afternoon, I was still watching a mutual cooperation which sometimes started to faint being heard in this archipelago. “Everyone whose comes, they come voluntarily, not being paid. Do you think I can pay those thousands of people?” Cok said with a smile, even the sorrow of her face because of his father’s death clearly seen in her eyes. Formerly a traditional ceremony was an event to help each other. Here, in the land of the gods, I could still see the spirit of mutual cooperation that ever built the old Archipelago echoing.
Even more, the tone that could not hold back my tears. When the vehicle (place for the body) was lifted and taken to the cemetery where Ngaben was held, among the convoy and Sanskrit singing, the sound of tambourine was heard reciting holy verses of Al-Quran. Yes, I recognized it, playing melodic from an army of valiant men dressed in black and gold.
“That’s Rudat Dance of Sasak,” said Cok. She told that her ancestors had fought with Sasak in Lombok. War was never wonderful to be written, for any reason. Only one thing was beautiful from this bloody story that later Sasak Muslim and Mahayana Buddhist (often written as Hindu, although having many religious streams) live as brothers in Karangasem.
In some ceremonies, cultural assimilation occurred without violating their respective religions. For example when there was a marriage relation with Muslim Sasak, there was a song of Hana Kidung in the birth ceremony. It told about a thousand angels, the story of Prophet Muhammad to Fatimah that are read and then the tip of palm leaf immersed into holy water and sprinkled on the baby’s chest.
When Maulud Nabi (Prophet Muhammad’s birthday), Sasak tribe is often dancing in front of the castle, beating the tambourine, and doing sholawat before returning to their houses. Even so, when pelebon ceremony, Gde Raka’s family brought a lamb for Sasak family to cook because they do not eat pork. They also held their own ceremony to pray for Gde Raka.
“Basically the Balinese are very tolerant,” said Cok when the sound of tambourines began to faint and flames began to burn the ox. I closed my eyes, smell the incense, and listen to the majesty of Allah being chanted. Because prayer, whatever the language, collecting the good of Universe. Archipelago is an extraction of the differences, the beauty of it.