Gedong Bagus Oka (October 3, 1921 – November 14, 2002) was a Hindu reformer and philosopher in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

. She was one of the foremost authorities on

Agama Hindu Dharma Balinese Hinduism ( id, Agama Hindu Dharma; Agama Tirtha; Agama Air Suci; Agama Hindu Bali) is the form of Hinduism practised by the majority of the population of Bali.McDaniel, June (2013), A Modern Hindu Monotheism: Indonesian Hindus as ‘ ...

and started the ''

Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (''Indonesian Hindu Dharma Society'') is a major reform movement and organization that assisted in the revival of Hinduism in Indonesia. It was started in 1959 by Ida Bagus Mantra and led by Gedong Bagus Oka. ...

'' movement in the 1980s. She was a recipient of the 1994

Jamnalal Bajaj Award Jamnalal Bajaj Award is an Indian award, for promoting Gandhian values, community service and social development. Established in 1978, by the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation of Bajaj Group, it is given annually in four categories, and usually presente ...

Early life

Gedong was born with the name Ni Wayan Gedong in Karangasem as the daughter of the couple I Komang Layang and Ni Komang Pupuh, a member of the village council. Unlike most females at the time, the young Gedong was given the freedom by her parents to undertake all of her wishes. She was allowed to go to school. So she went to study in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

and

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...

. At school in Yogyakarta, she had the liberty to study Christianity. Her understanding about Christianity and her birth in the Hindu tradition caused her to befriend

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

. They discussed Christian and Hindu philosophy.Ramstedt, Martin (2000
Gedong Bagoes Oka
IIAS Newsletter. The understanding about these two religions made her a follower of Hindu spirit, that is '' '' (non violence) and ''

satya ''Satya'' (Sanskrit: सत्य; IAST: ''satya)'' is a Sanskrit word loosely translated as truth, essence. A. A. Macdonell, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Asian Educational Services, , pp. 330–331 It also refers to a virtue in Indian relig ...

'' (truth).

References

External links

Bali discovery
Balinese people 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians 1921 births 2002 deaths Hindu reformers {{Hindu-bio-stub