''Śiwarātrikalpa'' (from Śiwarātri, meaning

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

's night and kalpa, meaning ritual), also known as the Kakawin Lubdhaka is an

Old Javanese Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the island ...

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

kakawin Kakawin are long narrative poems composed in Old Javanese, also called "'' Kawi''", written in verse form with rhythms and meters derived from Sanskrit literature. Poets used a formalized literary language, rather than the vernacular. Poets c ...

text written by Mpu Tanakung. The aim of this text was to spread the observance of

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri (IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ca ...

from the

Vijayanagara empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

, who had given a great impetus to the revival of Saivite Hinduism, to the Hindus of Indonesia. It is believed to have been composed about 600 years ago, between 1466 and 1478, at a point when the Saivism sect of Hinduism dominated Java. Scholars have theorized that this revivalist zeal in Java was the result of the emerging

Malacca Sultanate The Malacca Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Melaka; Jawi script: ) was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Parameswa ...

, through which Islam had been making gains in Java, and Indonesia in general. It is a

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to ...

text that describes the making of the rite of Shiva on

, celebrated by Hindus all over Indonesia, especially in Bali. The story is related to some

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

Summary

The Śiwarātrikalpa follows a hunter, named Lubhdaka who does not follow

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

. Since Lubhdaka kills animals and doesn't follow dharma, he would not be entered into heaven according to the principles of the book. During a hunt, Lubhdaka inadvertently completes the rite of Shiva on the Śiwarātrikalpa. After a life of never practicing dharma, the hunter catches a deadly disease and on his deathbed cries for the wife and children he would leave behind. Shiva sees Lubhdaka and takes pity on him, telling his servants to bring Lubhdaka to Shiva's abode. When his servants ask why, Shiva responds that in the hunter's life he completed the Rite of Shiva which is a meritorious vow in the eyes of Shiva. Yama wanting Lubhdaka's soul to enter hell sends his Ganas to take him and subdue his soul to hell. As the two armies of Shiva and Yama meet, they battle and Shiva's is victorious. Therefore Lubhdaka's soul is brought to heaven.

Effects of the Rite of Shiva and Its Current Practice

According to the Śiwarātrikalpa, the rite of Shiva not only cleanses one of their sins but also brings them good fortune and blesses their life. The rite of Shiva is still practiced today, especially in

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

References

{{reflist Kakawin