Latest / Majapahit: The Empire That Once Ruled Indonesia — Fexingo History / Mpu Tantular and the Kakawin Sutasoma: Majapahit's Poem of Unity
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've spent a lot of time on Majapahit's politics, wars, and trade — but what about its poetry? I mean, we talked about Mpu Prapanca and the Nagarakretagama, but there's another poet who really deserves his own episode. Luna: Who's that? Lucas: Mpu Tantular. He wrote the Kakawin Sutasoma — and if you know Indonesia's national motto, 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika', that comes from this poem. It's a line that's become the very symbol of the nation. Luna: Wait, the national motto is from a Majapahit poem? That's incredible. Lucas: Yeah, it's from the last stanza of the poem. 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika' — literally 'they are many, they are one'. It's about religious tolerance, specifically between Hindus and Buddhists in the empire. And Tantural wrote it during the reign of Hayam Wuruk, same time as Prapanca, but his focus was different. Luna: So what's the story of the poem about? Lucas: It's an epic about Prince Sutasoma, a prince of the Kuru dynasty, who converts to Buddhism and then, through compassion and wisdom, tames a terrible cannibal giant or demon — a rakshasa — named Gurumuksi. The demon had been terrorizing the kingdom, and instead of fighting, Sutasoma converts him through teachings. It's a really powerful tale of non-violence and spiritual transformation. Luna: That sounds almost like a Buddhist jataka tale set in a Javanese court. Lucas: Exactly right. The poem blends Hindu and Buddhist elements seamlessly — the main characters are from Hindu epics, but the moral is Buddhist. And that's what the empire was like: a syncretic culture where you could worship Shiva one day and Buddha the next, and the state supported both. Luna: So where does the national motto line come in? Lucas: In the final canto, there's a line: 'Rwaneka dhanu winuwus Buddha Wiswa, Bhinneki rakwa ring apan kena parwanosen, Mangka Jinatwa kalawan Siwatatwa tunggal, Bhinneka tunggal ika tan hana dharma mangrwa.' It translates roughly: 'It is said that the Buddha and Siva are different. They are indeed different, but how can they be different? They are one. There is no duality in truth.' And that last phrase, 'Bhinneka tunggal ika', was adopted by Indonesia in the 1950s. Luna: That's a pretty sophisticated philosophical stance for a 14th-century poem. Lucas: Absolutely. And it wasn't just empty rhetoric — the Majapahit court actively patronized both Hindu and Buddhist institutions. There were state temples dedicated to both, like Candi Jago which has Tantric Buddhist iconography, and Candi Panataran which is Hindu. So the poem reflects actual state policy. Lucas: And here's something that ties back to our earlier conversation about the Nagarakretagama: while Prapanca's poem is a court chronicle and geographical description, Tantural's is deeply philosophical and mythical. Together, they give us this rich picture of the intellectual life of the capital. Luna: How was the poem preserved? Did it survive in a single manuscript? Lucas: We have several palm-leaf manuscripts from Bali and Lombok, actually. The Kakawin Sutasoma was copied and recopied in Bali long after Majapahit fell, because Balinese Hinduism kept the old Javanese literary tradition alive. There's a famous copy in the library of the University of Leiden that was used for the first scholarly edition. Luna: So it's thanks to Bali that we still have the national motto. Lucas: Exactly. And in the 20th century, when Indonesian nationalists were looking for symbols of unity, they found this line — it was perfect. A pre-colonial, homegrown expression of diversity. It's now on the national coat of arms, held in the talons of the Garuda bird. Lucas: You know, it's fascinating how a single line from a medieval poem can become such a powerful modern symbol. It really shows how history is alive and continues to shape identities. Luna: It makes me think about how we access these stories — through texts, through translations, through people who care enough to preserve them. Speaking of which, this podcast is our way of keeping those stories alive, but it takes resources. Lucas: And that's where listeners like you come in. If you've been enjoying these deep dives into Majapahit, and you want to support ad-free, listener-supported history, you can help keep us going. Just go to buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo — all lowercase. It's a simple way to say 'I value what you're doing'. Luna: Yeah, every bit helps us pay for research and production. And it keeps the show free for everyone. Lucas: Back to Tantural — the Kakawin Sutasoma is written in the kakawin meter, which is derived from Sanskrit poetry. It has strict syllable counts and a very formal structure. But within that, Tantural uses vivid imagery. For example, when Sutasoma tames the demon, he doesn't use violence — he simply speaks the dharma, and the monster becomes docile. Luna: It's like the power of words over weapons. Lucas: Exactly. And that motif shows up later in Javanese wayang performances — the idea that a wise king or hero subdues enemies through spiritual power, not just brute force. So Tantural's work influenced not just court poetry but also performance traditions. Lucas: Interestingly, we don't know much about Tantural himself. Unlike Prapanca, who names himself and his lineage in the Nagarakretagama, Tantural just signs his name at the end of the poem without much detail. But scholars believe he may have been a court poet under Hayam Wuruk, possibly of a lower rank than Prapanca. Luna: So he's a bit of a mystery figure. Lucas: Yes, but his poem speaks volumes. It's one of the most important works of Old Javanese literature, and yet it's not as well-known in the West as it should be. That's partly because it's long — about 500 stanzas — and only recently fully translated into English. Luna: Is there any connection between the Sutasoma story and the Majapahit court itself? Like, was the poem allegorical? Lucas: Some scholars have argued that the demon Gurumuksi might represent a historical enemy, but that's speculative. More likely, it's a universal tale about taming the inner demons of greed and anger. But you can also see it as a metaphor for how the empire managed diversity: not by force, but by dialogue and inclusion. Lucas: And that's what makes Majapahit so compelling — it wasn't just a military empire. It had an intellectual and spiritual core that produced works like this. The Kakawin Sutasoma is a testament to the sophistication of the Majapahit civilization. Luna: I'm really glad we covered this. It adds a whole new dimension to how I think about the empire. Lucas: Me too. And next time you see the Garuda Pancasila with 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika' on it, you'll know it comes from a 14th-century Javanese poet. That's the kind of history that connects the past to the present. Luna: Absolutely. Thanks for walking us through it, Lucas. Lucas: My pleasure. That's it for this episode — we'll be back with more history from the archipelago soon.