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The Poleng

There was a farmer called Father Poleng. He was ploughing his rice fields with his cows one morning. When it was al­most noon, the sun was high in the sky, Father Poleng sat down to rest and to eat his lunch. While he was eating, an ant crawled up and ate some of his rice. Poleng got angry and without thinking he cursed the ant. Then a voice spoke from heaven.

“Father Poleng,” said the voice, “do not refuse those who ask. Even an ant, a creature who cannot grow rice, is worthy of help.”

Father Poleng thought and thought, and realized that people and creatures of all kinds who are poor deserve to be helped. And with a pure heart, he gave all his satisfied at heart.

That night, when Father Poleng was sleeping alone in his hut on the rice fields, the God Indra descended in all his glory, wearing a beautiful shining jewel. Father Poleng woke up startled, and he saw the bright light burning over his hut.

Then a voice said, “Father Poleng, don’t be frightened. I am Indra who spoke to you when you cursed the ant. I noticed your charity in giving the ant rice and going hungry yourself. I have now come here to reward you. I want to take you to heaven.”

Father Poleng, after writing a letter to his family, went with Indra to heaven. There he became a servant of the gods.

Next morning, Father Poleng’s son, called Young Poleng, arrived at the hut only to find his father gone. He looked for him in the rice fields, but without luck. Young Poleng went home to urge his relatives to join in the search for his father. They searched all the streams of fields but did not find him. Then, thinking that he might have come back in the meantime, they all returned to the hut.

There they noticed the letter which read, “Your father has left you and will not return again. I have been taken by God Indra to heaven.” After Young Poleng read the letter, everyone looked at it. True enough, it was Father Poleng’s writing. Young Poleng and his relatives were all happy that Father Poleng had gone to heaven.

Several days later Young Poleng thought to himself, “Now that Father Poleng is in heaven, we must burn the bones of Grandfather Poleng so that he too can go to heaven.” In Bali people follow the Hindu practice of burning the dead to free the soul so that it can fly to heaven.

Young Poleng asked a priest to pick a suitable day. He also told the priest that he wanted to hold a large cremation cer­emony fit for a king. But the priest said, “No, it is wrong for you to hold such a ceremony. The Polengs are poor and humble people, not kings.”

“Never mind,” said Young Poleng. “If the gods are offended, I’ll bear all the responsibility.”

When the day arrived, the bones of Grandfather Poleng were cremated like those of a king, with a royal cremation tower and costly cloths.

Later, around midnight, Young Poleng went by himself to the graveyard carrying an offering to the god of death. Soon there appeared a tall man with a long beard, who with a large stick was beating an old man. The old man groaned with pain as the stick came down upon his back. When he saw that the old man being beaten was the spirit of his dead grandfather, Young Poleng became very angry. He went up to the tall man and pulled strongly at his beard.

The tall man was startled, and looking down he said, “Who is that? What are you doing here? How dare you pull my beard!”

“I am the grandson of the old man you are beating,” an­swered Young Poleng. “What has my grandfather done that he should be beaten?”

“I am Jogormanik,” said the tall man. “I hold power over all the spirits here. I also decide who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. The reason your grandfather is being beaten is that you held an elaborate and royal ceremony for his cremation. You shouldn’t have. It is only right that your grandfather be sent hell.”

“No!” cried young Poleng. “If my grandfather is to be sent to hell, it must be with Indra’s permission.”

“Then,” said Jogormanik, “let us go to heaven.”

So the three of them travelled to heaven. When they arrived Young Poleng found Father Poleng and explained the whole matter to him. When he understood, Father Poleng went before the God Indra and asked that his father not be sent to hell.

“Jogormanik,” said Indra, “it is not right for you to punish the spirit of Grandfather Poleng, because Father Poleng and Young Poleng have done many good deeds. I invite Grandfather Poleng’s spirit to live here, together with Father Poleng. You, Young Poleng, may return again to the world. I grant you every happiness, but remember, always do what is right, so that when you die your spirit may come here to be with your father and grandfather.”

Young Poleng arrived home and told his family and fellow villagers all about his journey. Young Poleng was loved and re­spected by everyone, for he was the only one among the living who had visited heaven.

Terjemahannya

The Poleng

Dahulu kala ada seorang petani bernama Romo Poleng. Ia sedang membajak sawahnya bersama sapi-sapinya pada suatu pagi. Menjelang siang, matahari sudah tinggi di langit. Romo Poleng duduk untuk beristirahat dan menyantap makan siangnya. Ketika sedang makan, seekor semut merangkak naik dan memakan sebagian nasinya. Poleng menjadi marah dan tanpa berpikir panjang ia mengutuk semut itu. Kemudian terdengar suara dari surga.

“Romo Poleng,” kata suara itu, “janganlah menolak orang yang meminta. Bahkan seekor semut, makhluk yang tidak dapat menanam padi, pun layak untuk ditolong.”

Romo Poleng berpikir dan berpikir, dan menyadari bahwa semua orang dan makhluk yang miskin layak untuk ditolong. Dan dengan hati yang murni, ia memberikan semua yang ia miliki dengan sepenuh hati.

Malam itu, ketika Romo Poleng sedang tidur sendirian di gubuknya di sawah, Dewa Indra turun dengan segala kemegahannya, mengenakan permata yang berkilau indah. Romo Poleng terbangun kaget, dan ia melihat cahaya terang menyala di atas gubuknya.

Kemudian terdengar suara berkata, “Romo Poleng, jangan takut. Akulah Indra yang berbicara kepadamu ketika engkau mengutuk semut. Aku melihat kedermawananmu dalam memberi nasi kepada semut dan membiarkan dirimu kelaparan. Sekarang aku datang ke sini untuk memberimu hadiah. Aku ingin membawamu ke surga.”

Setelah menulis surat kepada keluarganya, Pastor Poleng pergi bersama Indra ke surga. Di sana ia menjadi pelayan para dewa.

Keesokan paginya, putra Pastor Poleng, yang bernama Poleng Muda, tiba di gubuk dan mendapati ayahnya telah tiada. Ia mencarinya di sawah, tetapi tidak berhasil. Poleng Muda pulang untuk mendesak kerabatnya agar ikut mencari ayahnya. Mereka mencari di semua aliran sungai di sawah tetapi tidak menemukannya. Kemudian, karena mengira bahwa ia mungkin telah kembali saat itu juga, mereka semua kembali ke gubuk.

Di sana mereka melihat surat yang berbunyi, “Ayahmu telah meninggalkanmu dan tidak akan kembali lagi. Aku telah dibawa oleh Dewa Indra ke surga.” Setelah Poleng Muda membaca surat itu, semua orang melihatnya. Benar saja, itu adalah tulisan Pastor Poleng. Poleng Muda dan semua kerabatnya merasa senang karena Pastor Poleng telah pergi ke surga.

Beberapa hari kemudian, Poleng Muda berpikir dalam hati, “Sekarang Pastor Poleng sudah di surga, kita harus membakar tulang-tulang Kakek Poleng agar ia juga bisa pergi ke surga.” Di Bali, orang-orang mengikuti tradisi Hindu dengan membakar orang mati untuk membebaskan jiwanya sehingga dapat terbang ke surga.

Poleng Muda meminta seorang pendeta untuk memilih hari yang tepat. Ia juga mengatakan kepada pendeta bahwa ia ingin mengadakan upacara kremasi besar-besaran yang layak untuk seorang raja. Namun pendeta itu berkata, “Tidak, tidak benar bagimu untuk mengadakan upacara seperti itu. Orang Poleng adalah orang-orang miskin dan rendah hati, bukan raja.”

“Tidak apa-apa,” kata Poleng Muda. “Jika para dewa tersinggung, aku akan menanggung semua tanggung jawab.”

Ketika hari itu tiba, tulang-tulang Kakek Poleng dikremasi seperti tulang-tulang seorang raja, dengan menara kremasi kerajaan dan kain-kain mahal.

Kemudian, sekitar tengah malam, Poleng Muda pergi sendiri ke kuburan sambil membawa persembahan kepada dewa kematian. Tak lama kemudian muncul seorang lelaki jangkung berjanggut panjang, yang dengan tongkat besar sedang memukuli seorang lelaki tua. Lelaki tua itu mengerang kesakitan saat tongkat itu mengenai punggungnya. Ketika ia melihat bahwa lelaki tua yang dipukuli itu adalah arwah kakeknya yang sudah meninggal, Poleng Muda menjadi sangat marah. Ia menghampiri lelaki jangkung itu dan menarik janggutnya dengan kuat.

Lelaki jangkung itu terkejut, dan menunduk, ia berkata, “Siapa dia? Apa yang kau lakukan di sini? Beraninya kau mencabut janggutku!”

“Aku cucu dari orang tua yang kau pukuli itu,” jawab Poleng Muda. “Apa yang telah dilakukan kakekku sehingga ia harus dipukul?”

“Aku Jogormanik,” kata lelaki jangkung itu. “Aku memegang kekuasaan atas semua roh di sini. Aku juga memutuskan siapa yang akan masuk surga dan siapa yang akan masuk neraka. Alasan kakekmu dipukuli adalah karena kau mengadakan upacara yang rumit dan megah untuk kremasinya. Kau seharusnya tidak melakukannya. Sudah sepantasnya kakekmu dikirim ke neraka.”

“Tidak!” teriak Poleng Muda. “Jika kakekku akan dikirim ke neraka, itu harus dengan izin Indra.”

“Kalau begitu,” kata Jogormanik, “mari kita pergi ke surga.”

Maka mereka bertiga pun berangkat ke surga. Ketika mereka tiba, Poleng Muda menemui Pastor Poleng dan menjelaskan seluruh masalah kepadanya. Ketika ia mengerti, Pastor Poleng pergi ke hadapan Dewa Indra dan meminta agar ayahnya tidak dikirim ke neraka.

“Jogormanik,” kata Indra, “tidaklah pantas bagimu untuk menghukum arwah Kakek Poleng, karena Ayah Poleng dan Poleng Muda telah melakukan banyak perbuatan baik. Aku mengundang arwah Kakek Poleng untuk tinggal di sini, bersama Ayah Poleng. Kamu, Poleng Muda, dapat kembali lagi ke dunia. Aku menganugerahimu semua kebahagiaan, tetapi ingatlah, selalu lakukan apa yang benar, sehingga ketika kamu meninggal, arwahmu dapat datang ke sini untuk bersama ayah dan kakekmu.”

Poleng Muda tiba di rumah dan menceritakan semua perjalanannya kepada keluarganya dan penduduk desa. Poleng Muda dicintai dan dihormati oleh semua orang, karena dialah satu-satunya di antara yang hidup yang telah pergi ke surga.

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