Shadowlands Arjuna’s Meditative Journey

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hadow play, a storytelling medium, has been one of the major vehicles for the transmission of the Mahabharata in Java and Bali, Indonesia. The great Hindu epic revolves around two rival families, the Pandawa and the Korawa, whose disputes culminate in a legendary battle. By the first centuries AD, versions of the Mahabharata were already traveling along trade routes from the Indian subcontinent to Java, continually changing and adapting as the story interacted with various elements of Javanese religion and belief. One story born out of this multicultural encounter is the Arjuna Wiwaha, translated literally as “Celebrations of Arjuna’s Wedding.” Composed by Mpu Kanwa in 1035 AD, the tale unfolds with Arjuna, one of the Pandawa, bidding farewell to his wife Draupadi, his mother, Dewi Kunti, and his four brothers, and setting off to Mount Indrakila to meditate (semadi). As he journeys forth, Arjuna weaves across a wide terrain, crossing vistas of mountains and forests. Reaching his destination, Arjuna enters a cave and delves deeply into meditation, hoping to attain enough spiritual potency to defeat the Korawas. Arjuna is so entranced in his ascetic practices that he rebuffs the advances of seven celestial nymphs sent by the gods to test his resolve. He is aroused from his meditation by Niwatakawatja, a vengeful titan king who lusts after Supraba, the most beautiful of the heavenly nymphs. Arjuna saves the world of the gods and is rewarded with the right to marry all seven nymphs. His ascetic journey, animated with erotic pleasures, also interweaves themes such as fertility, purification, and filial piety. The Arjuna Wiwaha is performed in the wayang kulit, the Indonesian shadow theatre, whose principle actors are puppets tooled in leather and decorated with intricate filigree patterns. Even today in Java and Bali, the story is enacted in the shadow play and in classical dance dramas. Arjuna’s marriage is also retold and refashioned through a variety of other mediums: chiseled in stone, painted and embroidered on cloth, chased in metal, carved in wood, incised in palm-leaf, and drawn on paper. In each of these rich displays, the audiences of Java and Bali are consistently enraptured, embracing both local and cosmopolitan adaptations of this popular story. While the erotic elements of the temptation scene are often vividly depicted in the painted and embroidered versions, sometimes only the faintest allusions to these encounters are made manifest in the wayang and dance dramas. This installation was curated by Cornell students in Professor Kaja McGowan’s Spring 2012 seminar “Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance.” Arjuna, along with his puppet cohorts, has been reawakened and restaged to charm generations of audiences. May you be moved by Arjuna’s dramatic journey into the shadowlands. Support for this brochure was generously provided by Madeline Noveck, Class of 1958. Justin Batten Natalie Di Pietrantonio Elizabeth Emrich Elinor Garcia-Garcia

Avery Hairston Stephanie Long Laura Miller Julia Paskert

Alexandra Riggs Keely Sarr Valencia Washington

Mahabharata Lineage: The Five Pandawa Both the Pandawas and the Korawas are from the Kuru clan of Bharata. They are rival families, competing for the same throne. King Dasaratha, who was afflicted with blindness, fathered ninety-nine sons known as the Korawas. The five Pandawa brothers are the nephews of King Dasaratha, and the adopted sons of King Pandu. King Pandu had two wives: Kunti, the most senior; and Madri. During a hunting expedition, King Pandu accidently shoots and kills a Rishi with an arrow, mistaking him for a deer. With his dying breath, the sage curses Pandu and from that day forward he cannot procreate or incur death. In order to continue King Pandu’s royal line, Kunti recites a mantra and is blessed with three semidivine children. The eldest, Yudisthira, was conceived from Dharma, god of wisdom; Bima from Bayu, the wind god; Arjuna from Indra, god of rain. Madri employs the same mantra and receives the twins Nakula and Sahadewa from the celestial Ashvins. Kunti also conceived another son, Karna, with Surya, god of the sun, before her marriage to King Pandu. She abandoned Karna at his birth and he was raised from humble origins with no knowledge of his noble lineage. Karna later sides with the Korawas, and pledges his allegiance to Duryodhana, the Pandawa’s opponent. At his deathbed, King Dasaratha appoints Yudisthira as his successor. The Korawas are angered by the King’s decision. Duryodhana, one of his sons, spearheads a campaign to destroy his cousins and reclaim the throne. After a series of skirmishes, the two warring clans meet in an epic battle known as the Kurukshetra War. Terrible carnage is inflicted on both sides and in the end, the Pandawas are victorious.

Detail of Arjuna

Balinese (Negara) Rectangular hanging (tabing) with a temple scene and Arjuna meditating, 20th century Cotton embroidery on cloth Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund 2007.031.011

Bima and Arjuna in Various Stages of Potency A wayang kulit puppet assumes the identity of a character through its carefully planned wanda, the aesthetic parameters that make each player unique and symbolic. Often in Javanese wayang, several variant puppets are used to enact the life journey of a particular character, and these subtle transitions are meant to highlight physical and spiritual stages of maturity. For example, a puppet that is painted black indicates a highly developed sense of spirituality, while a bone-ash white alludes to youthful beauty; a body or face gleaming in yellow personifies a character of supreme nobility and dignity. In this exhibition, we see Bima and Arjuna in their various forms, represented in gold, black, and white—the most common criteria for nobility. For resources and family activities related to shadow puppets from Southeast Asia, visit the Cornell Southeast Asia Program website: seap.einaudi. cornell.edu/ outreach SEAP Outreach has developed a set of puppet templates representing characters from the Mahabharata— including Arjuna, Bima, and Srikandi —available by request.

Javanese Bima, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Gift of Professor Benedict R. O’G. Anderson 81.033.015

Javanese Potency and Wayang The Javanese notion of “potency” encompasses many forms of power, particularly that of the intangible sort. In Javanese mythology, the brothers Bima and Arjuna each journey toward asceticism in order to acquire kakuwatan batin, the ability to harness internal and external spiritual energy and thereby become potent. They do so through different laku, or “steps,” toward heightened conscious. While Bima descends into the sea to endure his physical trials, Arjuna makes his ascent to Mount Indrakila, presumably far above worldly temptations, but where he must surmount obstacles as well. Despite this polarity, these Pandawa brothers achieve prowess in similar ways. Wayang alludes to these augmentations of power through discreet physical manifestations of potency. Along with other wanda (graphic elements) that comprise these puppets, the colors of the paints applied to the carefully cut buffalo hide shapes inform the audience of a character’s spiritual maturity.

Above: Balinese (Negara) Rectangular hanging (tabing) showing Arjuna in meditation with Boma motif, 20th century Cotton embroidery on cloth Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund 2007.031.089

Cover: Javanese Arjuna, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Gift of Professor Benedict R. O’G. Anderson 81.033.005

Other works in the exhibition Javanese Kayon (Tree) or Gunungan (Mountain) with Kala, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Louise Taraldson Woods Estate, by exchange 2008.073.181 Javanese Kayon with possible colonial influence, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Louise Taraldson Woods Estate, by exchange 2008.073.182 Javanese Kayon with Ganesha, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Louise Taraldson Woods Estate, by exchange 2008.073.177 Javanese Kayon with a dense jungle design, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Louise Taraldson Woods Estate, by exchange 2008.073.172 Javanese Kayon in the shape of a tree filled with creatures, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Louise Taraldson Woods Estate, by exchange 2008.073.160

Balinese Wayang Kamasan, probably 1980s Hand-ground natural pigments and Chinese black ink on white cotton cloth, prepared for the painted surface with rice paste. Inscribed “Toko Gana” Gift of Jon and Mary Perry Balinese (Negara) Rectangular hanging (tabing) with Tree of Life, 20th century Cotton embroidery on cloth with mirrors Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund 2007.031.125 Balinese Kayon showing Arjuna’s Meditation, 20th century Animal hide, paint, and wood Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Louise Taraldson Woods Estate, by exchange 2008.073.169 Balinese (Negara) Rectangular hanging (tabing) with Tree of Life, 20th century Cotton embroidery on cloth Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund 2007.031.082 Javanese Bima, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Louise Taraldson Woods Estate, by exchange 2008.073.158

Javanese Arjuna, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Gift of Professor Benedict R. O’G. Anderson 81.033.011 Javanese Arjuna as the ascetic Mintaraga, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Louise Taraldson Woods Estate, by exchange 2008.073.079 Balinese (Negara) Rectangular hanging (tabing) with a scene of Arjuna surrounded by four of his wives, 20th century Cotton embroidery on cloth Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund 2007.031.044 Balinese (Negara) Rectangular hanging (tabing) depicting the Indonesian national symbol of Pancasila in the form of Garuda birds flanking Arjuna, 20th century Cotton embroidery on cloth Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund 2007.031.093 Balinese (Negara) Rectangular hanging (tabing) depicting Arjuna meditating with two of his future wives, 20th century Cotton embroidery on cloth Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund 2007.031.048

Javanese Kunti, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Louise Taraldson Woods Estate, by exchange 2008.073.209 Balinese (Negara) Offering cloth (lamak) depicting Kunti, 20th century Cotton embroidery on cloth Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund 2007.031.045 Balinese (Negara) Offering cloth (lamak) depicting Draupadi, 20th century Cotton embroidery on cloth Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund 2007.031.046 Javanese Bima, 20th century Painted and finely tooled buffalo hide and horn Gift of Professor Benedict R. O’G. Anderson 81.033.002 Javanese Yudisthira, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Gift of Professor Benedict R. O’G. Anderson 81.033.012 Javanese Nakula and Sahadewa, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Gift of Professor Benedict R. O’G. Anderson 81.033.013, 81.033.014

Javanese Arjuna, 20th century Painted animal hide and horn Gift of Professor Benedict R. O’G. Anderson 81.033.006

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