''Śiwarātrikalpa'' (from Śiwarātri, meaning

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

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

Old Javanese Old Javanese or Kawi is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language and the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was natively spoken in the central and eastern part of Java Island, what is now Central Java, Special Region o ...

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

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 ...

text written by Mpu Tanakung. This text aimed to spread the observance of

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

from the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hinduism, Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belongi ...

, 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 (; 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, Parameswara, also known as I ...

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

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

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 Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

Summary

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

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

. 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 Ganas is an intentional community founded in 1979 in Tompkinsville, Staten Island. Ganas has non-egalitarian, tiered membership groups, and is thus a partial member at the Federation of Egalitarian Communities. The community uses a group probl ...

to take him and subdue his soul to hell. As the two armies of Shiva and Yama meet, they battle and Shiva 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 (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, 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 o ...

References

{{reflist Kakawin