Arjuna and Ponokawan – Who are they and what are their stories?
Midnight. A gong resounds throughout the silent field. People gather; some chatting, some snacking. It’s time for the wayang kulit to begin. And now, the Tok Dalang (puppeteer master) will begin. Tales from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are all narrated and voiced by Tok Dalang; from the soft feminine voices to the reckless masculine ones. Accompanied by the mesmerizing sounds of the gamelan orchestra, the shadows of the flat leather puppets come to life on the taut white fabric.
Wayang kulit has a long history, from India to what we know today in Malaysia and Indonesia as wayang kulit. A show usually lasts about 8 hours and starts late at night until the wee hours of the morning. It goes without saying that it takes a lot of stamina from everyone involved in producing a show. A typical performance usually depicts scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics; although in the Southeast region some twists are added that make these interpretations completely original.
A good example is the relationship between Arjuna and his Punokawan (or also known as Ponokawan). The Ponokawan do not exist in the original Mahabharata epic, so they are original Southeast Asian figures in the wayang kulit world. There has been much speculation about the origins of the Ponokawan. Although there is no evidence, the most commonly accepted theory would be the arrival of Islam in Jawa. Ponokawan’s creation is believed to be a mouthpiece for spreading the word of Islam and the symbolisms of the teachings of Islam itself. Soon these figures evolved to be advisors, buffoons, satirists, and even the voice of the common people.
Who is Arjuna?
Arjuna is a renowned ksyatria (warrior) in the Mahabharata epic. He is born to Kunti and King Pandu. One of the five Pandavas, he is noted for his archery skills and fearless warrior skills.
Who are the Ponokawan?
The Ponokawan are Arjuna’s loyal servants and while they add comic value to the story, they also convey great wisdom and are Arjuna’s advisers. They play a crucial role during the “goro-goro” moment of the play. “Goro-goro” refers to the rising action or complications faced by the main character in a scene in the play. In this way, the weighty plot of the story is offset by a touch of humor provided by Ponokawan.
The Ponokawan consists of 4 figures: Semar, Gareng, Petruk and Bagong. Semar is the adoptive father of the other three. He has a white face, gigantic buttocks and he can’t control his farting. His white face symbolizes kindness and honesty and whoever he teaches will follow his teachings out of respect. It is said that a teacher who has black face is fierce and will have students who will follow his teachings out of fear. He has a tooth which denotes that a teacher should speak only the truth and his black body means that one should never do anything illegal to achieve his goals. It is said that he is the brother of Guru Dewa (or also known as Batara Guru). While Guru Dewa ruled the heavens and the gods, Semar ruled the earth and its people.
Gareng is the first adopted son of Semar. He has eyes that look in opposite directions, which means that he doesn’t want to see the villainy of the world; crooked hands to symbolize his disinterest in stealing; and he walks with a limp to show that he is slow but steady in everything he does. Gareng is loyal, helpful, and jokes easily.
The next son is Petruk. He is also known as Kanthong Bolong, which literally means pierced bag. One theory for this nickname is that it stems from his frequent habit of donating, while some say it is symbolism meaning there should be no barriers between you and Allah.
The third son is Bagong, also known as the shadow of Semar. When Semar initially came down to earth from Khayangan (heaven), he wanted a partner. And just like that, his shadow came to life. These four figures function as “pamomong”, which translates to model figures in Indonesian.
His stories:
Lakon Tali Rasa-rasa dan Tali Buana
Due to the Javanese tradition of passing stories by word of mouth, there is no set script to follow a play. Instead, each script is improvised to follow the story and the Tok Dalang has to be skilled enough to keep each puppet in character while he tailors his speech to the demographics of the audience.
One act in the play that tells of the relationship between Ponokawan and Arjuna is the act “Lakon Tali Rasa-rasa dan Tali Buana”. In this story, Guru Dewa and Narada, two gods of the world, came down to Earth. They took off their pious robes and became two brave ksyatrias named Rasa Tali and Tali Rasa. They then set off for Astina to seduce Lesmanawati. The news angered the Kurawa, but they couldn’t get rid of them because they weren’t that powerful.
Sangkuni then informed Pandawa about this incident. He fabricated a lie saying that Arjuna is fighting with Lesmanawati in Astina. Hearing this, Arjuna calmed down and did nothing because he knew it was a lie. Semar tried to set fire to the cavalry spirit in Arjuna to rescue Lesmanawati but he was driven off along with Petruk and Gareng.
The mischievous Gareng and Petruk found the pious clothes of Guru Dewa and Narada. They put them on and took on the physical appearance of Guru Dewa and Narada. Once Semar saw this, he transformed into a ksyatria named Tali Buana. He began a kind of pilgrimage, helping everyone who needed his help.
Arjuna regretted rejecting Semar and the others because he could not defeat Rasa Tali and Tali Rasa. Eventually though, Tali Buana, who switched back to Semar; he defeated Rasa Tali and Tali Rasa when they switched back to Guru Dewa and Narada. Guru Dewa and Narada admitted their defeat, apologized and returned to Khayangan (heaven). They were shocked to find that there, in Khayangan, a Guru Dewa and Narada were already there! Of course, it was just Gareng and Petruk in disguise. On the night of the full moon, the false Guru Dewa and Narada were defeated by Semar, reverting to Gareng and Petruk.
Semar Minta Bagús
Another act in the Javanese interpretation of the Mahabharata epic is “Semar minta bagus” (loosely translated as “Semar is good”); shows the inherent wisdom of Semar. In this act, Semar leaves Amarta because he felt Arjuna belittled and humiliated him as Arjuna embarrassed him by spitting on him while he was visiting Semar. Arjuna did not realize that he had offended Semar. Semar was badly hurt because he has been Arjuna’s caretaker since Arjuna was a child and now he was being treated with no respect despite being much older than him.
Semar then went to Begawan Abiyasa in Septaraga to lament his situation. To avenge his dignity, Semar wanted to prove that he, in fact, is more powerful than any ksyatria. Abisaya got worried because he knows that Amarta will be ruined without Semar. Therefore, he did his best to discourage Semar, but all he did was in vain.
An angry Semar immediately traveled to Khayangan to lament his situation. He demands that Guru Dewa return it to his original power. Guru Dewa and the other gods could not dissuade Semar from wanting him and permanently restoring his power is impossible. Thus, with a heavy heart, Guru Dewa restored Semar’s power, but it was only temporary.
Semar transformed into a handsome and capable warrior, calling himself Bambang Dewa Lelana. Bagong, his son, became another warrior named Bambang Lengkara. They both returned to earth and conquered the kingdom of Prabu Setyawijaya and declared themselves kings of Puduk Setegel.
They ordered Patih Dasapada, the duke and Prabu Setyawijaya to steal the Serat Jimat Kalimasada, an important collection of writings in the country of Amarta. Using magic from him, Patih Dasapada assumed the appearance of Sri Kresna and successfully stole the Jimat Kalimasada. The moment the original Sri Kresna found out about this, he ordered the Pandava to retrieve the Jimat Kalimasada.
The Pandava set out to ask for the Jimat Kalimasada from Bambang Dewa Lelana. Hearing this request, Bambang Dewa Lelana switched back to Semar and returned the Jimat Kalimasada. For Semar, it meant that the Pandava recognized Semar’s power and without him, Amarta would fall and, in a sense, regain respect.
Lakon Semar Mbarang Jantur
Another act would be “Lakon Semar Mbarang Jantur” (loosely translated as “Semar Does Magic”). This act begins with the kidnapping of Dewi Irawati, the beautiful princess of Prabu Salya from some robbers ordered by Mandakera by Kartapiyoga, king of Tirtakandasan. the young Arjuna with his faithful Punokawan; Semar, Gareng and Petruk try to find Irawati, though it is of her own free will and not because of the competition to find Irawati held by Prabu Salya, Dewi Irawati’s father.
Along the journey, Arjuna met the seductive Banowati and was taken in by her. This prevented the search for Dewi Irawati. Arjuna’s courtship of Banowati came to the notice of Surtikanti, Banowati’s younger sister. She cursed Arjuna to suffer for what she did. Arjuna immediately started feeling very hungry and thirsty.
No matter what Arjuna eats or drinks, his appetite will never be satisfied and his thirst will never be quenched. In time, Arjuna fainted in the middle of the forest due to the curse. Once he woke up, he decided to fight his hunger by ordering Semar, Gareng and Petruk to perform magic in Widarakandong village. In this village lived a warrior named Wasi Jaladara who has a sister named Bratawijaya.
To perform their magic, Semar, Gareng and Petruk asked for nasi tumpeng and a variety of kuih. After the performance, Semar returned bringing blessings, nasi tumpeng, and various kuih which she pounded on the pretense that it was easier to get along this way. He introduced it to Arjuna; who, hungry as a horse, opened the package of blessings. So Arjuna was so angry that he stormed off to Widarakandong. However, once he came face to face with Wasi Jaladara, he couldn’t do much.
They then exchanged formalities with each other and found that they liked each other and became friends. Semar then gave three explanations as to why he did that. First, it was his wrongdoing in feeding Arjuna in this way. Secondly, when Arjuna is performing a task, he should never eat at random places and thirdly, Banowati will never be his spouse, so he is wasting his time.
Arjuna then asks Wasi Jaladara to help rescue Dewi Irawati. The mighty Wasi Jaladara then caught the person who took Dewi Irawati and killed Kartapiyaga. The moral value of this story is to stay focused when performing a task and resist all forms of temptation.
The art of the wayang kulit never fails to captivate the viewer. Each cub is believed to have its own spirit and is stored according to its rank in a chest after the wayang kulit performance is over. Fancy having a piece of Southeast Asian cultural history in your home?