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David · 2nd March 2019, 06:53 PM

As you are probably aware Puasaka, Rerajahan is a Hindu concept and practice which is not uniquely attached to the creation of keris. It is applied as a practice in numerous ritual situation. I believe that many of us have a limited understanding of the exact process applied to instilling isi into a "living" keris as these are secret devices of the empus of the past, but i also believe many of us are vaguely aware that such a practice may indeed be part of the creation of a keris even if we might not be aware of the name of this specific Hindu concept.

http://www.discoveryjournals.org/dis...46-150/A6.pdf?

But as far as i know Rerajahan is a Hindu practice that involves Hindu mantras, scripts and symbols. The keris is an iconic cultural artifact that spans centuries and numerous and varied cultural influences. Is it your belief that once Islam took firm root in Jawa and other parts of Indonesia that empus continued to use Hindu mantras and symbolism when bringing a keris to "life"? If not, then is the process still referred to a "Rerajahan" and was it performed my Islamic empus in the same manner and fashion as it was by Hindu empus? Or perhaps you believe that the process of creating the "living" keris died out with the advent of Islam?
You ask "What is the isi but the mantra empowered Rerajahan which resides in the keris" and then go one to state "A keris in reality is nothing but a Jimat in the form of a dagger."
I would suggest that in your first question you might be confusing the map for the territory. The things that represent the isi (mantra and sigils) are not likely to be the isi itself.
As for your last statement, i believe it might be a mistake to claim that the keris is "nothing but" any one thing. In the multi-leveled meanings that are pervasive throughout all of Indonesia the keris is a complex and multi-layered object that hold many meanings and cultural functions all at the same time.

2nd March 2019, 06:53 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,025	As you are probably aware Puasaka, Rerajahan is a Hindu concept and practice which is not uniquely attached to the creation of keris. It is applied as a practice in numerous ritual situation. I believe that many of us have a limited understanding of the exact process applied to instilling isi into a "living" keris as these are secret devices of the empus of the past, but i also believe many of us are vaguely aware that such a practice may indeed be part of the creation of a keris even if we might not be aware of the name of this specific Hindu concept. http://www.discoveryjournals.org/dis...46-150/A6.pdf? But as far as i know Rerajahan is a Hindu practice that involves Hindu mantras, scripts and symbols. The keris is an iconic cultural artifact that spans centuries and numerous and varied cultural influences. Is it your belief that once Islam took firm root in Jawa and other parts of Indonesia that empus continued to use Hindu mantras and symbolism when bringing a keris to "life"? If not, then is the process still referred to a "Rerajahan" and was it performed my Islamic empus in the same manner and fashion as it was by Hindu empus? Or perhaps you believe that the process of creating the "living" keris died out with the advent of Islam? You ask "What is the isi but the mantra empowered Rerajahan which resides in the keris" and then go one to state "A keris in reality is nothing but a Jimat in the form of a dagger." I would suggest that in your first question you might be confusing the map for the territory. The things that represent the isi (mantra and sigils) are not likely to be the isi itself. As for your last statement, i believe it might be a mistake to claim that the keris is "nothing but" any one thing. In the multi-leveled meanings that are pervasive throughout all of Indonesia the keris is a complex and multi-layered object that hold many meanings and cultural functions all at the same time.