Gabâ or gabaa, for the people in many parts of the
ebu
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the Co ...
particularly among
Visayans
Visayans (Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group, ...
, is the concept of a non-human and non-divine, imminent
retribution. A sort of negative
karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
, it is generally seen as an evil effect on a person because of their wrongdoings or transgressions. The word has later been recycled for translating "divine retribution" or "divine fury" in the translations of the Bible to many local dialects in the Philippines. It is also translated as
nemesis
In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view.
Etymology
The n ...
. The opposite of "Gaba" is ''Grasya'', literally ''Grace'' in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
, which pertains to ''blessings from the Heavens''.
Background
The gabâ can be characterized through various Cebuano proverbs:
* It is not necessarily immediate in its effect. (''Ang gabâ dili sama sa sili nga mohalang dayon.'')
* It may come unexpectedly. (''Ang gabâ dili magsaba.'')
* It is not limited to transgressions against fellow human beings: objects considered holy can also cause gabâ, such as dropping on the ground a sacred root crop of ''ubi''. (The concept was later extended to religious icons such as bibles or rosaries). Even the least-valued object may cause it. (''Bisan ang ube makagabâ.'')
* It could happen to persons who are important to the transgressor. For example, people would say "''gigabâan''" of a womanizing father whose daughter has a child out of wedlock.
Sources
The source of gabâ is not a god or God or an absolute karmic principle, but in the spirits of nature. It must have arisen out of the
animism
Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—Animal, animals, Plant, plants, Ro ...
of pre-Spanish Cebuanos. With the coming of Christianity into the Islands, gabâ became "absorbed" in the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. In-depth examination, however, would show that it is incompatible with
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
dogma
Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
.
Applications
Gabâ and ''panghimaraot''
Gabâ is distinct from ''
panghimaraot'' (curse) whereby a transgressed person pronounces a ''maldesyon'' against the transgressor. In ''panghimaraot'', evil is asked to befall on the sinner; with gabâ,
evil
Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...
is sure to befall on the sinner, even if it is not asked. Sometimes Cebuanos blurt out threats of gabâ, "''Gabâ-an ka gyod!''", but it is not taken to mean that gabâ is being asked; it is only a reminder to the transgressor that no one is excluded from it. Sometimes sinners also ask for exclusion in pidgin Spanish: ''Puyra gabâ!'' (Fuera gabâ)
Gabâ and karma
Gabâ is not synonymous with the
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 ...
-
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
law of
karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
: gabâ is only in the negative (a punishment), unlike karma which may be good or bad. Both concepts are known to the Visayan peoples, although gabâ is considered purely indigenous, while karma was historically imported.
; Gabâ and divine retribution
Gabâ is not, strictly speaking, the same as punishment from a godhead, such as the monotheisms' God or the Greek goddess
Nemesis
In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view.
Etymology
The n ...
: gabâ does not presuppose an Ultimate Being.
Ill-doings to one's fellowmen does not alone cause Gaba but actions like wasting food, disrespecting elders, abusing animals, desecrating holy places or objects, cursing God, and destroying ''
Nuno sa Punso
A nuno sa punso ("old man of the mound"), or simply nuno ("old man" or "grandparent" "ancestor"), is a dwarf-like nature spirit ('' anito'') in Philippine mythology. It is believed to live in an anthill or termite mound, hence its name, literal ...
'' cause Gaba as well. An expression is also common among the Bisaya and Hiligaynon, ''Purya Gaba'' which is said when one walks in an eerie place, this is believed to ward off evil.
Social effects
Some sociologists believe that Gabâ is one of the causes of the complacency of Cebuanos: because of their belief in it, they prefer to be silent on abuses. It gives hope to the oppressed that someday the abuses will be paid for.
See also
*
Anito
''Anito'', also spelled ''anitu'', refers to ancestor spirits, nature spirits, and deities in the indigenous Philippine folk religions from the precolonial age to the present, although the term itself may have other meanings and associati ...
*
Karma in Buddhism
Karma (Sanskrit, also ''karman'', Pāli: ''kamma'') is a Sanskrit term that literally means "action" or "doing". In the Buddhist tradition, ''karma'' refers to action driven by intention (''cetanā'') which leads to future consequences. Those i ...
*
Philippine mythology
Philippine mythology is the body of stories and epics originating from, and part of, the indigenous Philippine folk religions, which include various ethnic faiths distinct from one another. Philippine mythology is incorporated from various ...
References
* Fernandez, Guiraldo C., "The Understanding of Gabâ and its Relation to the Doctrine of Karma", USC Graduate Journal, University of San Carlos (Cebu City), 2004. Vol XXI, No. 1, pp. 33–45. Online: http://research.usc.edu.ph/research_journals/tools/process_specific_request.jsp?table=theses&search=4
* Garcia, Lilian, "Some Observations of the Gabâ Phenomena",
Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 1976. Vol. XV, No. 1, pp. 309–410.
* Lomoljo, Luz, "Gabâ in the Christian Perspective: Suggested Themes for Religious Education", unpublished master's thesis,
University of San Carlos
The University of San Carlos, also referred to by its acronym USC or colloquially shortened to San Carlos, is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province ...
, 1994.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaba
Cebuano culture
Visayan mythology
Religion in the Philippines
Austronesian spirituality