'Sugian', a phase to reach spiritual victory

Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

It is still a week to go before Galungan, but the Balinese have begun preparations for the celebration by conducting the Sugian Jawa ritual Thursday.

The ritual aims to purify the world and strengthen the hearts of devotees to ensure a complete spiritual triumph through the Galungan celebration.

SUGIAN RITUAL: A temple priest presents offerings to the gods during
the Sugian Jawa ritual at a temple in Banjar (traditional neighborhood organization)
Taman Yangbatu in east Denpasar. (JP/I Wayan Juniartha)

Balinese Hindus carry out two Sugian processions, the Sugian Jawa and Sugian Bali, prior to the Galungan ceremony.

One of Bali's most joyous festivals, Galungan, is the celebration of the victory of dharma (virtues) over adharma (vices).

According to head of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hindu Dharma Association, I.G. N. Sudiana, Sugian Jawa is a process through which to purify the universe. It is symbolized by the cleaning of sanggah (small shrines in Balinese homes), houses and ritual paraphernalia prior to the Galungan ceremony.

"It is symbolic of purifying the bhuana agung (universe) from all human mistakes and destructive actions," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He added the Sugian Jawa ritual is conducted six days before Galungan, which falls on Jan. 23 this year.

"Tomorrow we will conduct the Sugian Bali or the Bhuana Alit (human being) purification ritual," Sudiana said.

He added the Hindu community would meditate in an effort to purify themselves and create harmony between the universe and themselves.

"This (ritual) will strengthen them to win dharma over adharma".

After carrying out the two Sugian rituals, Balinese Hindus would conduct the Panyekeban ritual Sunday, during which devotees store fruits in a closed container to ripen them. This is a symbol of the devotees' conscious efforts to control their minds in order to fight temptation.

The following day, devotees would carry out the Penyajaan ritual, during which they contemplate, meditate or fast in an effort to prepare themselves to face negative forces. Female devotees would make various traditional cakes on that day. The cakes would then be used as Galungan offerings.

"We believe that on that day there will be three negative forces from the universe that will come down to earth and seduce people into doing bad things," Sudiana said.

He added the negative powers were bhuta dungulan (arrogance), bhuta amangkurat (temptation for power) and bhuta galungan (greed).

"These three forces always try to control human beings; most of the time with disastrous results," he said.

Tuesday, Sudiana added, was the day known as Penampahan, when animals were sacrificed (particularly pigs and chickens) as a symbol of the devotees' willingness to kill various animal characters inside their bodies and minds.

Ibu Della, a housewife, said during Penampahan her family would gather in the natah (inner courtyard) of the family compound to pray for the protection of family members from the temptations of negative emotions.

"We usually gather at the natah at 6 p.m. or 12 p.m.," she said, adding she was preparing offerings for the Galungan ceremony.

"On Wednesday, or on the Galungan festival, we celebrate our triumph over the negative powers that control human beings, by either praying at the pura (temple) or sanggah," Sudiana said.

"So, Galungan is a moment of reflection, a moment to (strive to) be a better person, which we hope will be a model for others," he said.

Balinese intellectual Ketut Sumarta said Sugian was a phase in the spiritual development process, which comprised Sugian Jawa, Sugian Bali, Penyekeban, Penyajaan and Penampahan.

"We hope people will be able to improve their behaviors in their lives through this process," he said.

Unfortunately, he added, religion was almost similar to the regulations in this country; they had very good text but poor context.

"There is always a gap between the text and context," he said, adding if the text and context were parallel, criminal actions and corruption would no longer exist.

"I'm afraid Galungan will be interpreted on just the ritual level and its true meaning will never be implemented in everyday life," he said.

He added the main purpose of Galungan was to create universal harmony, starting with the family as the smallest group in the community.