roma u-2010 jurnal internasional

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AbstrakPenelitian ini membahas hubungan antara wayang dan proses penyebaran Islam. Wayang

adalah fenomena budaya Jawa yang digunakan oleh para wali pada sekitar abad ke-15 danke-16 sebagai media dakwah Islam. Tulisan ini fokus pada Serat Erang-Erang Nata Pandawayang mengulas tentang karakter Pandawa dalam hubungannya dengan Islam.

Keywords: Wayang, Serat Erang-Erang, Javanese, Wali

A. IntroductionIt has been an interesting stance to discuss the relationship between religion

and community in terms of the variety of possibilities of some unique emergences inthe process. While people regards religious realms a total guidance that relates the

THE WAYANG AND THE ISLAMICENCOUNTER IN JAVA

Roma UlinnuhaA Lecture in Faculty of Ushuluddin, Study of Religion and Islamic Thoughts,

UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. Email: [email protected]

مستخلص )Wayang(–

) .(

.) -Serat Erang-Erang Nata Pandawa(

( ).

mailto:[email protected]

26 Millah Vol. X, No. 1, Agustus 2010

weakness of human being to the powerful—the Covenant, Javanese people, viewsreligion providing a set of beliefs, symbols and rituals which have been faced arigorous encounter along with the development of communities in the past, in thepresent and in the future. The dawn of Islam in Java shared the experience of thisrelationship, found in why and how the wali used the wayang in supporting theirreligious types of activities under the authority of the Court of Demak.

The research discusses the relationship between the wayang and the role ofwali ‘Saint’ in spreading Islam under the patron of the Court of Demak from thefifteenth to the sixteenth centuries. There have been some research conducted onthe same field, but this aims at discussing the wayang as the phenomena of culturalheritage of the Javanese descendents and inhabitants, while the wali ‘Saint’ is framedas the element of religious representation in Java at the time.

The writer did not discuss the whole aspect of the wayang, but it emphasizesthe way the wali formulates the wayang in a certain elements such as characters ofPandawa. The wali relates the five characters of Pandawa to the teaching of Islambecomes the fact of the history however as far as I know there had not been adiscussion of these elements conducted in relation to a certain cultural theoreticalframework. To support the thesis, the writer discusses the manuscript of “SeratErang-Erang Nata Pandawa” as a document supporting the use of symbolism ofPandawa into the teachings of Islam.

Doing the transformation by using the wayang, the wali utilized this excellentJavanese representation as a medium encountering their mission. The phenomenawould give a notion that studying religion could not be separated from the habitus—religion, social, economic, and political aspect of society. The relationship betweenthe two entities—religion and culture, would lead to the emergence of a widerimplication of the notion in Indonesia Islam particularly in Java.

This research uses library research using the historical and cultural perspective.The data gathered would be analyzed to discuss the relation between the the wayangand the wali found in the instance of the Pandawa under the patron of DemakCourt in the 15th – 16th centuries Java. It is beneficial to discuss the wayang as aJavanese media serving as a mediation found in the wali’s initiative to mingle it withthe aspects of Islam. This essay has concentrated on the reflection of the Pandawa in“Serat Erang-Erang Nata Pandawa” serves as an evidence of the struggle of thecharacters in the journey of their life. The writer uses the elaboration of the Pandawafound in the reflection of the “Serat Erang-Erang Nata Pandawa” document to the

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inquiry the wali uses the pandawa as the symbolism of the five pillars of Islam in thewayang performance.

B. The Oretical ReviewSymbol, as Geertz argues, is sometimes an aspect of reality, sometimes of its

representation. Asad signified it stating that Geertz elaborates symbol producingtwo kinds of dispositions, moods and motivation.1 The Javanese takes the wayang (ashadow puppet theatre) as one of their significant symbols in fulfilling the need ofspiritual inquiries. Some may even regard the existence of the wayang as a realencounter between human and the transcendent handed down over generation bytheir ancestors.

Basically, communities bear inherently system of belief covering human’s ideasand thoughts. It constitutes human conception on God, the spiritual beings(cosmology), the making of nature and universe (cosmogony), on the presence andcharacteristic of spiritual power, ancestors’ spirits, natural power, and other spiritualmatters. Koentjaraningrat states that in common ground the system of belief couldbe found in a form of sacred literature, either oral or written. The sacred literatureincludes doctrinal aspect, its philosophy, sacred stories, and mythology in a formof a prose or poetry. It depicts much the life of God or Goddess, spirit, and otherspiritual beings.2

The wayang performance is one of the Javanese cultures that represented thebelief of the society. The teaching of wisdom, the relation with the spiritual existenceoutside the humans as well as an instrument of eradiating the evil spirit found in thepresence of the wayang performance. The belief system, as Tylor argues that it dealswith the human‘s conception on spirit after death. Likewise, Preusz adds thesignificance of rites and ceremony in the realm of the system. In doing these elements,human beings considers that they could either materially or spiritually fulfill theirboth needs and life’s goal.3 In the other side, the rites serve as a social functionintensifying the solidarity aspect of the society. Durkheim states the fundamentalaspect in the society is the need to intensify its collective awareness done by_______________________

1 Talal Asad, Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity and Islam(Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993), p. 33.

2 Koentjaraningrat, Sejarah Teori Antropologi (Jakarta: UI Press, 1987), p. 81.3 Ibid., p. 69.

The Wayang and The Islamic Encounter


conducting sacred rites.4

The performance of the wayang describes the rites and the ceremony in thesystem of belief in Javanese realm. The wali utilizes the wayang as an instrument ofrecalling the awareness of the social unity in the Javanese mindset. This explains theinquiry why the wali used the wayang as a medium in delivering their mission. Theprocess would bring the notion of the mission’s offer without any firm exposure ormental force since it serves the performance of the wayang as its social function.

To the issue of the spiritual being, Kruyt argues that human beings also considerthe spiritual things outside their existence. It underlines the notion that if the spiritualbeings are neglected, they would get angry with people surroundings. This beliefsystem is called spiritism. Similarly, R.Otto also theorizes that all system of beliefsinclude a spiritual concept (mysterium), which is regarded as the super-huge(tremendum) and sacred (sacer) by human beings. In a concise word, it could not bedepicted in human language since it could not be accomplished by human grasp ofthoughts. It would reveal the adoration attitude and attract human beings’ attention.5

Furthermore, symbolization is viewed as an unconscious or at least asemiconscious process through which new information is integrated into the conceptualapparatus. Sperber’s theory leads to the elaboration on myth, ritual, social interaction,and other aspect of daily life. As Lehman points out, symbol shares a connectionbetween its inherent or literal meaning and what it stands for or its symbolic meaning.Turner also states that a symbol may have more than one meaning, and it should beapplied meticulously in a particular situation in a certain society.6

The wayang therefore serves as a cultural performance that represents the rites,the belief, and the philosophy of the Javenese. The symbol of the wayang may relatethe intention of the dhalang (the performer) to the designated meaning in a particularmoment in the Java.

C. The Dawn Of Islam And Circumstances In Java In The 15th And16th CenturyThe coming of Islam was in a coincidence to the shifted power of Kingdoms—

the increase of Malacca and the rise of Demak. Demak, therefore, linked its authority_______________________

4 Koentjaraningrat, Sejarah Teori Antropologi..., p. 97.5 Ibid., pp. 64-66.6 Mark R. Woodward, Islam in Java: Normative Piety and Mysticism in the Sultanate of Yogyakarta

(Tucson: the University of Arizona Press, 1989), pp. 43-44.

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to the shifted belief of society—the fall of Hindu-Buddha influence and the rise ofIslam. Islam became the predominant religion of maritime Southeast Asia exceptfor most of the Philippines. In Java, Islamization was not fast at first because ittends to see the presence of strong Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms. Their decline in thefifteenth century stimulated the expansion of Islam.7

It is quite clear that the spirit of age at the time is the vast range of possibilityof the people interacted with multi dimensional cultural basis. Javanese—particularlyin the coastal region, even more experienced the rich relationship. Traders, workersand sailormen coming from various places of origin may interrelate for the aim ofcommerce, fortune and exploration.

It is significant to note that Demak is considered as the successor of theprevious Majapahit authority and the first Sultan of Demak, Raden Patah, is depictedas the son of the Majapahit’s last king by a Chinese princess. The fall of Majapahitis conventionally placed at the end of the fourteenth century.8 Raden Patah, then,tried to open the madrasah (an Islamic school) and Pesantren (an Islamic boardingschool) in Glagah Wangi well-known as Bintoro. Demak soon became the capitalof the Palace. As the center of people activities, the Masjid Agung was built in 1Dzulqoidah 1428 H.9

This transition, I think, fertilized the land of Java with miscellaneous intersects.The Javanese beliefs mingled with the coming influence of Islamic values. Theshifted power from Majapahit to Demak itself signaled the center of influencefrom Hindu-Buddhist entity to the Islam nuance. The background would blend thetype of society in Java from cultural, societal and religious frameworks.

The coming of Islam in Java did not face rejection from Javanese custom andtradition. It is the method of the teaching which suits the local tradition. Thespreading of Islam needs a support from the authority (the Sultanate) as at thesame time the authorities also need Islam entity to support the power. The strengthof Islam is immense in the rising of Demak and the fall of Majapahit influence.10

The relational aspect between authority and the religious entity would lead the_______________________

7 Nicholas Tarling, Religion and Popular Beliefs in The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Vol. I(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, tt), p. 330.

8 M.C. Riklefs, A History of Modern Indonesia since c. 1200, third Edition (California: StanfordUniversity Press, 2001), p. 41.

9 Solichin Salam, Sekitar Walisanga (Kudus: Menara Kudus, 1960), p. 19.10 Samidi Khalim, Islam dan Spiritualitas Jawa (Semarang: Rasail, 2008), p. ix.



alternative strategies in dealing with how to meet the two different elements.

D. The Allegory Of The Wayang Under The Court Of DemakArguing on myth and the performance, Laurie J. Sears states that the exploration

of Javanese Ramayana and Mahabharata traditions begins from the premise thatmyth, history, and story live on in cultures in complex ways. Definitions of mythidentify it with fable and universal experience; mythic as an adjective implies charactersand tales that appear larger than life. All these meanings converge in Javanese shadowtheatre traditions and the stories people tell about them.11

Sears continues to say that certainly the Mahabharata tales that form the majorrepertoire of the Central Javanese shadow theatre are myth in the sense of fable. Thestories tell the exploits of heroes and heroines—the battle fought, the maidens won,the heroes fallen. Because shadow performances are patron-sponsored, puppeteersshape performances to fit the tastes of those who sponsor them. But these stories ofJava serve many purposes as they move between story and myth and between mythand history.12

In this sense, the wayang is used by the authority of the Court of Demak as ameans of communication and mission. The way the wali delivered the performancein spreading the teaching of Islam was supported by the Court of Demak. Shadowperformance then play stories and attribute serve as allegories rather than myth ortradition because allegory became a necessary strategy for historical survival in thesociety.13

The term wayang could be derived from Javanese word meaning the people’simitation made of a skin, a paper or a wood gathered to perform a story.Ismunandar states that Javanese resembles their ancestors as the wayangcharacters in a form of wayang kulit in the era of Hindhuism process ofdevelopment.14 Sunan Giri and Pangeran Trenggono (the Sultan of Demak) madewayang size into a smaller scaler, while all characters were completed with thegold type of fashion in 1477. The performance is a media—whether it is held_______________________

11 Laurie J. Sears. Shadows of Empire: Colonial Discourse and Javanese Tales (London: Duke UniversityPress, 1996), p. 17.

12 Ibid., p. 18.13 Laurie J. Sears. Shadows of Empire:..., p. 12.14 R.M. Ismunandar, Wayang: Asal Usul dan Jenisnya (Semarang: Dahara, 1994), p. 9-12.

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in the court or outside it—to attract people gathering in a particular location atthe time. This strategic media is vital since it would also becomes the rope inwhich ties the communal type of society. Javanese, I believe, utilizes this notonly as mere elements of culture, but also as an instrument to recall peopleawareness on being Javanese.

The development of the wayang in Javanese land even started earlier at thebeginning of 12th century when King Purwawisesa from Jenggala, oversized the wayangkulit in a lontar basis. The King was a dalang–the one who performs or leads thestory telling—himself, conducted the state of the arts in line with ‘gamelan’. Thehabit of ‘mendalang’ then spread over the member of the palace. The wayang kulitactually has been found in Java since the seventh century, taking its role in thehigher strata of society at the time.

As mentioned earlier, prior to the 16th century, Javanese land was occupied byMajapahit Hindhu. Islam has found giving a deep influence to Demak’s circumstancesalthough it was a region as a part of Majapahit. Rahardjo states that there weresome pious figures spreading the teaching of Islam in Java called the wali15. In BabadTanah Jawi, the names of the walis are known: Sunan Ngampel-Denta, Sunan Kudus,Sunan Murya, Sunan Bonang, Sunan Giri, Sunan Kalijaga, Sunan Siti Jenar, SunanGunungjati, and Sunan Walilanang. Riklefs points out that the word wali is Arabicmeaning ‘saint’, bur the title sunan is from Javanese probably similar to suhunmeaning ‘to do honour to’.16 Javanese tradition attributes the Islamization of Javato nine preachers (wali-sanga).17 The religious teaching of Islam was being transformedthrough the acts of mission by the wali. The Javanese still and always links thecontribution of the wali introducing the Islam.

In relation to the mission of the teaching of Islam, Sunan Kalijaga was famousin performing the wayang. Ismunandar (1994) argues that the wayang has been usedwidely by the wali spreading their teaching of Islam.18 His background was not farfrom Majapahit power. He is the son of Tumenggung Wilatikta having a name

_______________________

15 Supratikno Rahardjo, Kota Demak Sebagai Bandar Dagang di Jalur Sutra (Jakarta: DwiJaya Karya,1994), pp. 18-19.

16 M.C. Riklefs, A History of Modern Indonesia since c. 1200, third Edition (California: StanfordUniversity Press, 2001), p. 12.

17 Nicholas Tarling, Religion and Popular Beliefs in The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Vol. I(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,____), p. 331.

18 R.M. Ismunandar, Wayang: Asal Usul dan Jenisnya (Semarang: Dahara, 1994), p. 96.



Raden Sahid married to a sister of Sunan Gunungjati.19 Likewise, Haryanto statesthat the development of wayang kulit shared a correlation to the development of theteaching of Islam held by Sunan Kalijaga.20 The massive introduction of a totallynew performance of the wayang is an evidence of the activity Sunan Kalijaga conductedthat needed to be considered in the face of the barrier of the culture.

There is a tendency to compromise Islam and the previous belief –Buddhism orHindhuism in a form of cultural apparatus such as the wayang with its plots basedon the great Indian epics adapted to Javanese tradition. The characters are representedby flat leather puppets, elaborately carved and painted, ‘which are brought to life’ bya puppeteer (dalang), who moves the puppets and makes them talk. The Muslimprohibition against the representation of the living beings is avoided by giving thepuppets a very peculiar shape.21 This mode of negotiation happens between the previouscultures of Hindu-Buddhist, the Javanese values, and the Islamic influence.

The coming of Islam in Java did not face rejection from Javanese custom andtradition. It is the method of the teaching which suits the local tradition. The spreadingof Islam needs a support from the authority (the Sultanate) as at the same time theauthorities also need Islam entity to support the power. The strength of Islam isimmense in the rising of Demak and the fall of Majapahit influence.22 The relationalaspect between authority and the religious entity would lead the alternative strategiesin dealing with how to meet the two different elements.

E. The Pandawa Instance and Five Pillars of Islam: a Reflection inSerat Erang-Erang Nata PandawaThe limitations of this study are clear: it needs a further study in terms of

digging the Javanese manuscripts comprehensively to support the thesis. I wouldlike to point out that unfortunately I am unable to determine from the data thefurther information on the precise time when the Serat Erang-Erang nata Pandawawas written. Notwithstanding its limitations, this study does suggest the significantrelationship between the development of religion, the artifact of culture and the_______________________

19 Ageng Pangestu Rama, Kebudayaan Jawa: Ragam Kebudayaan Kehidupan Kraton dan Masyarakat(Yogyakarta: Cahaya Ningrat, 2007), pp. 126-127.

20 S. Haryanto, Bayang-Bayang Adiluhung, (Semarang: Dahara, 1995), p. 195.21 Nicholas Tarling, Religion and Popular Beliefs..., p. 333.22 Samidi Khalim, Islam dan Spiritualitas Jawa, (Semarang: Rasail, 2008), p. ix.

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history of Javanese society.As Sears states that because the stories can be used to comment on the

vicissitudes of daily life, and this commentary changes with each telling, it becomesincreasingly difficult to fix the ‘meaning’ of any story. Each story has the potentialto be renewed in each telling, and each new telling leaves its traces on the storytold. The persistent ability of stories both to charge and change past and presentmarks the constitution and celebration of these stories as allegories. But the powerof allegory lies in its very ambiguity: “Thus in allegory the ambivalence occursbetween the power to lend the meaning to things on the one hand, and the inabilityto fix this meaning essentially on the other. 23

The wayang under the Court of Demak reign had been used to indicate theshadow performances often appear as allegories. The use of Javanese Mahabharatatales as a metalanguage for politics, court mission, and entertaining repartee ismanifest.

In the Javanese realm, the Javanese people have a tendency to share theiropenness and tolerance to the other entity. Harsya W. Bachtiar states that the Javanesetolerance reflects the view that all religions teach the morality to the people whoaffirm it.24 This could be traced in the wayang as one of significant Javanese culturalaspect, although it is derived from Hindhuism legacy of culture.25 According toBastomi (1993), the essence of Javanese culture is formulated in a word—the wayang,as if it were an axiom a particularly to Javanese observer. Understanding and studyingit is the ultimate condition or condition sine qua non in conducting a study of theculture of Java.26 The wayang is seen proportionally as intersects of culture dispersion–the Indian, the archipelago and the act of the Javanese in the history of its appearance.The change is manifest since it gives its fullest essence of the on-going process ofthe development.

Since Javanese generally gets interested in appreciating the wayang, the waliused it supporting the teaching of Islam in relatively different areas of coverage.27

It is in the wayang, models of life and human characters could be understood. This_______________________

23 Laurie J. Sears., Shadows of Empire: Colonial Discourse and Javanese Tales (London: Duke UniversityPress, 1996), p. 11.

24 Harsja W Bachtiar, The Religion of Java: Sebuah Komentar (Jakarta: Pustaka Jaya, 1981), p. 529.25 R.M. Ismunandar, Wayang: Asal Usul dan Jenisnya (Semarang: Dahara, 1994), p. 96.26 Suwaji Bastomi, Nilai-Nilai Seni Pawayangan (Semarang: Dahara, 1993), p. 1.27 Purwadi, Babad Tanah Jawi (Yogyakarta: Alif, 2001), p. 28.



is done without having a force tension.28 From this perspective, I draw a significantmotive in which the the wali applying the wayang as the media of the teaching.

This correlates to the spiritism of the Javanese to realize the otherness. Theyassume that the performance of the wayang could serve as a system of unconsciousnessfulfilling both material and spiritual needs. The situation in Java at the dawn ofIslam around the 15th to the 16th centuries coincides with the strategy of missiongathered by the the wali called Walisanga.

The wali introductory approach in teaching Islam to Javanese community shouldbe conducted in such a way so that the ritual of Java is still present without neglectingthe foundation of Islamic elements of teaching. This, Sujamto states as the indicationof aspect of plurality in Javanese fashion, becomes one of the medium of theteaching.29 One of the walis serves as a native Javanese is Sunan Kalijaga.

Seeing the Javanese circa 15th and 16th centuries was in the typical situation, Iam of the opinion that it is a significant role of Sunan Kalijaga both representingtwo entities—a man of religion and a man of culture. The walisanga assigned himspreading the teaching of Islam through the wayang. Fortunately, the young Sunanlearnt the rope to a physical defence, literature and gamelan. It was so since he waswell-educated in Wilatikta authority in Tuban. 30

In the wayang realm, the Pandawa is a representative of good side of charactersin contrast to the Kurawa. It symbolizes the virtues of human existence. Usingthese pointers, Sunan Kalijaga started to introduce the five pillars of Islam into theminds of Javanese. This signifies the Javanese openness to other entity. Becausethe case is essential in Javanese zeitgeist, he resembles the five characters of thePandawa into those five elements of Islam. The oldest character of The Pandawa isPuntadewa that symbolizes Syahadat or ‘Confession; witness’; Bima represents Shalator ‘an obligatory praying’; Arjuna is as Zakat or ‘alms’; Nakulo and Sadewo resembleRamadhan ‘Fasting’ and ‘Pilgrimage to Mecca’.31

The allegorical way carried out by the Sunan is actually based on the mysticalmindset. The former Majapahit has used to implement for a long time the mysticalbelief in the line of Hindu and Buddha teachings. The evidence is the application_______________________

28 Frans Magnis Suseno, Wayang dan Panggilan Manusia (Jakarta: Gramedia, 1995), pp. 4-5.29 Sujamto, Reorientasi dan Revitalisasi: Pandangan Hidup Jawa (Semarang: Dahara, 1992), pp.

16-17.30 R.M. Ismunandar, Wayang: Asal Usul dan Jenisnya (Semarang: Dahara, 1994), p. 97.31 Ibid., p. 98.

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of the title of ‘Sang Maharaja Syiwa Budha’. This consciousness spreads out tightlyin the Javanese domain to seek pathways in the road of the two religious teachings.Their behavior and norms are seen under the paradigm of the Pandita and Bhiksu.The ultimate being of the belief is the ‘Sang Hyang Widhi’ which becomes thebasic idea of the Javanese mysticism.

The relation between the characters and the teaching of Islam is also a part ofMajapahit grand design in the continuous era. The strategy of the Sunan under thepatron of the Demak Court is the instance of transformation in the Javanese realm,since the Javanese society has been settled down in the era. Islam—coming as a newentity to the Javanese, needs to be approached in terms of the situational mode toresponse the built-in consciousness found in the previous legacy—the Majapahit’sHindu and Buddha.

This type of approach is strategic to the teaching, since it would easily be absorbedby the Javanese society at the time. The symbolization of the Pandawa to the fivepillars of Islam is believed vastly happened in the dawn of Islam in Java at the time,Sunan Kalijaga’s formula recalls the memory of Javanese awareness. Using thewayang, I argue that Sunan Kalijaga utilizes it as a supporting aspect in the Javaneseplay performance. The wayang serves as a social function to deliver solidarity amongstsociety. It underlines the wali’s introductory approach in teaching Islam to Javanesecommunity that keep it in a balance of the ritual of Java and the foundation ofIslamic elements of teaching.

The allegory of the Pandawa’s character to the five pillars of Islam is interestingsince it is easily accepted among the Javanese people. The first character is the oldestPandawa named Puntadewa or Samiaji. It becomes the allegory of the Syahadah orconfession, the first teaching of Islam. As the oldest, he leads and directs his youngerbrothers in the wisdom of life that is similar to why the first teaching here serves acentral issue in the life of Muslim. Without having commitment to Syahadah orconfession, the acts of Muslim would be useless. Puntadewa has a heirloom called jimatKalimasada which is beneficial to keep him alive. As long as he holds the heirloom, itis impossible for him to die.

Jimat Kalimasada is identical with the word ‘kalimah syahadat’ which acts as thefirst and the most significant aspect of the Islamic point. Applying the syahadah andthe heirloom of Kalimasada in his performance, Sunan Kalijaga actually attracts theattention of the society and at the same time he recalls the memory of society to itsawareness of the wayang culture. The strategic position of the wayang in Javanese culture



becomes manifest in the practice of the performance.32

Using symbolization is also a way in which the present culture of the time didnot directly confronted with the new teaching of Islam. Likewise, the mediation isfound in Majapahit era when two different entities—Hindu and Buddha—aremingled in the Court of the time. Hitherto the model inspires the religious entitiesan alternative approach in delivering mission to almost any religious backgrounds.

The second character of Pandawa is Bima or Werkudara. Bima is the characterwhich could not be separated from his standing act. He could only stand whateveracts are carried out, thus he could not sit down. This is the phrase in which thecharacter symbolizes to the second teaching of Islam—the Shalat or praying. It istrue for every Muslim that obligatory praying is one of the most significant teachingsin the belief since there is a Prophet Muhammad’s tradition stated that “For thosewho conducting the Shalat is the Muslim who strengthen the Islamic religion, butthose who are not would be considered as the one who destroys Islamic construction”.Bima also uses the common level of Javanese language or ‘Ngoko’ to address anycharacters from the God, the priest to the average characters. In the other word, hespeaks single level of language to the other characters regardless their backgrounds,positions and authorities. To shalat teaching, the act is also has one level of languagewhoever the person is. 33 This tendency of the culture and religion relationship maylead us to the significance of moderation in the teaching of religion. Once the societyunderstands it, it is quite possible developing the essence of religion.

Without being in a symbolism framework, the teaching of shalat is an impossibleexposure among the Javanese. It is through Bima that the representation of shalatcould be attached deeply so that it is quite familiar for the Javanese people to acceptit. The symbol type of approach serves a smooth way abridging the diversity.

The third teaching of Islam is Zakat or alms. The character of Arjuna isrepresented to this act of delivering goods to others. It is Arjuna who consciouslybehaves in such a humble traits so that his action or speech does not hurt anybodyelse. His positive character is shown in the way Muslim should share their belongings.The property is not the mere right of the individual but it is also inherent in it theindividual obligation sharing it to the others. The zakat is allegorized to Arjuna sothat the teaching of Islam is safely delivered without neglecting the presence of_______________________

32 Ibid., p. 99.33 Ibid., pp.99-100

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cultural aspect.34

The last two characters of Pandawa is Nakula and Sadewa. The idea why thesecharacters resembles the teaching of obligatory fasting and Haji or Pilgrimage arethat the presence of the two in the wayang performance. It is essential that thepresence of the two in the story is frequently rare in comparison to the othercharacters.35

To the allegorical view of the Ramadhan fasting and the Haji or Pilgrimage, thetwo points of Islam is not carried out in everyday’s matter. Ramadhan fasting isdone once a year in giving a chance of Muslim to a resolution. After months ofordinary life, it is in Ramadhan that one could take a look back to the monthsbefore. While Haji is obligatory for those who could afford it, there is no exposurefor those who could not. The application of Ramadhan and Haji in the teaching ofIslam did not force directly the Javanese rather it is conducted in introducing thegood deeds of Islam.

Eventually, the instance of –the Pandawa, serve a significant mode of thinkingin the Javanese awareness. The wali attributes it as an allegorical part of the wayangperformance to meet the both end—the religious and cultural entities. In generalsense, I underline this type of approach could be utilized by any religiousrepresentations dealing with the cultural entity.

Those representations are pivotal seen in the reflection of “Serat Erang-ErangNata Pandawa” that depicts the struggle of the five characters in Pandawa in carryingout the dharma. The five characters bear the witness of supporting each other in themoments of joys and sorrows in the world and the here-after.

In the initial part of the Serat, the writer takes the first and the fourth ofAsmaradana representing the manifestation of the struggle and the unity ofPandawa.36

1. Makrityaasmara makingkin,Marna reh nata Pandhawa,Ri sedheng murweng wiraos,Amusara in pirembag,

_______________________

34 Ibid., pp.100-10135 Ibid., pp.101-10236 Moelyono Sastonaryatmo, Serat Erang-Erang Nata Pandawa, trans. (Jakarta: Proyek penerbitan

Buku Sastra Indonesia dan Daerah), p. 219.



Wedharing kira-kira,Aprasetya ari catur,Tan pisah sabaya pejah

4. Metyaken sukaning galih,Saesthining kang wardaya,Pinatah in papatute,Samya memuhung remaksa,Ing kadangira tuwa,Turing ka jumeneng ratu,Den tetep salajunira

The first part of Asmarada indicates the sorrow of the five Pandhawa “..marnareh nata Pandhawa, ri sedheng murweng wiraos..”. The sorrow comes fromPuntadewa’s failure in controlling his evil passion, so that the pandawa lose thecountry of Astina to the hand of Prabu Suyudana of Kurawa in a dice gaming.Starting the moment, the five Pandawa pledged to support each other until thedeath do them apart. This is depicted in “…amusara in pirembag, wedharing kira-kira, aprasetya ari catur, tan pisah sabaya pejah..”.

The fourth part of Asmaradana depicts the love and care of the five charatersof Pandawa. It is stated in “..metyaken sukaning galih, saesthining kang wardaya,pinatah in papatute, samya memuhung remaksa”. They keep asking the oldestbrother –Prabu Puntadewa or Yudhistira becoming the King of Astina forever inthe future. It is written in “..ing kadangira tuwa, turing ka jumeneng ratu, den tetepsalajunira”.

The two excerpts of the Asmarada in Serat Erang-Erang Nata Pandawa, serve asthe philosophical essence in which it depicts the struggle and the unity of the pandawain performing the darma. This, I argue, becomes a fundamental reason the way thewali used the depiction of Pandawa to the teaching of Islam. The struggle of the fivecharacters of Pandawa is in line to the struggle of Muslim in performing the fivepillars of Islam. The religious figures represent this notion to carry out the missionto the Javanese society.

F. ConclusionThe research constitutes the notion that religious activities serve its nuance as

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an integral part of culture. Society as a cultural subsystem deals with particularrites, norms, and arts. The representation of the culture could be functioned as themedia to support the religious activities.

Javanese always and still continue their linkage of life to the spiritualbeings and existence. This could be best seen in the wayang—a type of Javaneseplay performance. As the essence of Javanese culture, its existence was seeneven strategic in the perspective of the walisanga in the 15th to 16th centuriesJava. Sunan Kalijaga, one of the Javanese representatives in the walisanga—utilizes the wayang kulit introducing the aspect of Islamic teaching to theJavanese.

The study shows that the Court of Demak utilizes the wayang as an allegoryto maintain the mission and the communication. Using the allegory, SunanKalijaga serves as a mediator in compromising the two entities—the wayang as thesymbol of Javanese culture and Islam as the religious teaching of the walisanga.Realizing its function as the mode of solidarity among the Javanese, Sunan Kalijagaparticularly applies the spiritual and philosophical teaching of Islam in the wayangand symbolizes the five characters of the Pandawa to the five pillars of Islam. Thedepiction of Pandawa struggle found in Serat Erang-Erang nata Pandawa serves asa reflection to the inquiry of the reason the religious figures uses the wayang inconducting their mission.

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