TEMA DAN ESTETIKA KAKAWIN

Themes and aesthetics of kakawin

Abstract

Kakawin literature encompasses a wide range of themes, including romance, duels, rwa-bhinneda (community struggle), jaya-wijaya (glory and victory), surup-sinurupan (surup-sinurupan), harmony, asceticism, and more. All of this can be understood through a deep understanding of kakawin literature, known in Bali as mabebasan (freedom of expression). This tradition of appreciating kakawin literature is essentially a forum for literary criticism, as it involves reading, translating, reviewing, and communicating between members of the collective according to their respective abilities. This democratic, two-way communication between members fosters a shared interpretation of the noble values ​​implicit in kakawin literature. This didactic aesthetic appreciation, in an effort to preserve the life of kakawin literature, has contributed to Hindu religious activities in Bali. The widespread practice of mabebasan, as a manifestation of orality and literacy, has proven to be a powerful catalyst for the socio-religious awakening of Balinese society. From the perspective of Balinese culture and society, the mabebasan tradition is always carried out as an informal study group, which essentially has the same goal, namely to achieve a sense of peace in the heart (santa rasa) which allows one to achieve the goal of life that is jagadhita (prosperous). With the pasantian forum, the nyastra tradition has grown and developed which lives from generation to generation, playing a strategic position in the formation of the spiritual morals of the Balinese people who are inspired by Hinduism. This forum has given birth to the tradition of mlajah sambilang magending, magending sambilang mlajah 'studying while singing, singing while learning'.

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