Keris suitability according to Balinese belief/numerology

jagabuwana · 9th February 2019, 11:16 PM

I've recently started reading Eiseman's 'Sekala and Niskala' (1989), which has a short chapter dedicated to the Balinese keris.

In Balinese belief, a kerises suitability for its potential owner/wielder is determined by the relationship between the ratio of length:width, and the length or dimensions of the blade and the wielder's hand. It is the latter I am mainly interested in for this post.

Eiseman details two ways in which this is done.

1) The first method involves placing one's right thumb at the base of the blade, at the ganja, then the left is laid adjacent and as close as possible to the right thumb without overlapping or deliberately crowding, then the right thumb is picked up and placed adjacent to the left, and so on. You count how many times this occurs until you reach the end of the blade. If the last thumb doesn't quite fit, it's counted anyway. The total number of thumbwidths is divided by 7.

The remainder number corresponds to a particular meaning - most good, some bad. If the meaning of this number for you is bad, you obviously shouldn't have it. For ease of reading this initial post I will include Eiseman's table of the numbers and their meanings in an appendix in a post below this.

2) The second method is similar to the above but instead of using thumbwidths, one involves using the width of four fingers, close to the palm. At the top only some fingers will fit on the blade, and the numbers remaining on the blade determines its meaning for the wielder.

Variations

When I did method 1 with Pemangku Pande Ketut Mudra, I was instructed not to count past 7. You restart the count after hitting 7, and if the last finger doesn't fit, it is not counted. I suppose this gives you the same or very similar result.

Is anyone aware of any other variations, or have had it done differently?

Meanings

Please refer to appendix in post below. The (positive) meanings that I got given by Pemangku Ketut Mudra I think corresponds to one of the numbers and meanings in both the thumb and 4-finger method, although he used basic Bahasa Indonesia to explain them to me.

I didn't write down his words as I preferred to keep it conversational, but I'm beginning to doubt my memory which has led me to another question:

In Bali, is there unanimity regarding these numerological meanings, or do they vary? I would be interested to hear what you have experienced or know about this, and if I could be pointed to any other literature that might support Eiseman or present a different account.

9th February 2019, 11:16 PM	#1
jagabuwana Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 276	Keris suitability according to Balinese belief/numerology I've recently started reading Eiseman's 'Sekala and Niskala' (1989), which has a short chapter dedicated to the Balinese keris. In Balinese belief, a kerises suitability for its potential owner/wielder is determined by the relationship between the ratio of length:width, and the length or dimensions of the blade and the wielder's hand. It is the latter I am mainly interested in for this post. Eiseman details two ways in which this is done. 1) The first method involves placing one's right thumb at the base of the blade, at the ganja, then the left is laid adjacent and as close as possible to the right thumb without overlapping or deliberately crowding, then the right thumb is picked up and placed adjacent to the left, and so on. You count how many times this occurs until you reach the end of the blade. If the last thumb doesn't quite fit, it's counted anyway. The total number of thumbwidths is divided by 7. The remainder number corresponds to a particular meaning - most good, some bad. If the meaning of this number for you is bad, you obviously shouldn't have it. For ease of reading this initial post I will include Eiseman's table of the numbers and their meanings in an appendix in a post below this. 2) The second method is similar to the above but instead of using thumbwidths, one involves using the width of four fingers, close to the palm. At the top only some fingers will fit on the blade, and the numbers remaining on the blade determines its meaning for the wielder. Variations When I did method 1 with Pemangku Pande Ketut Mudra, I was instructed not to count past 7. You restart the count after hitting 7, and if the last finger doesn't fit, it is not counted. I suppose this gives you the same or very similar result. Is anyone aware of any other variations, or have had it done differently? Meanings Please refer to appendix in post below. The (positive) meanings that I got given by Pemangku Ketut Mudra I think corresponds to one of the numbers and meanings in both the thumb and 4-finger method, although he used basic Bahasa Indonesia to explain them to me. I didn't write down his words as I preferred to keep it conversational, but I'm beginning to doubt my memory which has led me to another question: In Bali, is there unanimity regarding these numerological meanings, or do they vary? I would be interested to hear what you have experienced or know about this, and if I could be pointed to any other literature that might support Eiseman or present a different account.