cultures moderation tips for keris lovers

[purwacarita]

I can't believe I'm the only Indonesian posting. Are you still there enjoy reading or you are afraid to disagree my dynamic posts?

[Rick]

Hi Purwacarita , thank you for explaining to me the questions I have asked of you .

As for the 'chopped liver' business it was a self deprecating joke on my part which Andrew and Mark picked up on and they had a little fun changing my avatar . Afterwards I changed it back to the original Moro kris interpretation which is supposed to express the dynamic energy inherent in the weapon .

I am not sure why our other Indonesian Members have not responded to your posts ; I certainly hope they will . I also hope that it is OK for non Indonesians to participate in this thread as well .

[nechesh]

Purwacarita, i am a little confused at this point. You began this thread with a story about a fellow Indonesian who obtained a keris that was "mahared" at Rp, 10 mil.(approx. $1000 USD). This seems to be a common practice in Indonesia as i have been on many websites from the area that SELL keris this way with the PRICE labelled as "mahar". I am aware that there are no doubt still Indonesians who may be fortunate enough to recieve a keris as pusaka from a relative, but is this truly the most COMMON way in which keris change hands TODAY in Indonesia or is it more likely to occur as it did with your friend in the story?
BTW, the use of a local currency to obtain goods is not an invention of Capitalism. Communist and Socialist countries also use currency and even so-called primitive cultures commonly found particular items (shells, beads, etc.) which served as a form of money. On a purely idealistic level i do tend to agree with you that "Capitalism is not bad, it most results positively to freedom, independence etc. Mahar culture at the other hand most results to loyalty, commitment, etc." , but in practice i am not convinced it actually works out that way. And with great respect to the long histories and cultures of the Indonesian people you are CURRENTLY living in a very Capitalistic society. People are people after all, and whether they are capable of maintaining any commitment to the spirit and nature of the keris they have obtained is probably more determined by their personal understanding of "Will" than the manner in which they obtained their keris. From where i sit it is basically impossible for me to receive a keris through mahar. I am therefore forced into using money to obtain my keris. This is not, believe me, because of any great love or appreciation for the system of Capitalism. Yet when i receive a keris i do my best to pay respect to it an try to determine the "will" of the blade, if any. If i understand you correctly it is your stance that a keris which is sold for money no longer holds any esorteric properties. If that is your belief i have personally found it to be untrue. Many bought keris still resonate strongly and i don't need psychics, dukkuns or Coggins machines to prove it to me.
I am still really interested in your definitions of the terms perdikan and gurindam. It can only be helpful to the points you are trying to make if we understand all your words.

[Rick]

Purwacarita , in rereading this thread I find that at least three people (keris enthusiasts) from your area have responded to your post .

Perhaps they have said all they wish on this subject .

Now I must ask , if your views on the nature and transferrence of keris from one person to another is not about money at all ; why then is your avatar money itself ?
I must admit to being as confused about this as you must be about my "Kris stabbing a wall" .

[Battara]

First on Rick's keris - W W! Amazing, I would love to have a puppy like that - W F!

Secondly, if you need, I am a minister and I will willingly pray/bless your keris' for you (very small fee ).

[Rick]

Originally Posted by Battara

Secondly, if you need, I am a minister and I will willingly pray/bless your keris' for you (very small fee ).

Now Battara , must I quote scripture to you .

[rasdan]

Wow!!!.. awesome man.. simply awesome.. I wont sell the pendok for $300 (not to mention the blade) if i'm the tukang. Phew.. It had been a hell of a work there..

[Tim Simmons]

Money,money,money in a rich mans world Even the spirits are graded by wealth. Very interesting. Tim

[purwacarita]

Hi nechesh. Keris is mahar-ed for some commitments and sold for some price. It is sad to still see the hypocritical of seller who sells but said mahar-s. Perdikan is old language, sancrete or palwa, I don't know, that means independence. I think it is mistakenly attributed to context tax-free to regions, which in old time, it is said that free tax region was gifted a perdikan keris as a symbol that the region is tax free. And some people today still believe that if they are gifted keris from authoritive person, like the President, it means that they don't have to pay tax again. Gurindam is non spoken message usually uses things or symbols to express it.

Hi Rick. My avatar to remind me of glow of simple metal which easily misunderstood as esoteric properties. Stabbed wall is about the same context with chopped liver.

Hi Boedhi. Nice to read your post again, though many I would disagree. I appreciate you for honesty.

Next sun.

How would you define esoteric / tuah?

Keris made by empu Gandring is said to have bad esoteric properties as it takes many victims, including the first bearer and the maker himself. By understanding that the esoteric is the conduced spirit of the bearer, and that keris is made to the spiritual intention of the maker. It is impossible that keris is so called having bad esoteric properties. Because,
- Empu Gandring would want the keris esoteric properties influenced the first bearer, Ken Arok, to kill himself.
- The esoteric property, if any (from the intention of the maker), failed to stop the ambition of Ken Arok to use any ways including cruel ones, to fulfil his ambition to become a king. If any esoteric, it would have been intentionally used to breach the skin of Tunggul Ametung who said to mastered high internal martial art, rather than to help Ken Arok to become king.

A few time a go, a TV programme, Dunia Lain, hosted by Harry Pantja showed a man who looked like casting mantra to a keris, suddenly the keris looked like become heavier, he put then the keris into a glass. The keris started to swing slowly, then more dynamicly, until the glass went down and the keris stopped swinging. Though the host did not explain if the keris was possessed by some jin, souls as the esoteric, I felt the it was meant that way. I want to disagree because,
- The bearer hand was shaking heavily when holding the keris in vertical position, but he could easily put the blade into the glass. The gravity of the soul only worked when the keris was held vertically, mana mungkin?
- The swing stopped just about the glass fallen to ground. If the soul inside really swing the keris, after the glass fell, it will slowly still swing.
Because of those, I think that what showed was not souls esoteric keris, but just keris that manipulated by practitioner who had mastered some prana energy.

And so, I devide esoteric properties as follows
- if the keris could make bearer remember his commitments, though the spirit is not yet induced and thus he will keep doing as his commitments

- if the keris is already induced by the spirit of the bearer
- if the induced keris is blessed by priest
- if the blessed keris is blessed by god

Esoteric also called yoni. You might wonder where the lingga is. Some will say,
- lingga is the soul that inhabitated the keris, just like a man, who has soul inside the spirit. It is what cause life, soul and spirit, inspite of sexual things of penis and vagina. This theory is a failure as good pertimi is used to drive away ghosts in house and give peaceful atmosphere
- lingga is the material things surrounded the keris, CE: offering, oil, etc
- lingga is the blessing by priest or god

[nechesh]

Thank you Boedhi Adhitya for your clear and concise explanations. As usual you have shed some light on a very complex subject. And thank you for the definitions as well. Your words make a lot of sense to me.
Purwacarita, it seems to me that the man making his keris cut grass for the TV cameras is more likely using slight-of-hand or some other stage magic technique than the more esorteric explanation that he has mastered some prana energy. He is most probably a chalatan, not a holy man. IMO dogs can be made to do "tricks", but keris should not.
I am curious about your use of the terms Yoni and Lingam (lingga). These are Hindu terms of Sanskrit origin with rather particular meaning. They refer specifically to the venerated symbols of the female (goddess) and male (god, specifically Siva) genitialia as it applies to the Hindu religion. From what source are you making your adaptations of these concepts to the keris? I am not saying one way or another is i believe this application is correct, but i would be interested to know what you base it on. I do find the use of the term Yoni to mean "esorteric" a bit vague.

[rasdan]

Hi Rick,

I am down right curious about the manufacturing technique of your pendok. Can u please explain how it is or how do u think it is made? Is that really pamor??

[Rick]

Hi Rasdan it is pamor , you can see the pattern on the inside of the pendok also . I was told that this was made in the traditonal way then beaten by hand at working heat into a thin sheet (there are no rolling mills in Maduran villages) . The flat sheet is then cut into a fan-like shape and hot formed over a sangklon ( a pendok mandrel ) The real skill comes in the welding of the finished product .
All in all a very labor intensive project .

[Boedhi Adhitya]

Perdikan = A free-tax land which was given by the king to his vassal/servant, not necessarilly of noble origin, mostly caused by a remarkable service that had been done by the servant. The leader of perdikan usually called "Ki Ageng", ex. Ki Ageng Pengging was a leader of The Perdikan of Pengging, near Boyolali, Central Java.
Gurindam= A form of two-couplets poem in old malays letter.

Wish would help Nechesh on understanding Mr. Purwacarita's posts

I agree with Mr Purwacarita that MOST Indonesians who seek keris, wish a "spiritual benefit" or "magical things" in keris rather than it's artistic form and beauty, while they themselves are unable to "feel" this benefit/things. Then they run to someone who, they believe, as having this capability. Thus, they are subjected to fraud. Just like inexperienced people seek for diamonds will end up in imitation ones. For those who seek ONLY spiritual or magical benefit, I would suggest them to seek true jimat/amulet/talisman like "rajah".

I personally DO NOT believe that someone, which own, for example, an old keris with udan mas pamor will become rich without doing nothing. I DO believe that he might be slightly richer if he sold his keris

Mahar would be translated as dowry in English. This would happen only when a keris has became someone's identity, just like USA with stars and stripes flag. USA would never sold their flag to other country and invented new flag as a replacement, would they? BUT, sometimes, the keris's owner just need some cash, and have to sold his "flag". Then, the "mahar" term would be used to "cover-up" his shame. Some dukuns would also use this term and connecting it to the magical properties, which will not "attach" to the keris if the keris is bought, and thus the Mahar shouldn't be bargained. Anyway, who's the one who have a heart to bargain the dowry he would give to his lovely bridge? I personally never give a damn to this term, because de facto, it is "PRICE" and "MONEY" and I DO bargain for it. I would seek keris anywhere, even from the dukuns, as long as it meets my standards, fairly priced, and not a stolen ones. Good keris not necessarily belongs to a prince or court's families. In fact, today's Jogjakarta's princes who love kerises have bought some of their kerises from commoners, and they, like other keris lovers, are in constant seek for good and fairly priced pieces. I've personally found good kerises in Beringharjo traditional market which were underpriced by the sellers. (And I've met some dukuns buying cheap kerises there also ). Only a little keris dealers would judge kerises properly, even if they handle kerises everyday for years. Why? Because they do it for money, and didn't pay attention to what they have. They would put a high price on most demanded keris. This demand, since belong to most Indonesian who didn't "understand" their own heritage, would only misleading.

Keris has became commodities in Java. "Keris hunters" will go to villages, buying kerises, spearheads, swords, drawer/cupboard, lamps, or anything else look "old" from villagers. The "keris hunters" then would go to the nearest bigger/district city and bring his "quarries" to the "wholesaler" and sell it in bulk. The "wholesaler" then sorting the keris qualities, clean it, put it in the sheaths and handles and give them the "appropriate" price (or mahar, if you like it) and then sale it to other "wholesaler" or "customers", or "dukuns", anyones who wish to buy it. If you lucky enough, you might "intercept" the "keris hunter" before he meets the "wholesaler", and pick a good keris in very low price

(Hi)story of the blade, for me personally, isn't important part and never became my consideration on selecting kerises. This story is hard to verify. In fact, the blade has told his own story, e.g. the heavily corroded blade was abandoned for years, "worn-out" blade caused by etching with minor corrosion means the blade was well maintained for generations (something that should be appreciated), a good, original sheath with Tayuman handle usually belongs to at least a middle-class, keris-literrate owner (proper shaped sheath and tayuman handle were very expensive, and judging "proper" match and shape need a lot of experiences. Good keris with good sheath and handle were, and always, a luxury). Beauty and properly executed, would be the most important point since it shows the empu's mastery on the art. Empu's mastery on the blades will never fade away, whether the blade is inherited, "mahar-ed" or "priced/bought". When the blade was made by the master empu, then, anything else would follow, wouldn't they ? It's a very simple and rational conclusion, IMHO.

Good trustworthy elders are hard to find, and they never advertise themselves. All elders I've met do not make a living from kerises, and not a dukuns / paranormal / shamans. They just keris devotees. They only discuss the art, never the story.