Latest / Majapahit: The Empire That Once Ruled Indonesia — Fexingo History / Majapahit's Kakawin Sutasoma: The Epic That Gave Indonesia Its Motto
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Majapahit's politics, its economy, its wars. But one of the most enduring legacies of that empire isn't a temple or a treaty — it's a poem. The Kakawin Sutasoma, written by the court poet Mpu Tantular in the 14th century. Luna: That's the one that gives us 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika', right? Unity in Diversity. Lucas: Exactly. It's Indonesia's national motto, and it comes straight from this Old Javanese epic. But the poem itself is a lot more than just that one line. It's a massive Buddhist narrative, over 1,100 stanzas, written in the kakawin meter — which is based on Sanskrit prosody. And it tells the story of Prince Sutasoma, a bodhisattva — a being on the path to enlightenment. Lucas: The plot is fascinating. Sutasoma is a prince who refuses to fight or harm anyone. He's captured by a cannibal king named Purusada, who wants to eat him. But instead of resisting, Sutasoma converts Purusada through compassion and teaching — he shows him the Buddhist dharma, and the king renounces violence. Luna: So the moral is that you overcome evil not by force, but by understanding. Lucas: Yes. And that's the core of the poem's message. It's a deeply syncretic work — it blends Hindu and Buddhist ideas freely. In the poem, Sutasoma is also identified with the Hindu god Vishnu, and there are references to both Shiva and Buddha. Mpu Tantular was writing in a court where Hinduism and Buddhism coexisted, and the poem reflects that. Lucas: The famous line 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika' appears in the poem's epilogue. It's part of a longer passage that says, 'The Buddha and Shiva are different in substance, but they are one — there is no duality.' So the 'diversity' in the motto originally referred to religious diversity, not ethnic or cultural diversity — though it's been adapted to mean all kinds of diversity in modern Indonesia. Luna: I didn't know the original context was about religion. That makes sense for Majapahit, which had both Hindu and Buddhist communities. Lucas: Exactly. And the poem was almost certainly commissioned by the court — it's a piece of state ideology. It promotes tolerance as a way to unify the empire. But it's also a personal story about enlightenment. The poem is full of vivid scenes — there's a battle with a monstrous elephant, a journey to a hermitage, a debate with a heretic teacher. It's a thrilling read even by modern standards. Lucas: The Kakawin Sutasoma was rediscovered in the 19th and 20th centuries by Dutch and Indonesian scholars. It was one of the texts that helped shape modern Indonesian nationalism. When the founders of the republic were looking for a motto that could unite a hugely diverse archipelago, they reached back to this 14th-century Javanese poem. Luna: That's a powerful legacy — a poem written for a Hindu-Buddhist empire becoming the motto of the world's largest Muslim-majority country. Lucas: It really is. And it shows how deep the roots of that idea go in the archipelago. The poem also contains other phrases that have become important, like 'Dharma' and 'Adharma' — righteousness and unrighteousness. But the central theme is that ultimate truth is one, even if people call it by different names. Lucas: Let me give you a sense of the poem's structure. It's written in a meter called 'Sekar Ageng' — 'great flower' — which is one of the most complex meters in Old Javanese. Each stanza has a fixed number of syllables per line, with specific vowel lengths. It was meant to be chanted or sung, not just read silently. Luna: So it was oral performance, like epic poetry in other cultures. Lucas: Very much so. And the poem was likely performed at court ceremonies. It would have been part of the cultural glue that held the empire together. Now, the Kakawin Sutasoma isn't the only Old Javanese epic — there's also the Kakawin Arjunawiwaha, the Kakawin Ramayana — but it's unique for its explicit message of religious tolerance and its role in modern Indonesia. Lucas: One interesting thing: the poem has a framing device where Sutasoma is actually the Buddha in a previous life. So it's a Jataka story — a tale of one of the Buddha's past births. But Mpu Tantular adapts it freely, adding Javanese elements. For example, the cannibal king Purusada is described in terms that evoke Bhoma, a demon figure from Javanese mythology. Luna: It's a blend of Indian and local traditions. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what makes it so fascinating. The poem is a window into how Majapahit saw itself — as a place where different traditions could coexist. It's also a reminder that empires don't just leave behind ruins and records; they leave behind ideas. The Kakawin Sutasoma is one of those ideas, still alive today. Lucas: Now, before we go deeper into the poem's influence, I want to say something. If you've found this conversation useful — if learning about a 14th-century Javanese poem that still shapes a modern nation is the kind of thing that makes you think — then know that the reason we can do this without ads is that listeners support the show directly. It's at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a way to keep these deep dives going. And we really appreciate it. Lucas: So back to the Kakawin Sutasoma — one of my favourite parts is when Sutasoma is in the hermitage and he debates a heretic teacher who argues that there is no right or wrong, only power. Sutasoma refutes him by saying that compassion is the highest truth. That debate echoes through the centuries. Luna: It almost sounds like a philosophical dialogue. Lucas: It is. And it's very much in the tradition of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy. The poem also incorporates elements of Tantric Buddhism — there are references to mantras and rituals. But it's always in service of the larger message: that all paths can lead to the same truth. Lucas: Another remarkable thing: the poem was used as a source for the Indonesian state philosophy Pancasila, which includes 'Unity in Diversity' as one of its principles. So the Kakawin Sutasoma has had a direct impact on how Indonesia governs itself today. Luna: It's not just a historical artifact — it's a living document. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what makes studying Majapahit so rewarding. You see threads that stretch from the 14th century to the present. So next time you see the Indonesian coat of arms with the words 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika', you'll know it comes from a poem about a prince who chose compassion over violence.