The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (134)

It is said that, at that time, Prabu Arjunasasrabahu invited Dewi Citrawati and the domas girls, his concubines, to a leisure trip. After a long journey enjoying the beautiful scenery, the entourage arrived at the coast of the ocean where the Gangga River empties. They stopped and saw the waters of the Gangga River meet the ocean and be lost in its waves.

"Citrawati, what can I do to please you?" asked the King of Maespati. He feels that his wife is harboring sorrow, even though he does not know and does not want to ask what that sorrow is in her heart.

“I have everything I want from Your Majesty. And Your Majesty has given me the beautiful Sriwedari Garden. All the pleasures you have given me is enough. Now is the time for your concubines to have fun with Your Majesty," Dewi Citrawati says, her words coming from her sincerity. But in fact, she is speaking from the heart of a woman who has lost all desire.

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> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (133)

> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (132)

> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (131)

"I want to please you, Citrawati. But if you will be happy because I can please them, what can I do here at the mouth of the Gangga River?" asks Prabu Arjunasasrabahu, yielding to Citrawati.

"It is very pleasant for women if they are allowed to live in the wild, enjoying being naked by bathing in the lake," says Citrawati.

"Do you want me to build a lake for them, Citrawati?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. On the orders of the king, Sumantri succeeded in moving Sriwedari Garden and its lake to Maespati. Is not Your Majesty an incarnation of Batara Wisnu who, if he pleases, can build a dam onthe Gangga River to create a lake?"

The King of Maespati’s heart seems to burn on hearing these words of Dewi Citrawati. Indeed, those words sound like a challenge, whether the King of Maespati can really achieve more than what Sumantri has. It is obvious that Prabu Arjunasasrabahu is not angry over this. Even if Sumantri can build more than he could, he will not feel inferior. Because he really loves Sumantri, and he feels as though Sumantri were himself.

"Do you truly want me to build a lake, Citrawati?" Prabu Arjunasasrabahu asks.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will be happy if I can swim with the daughters of the Maespati court in the lake of the Gangga River."

CAHYO HERYUNANTO

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Actually, this was not what Dewi Citrawati really meant with the words that emerged from her mouth. The words just slipped out. The word “lake” was simply on her lips, maybe because she remembered the lake where she stood naked in front of Sumantri, maybe because her memory of Sunyalaya Lake when she still lived in the realm of the gods had returned to her. But possibly it was because she felt that she could wash away all her sorrow in the lake.

"All right Citrawati, I will create it right now," says Prabu Arjunasasrabahu, shattering Dewi Citrawati’s memory that is hovering above the lake. Without further ado, Prabu Arjunasasrabahu summons all his chief warlords and conveys to them his intention.

“I want to block the mouth of the Gangga River to turn it into a lake, so that the daughters of the Maespati palace can enjoy themselves there. I must do it through meditation. Do not disturb my meditation. So keep the queen and daughters of Maespati safe as I meditate at the mouth of the Gangga River," the King of Maespati orders his warlords.

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> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (130)

> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (129)

> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (128)

"And you, Sumantri, you are the mahapatih who must manage my order," he says, specifically addressing Sumantri who is present among the chief warlords.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey," says Sumantri. His voice is not as firm as should be the voice of a knight who is ready to carry out an order from his king. Sumantri’s answer has no energy. It seems as if he does not want to serve his lord anymore. In his heart, he asks, What is the use of achieving anything, when there are no more ideals to pursue? Sumantri looks up and sees the white clouds over the Gangga River. The clouds are still, just like his will.

Prabu Arjunasasrabahu stands up and starts to meditate. He is awakening the transformational power of Batara Wisnu within him. The ground around him sways, along with Prabu Arjunasasrabahu, who slowly turns into a giant. His body continues to grow bigger and expand, until his shoulders look like a thousand mountains. Prabu Arjunasasrabahu has now incarnated into Batara Wisnu, who can cross the universe in just three steps. The transformed wonder is now at the mouth of the Gangga River.

Sumantri looks up and sees the white clouds over the Gangga River. The clouds are still, just like his will.

The giant with shoulders of a thousand mountains then lays down across the river. He then closes his eyes and falls deep into meditation. He is not aware of what is going on around him, but everything is subject to his will. His transformed body becomes a dam that holds back the waters of the Gangga River. Between his calves, the land remains dry, untouched by the water.

The warlords order their troops to build tents on the dry land for the daughters of the court. Meanwhile, the Maespati troops build tents for themselves along the outside of Prabu Arjunasasrabahu's feet, which lay across the river. They do everything as quickly as they can, because they know that the waters of the Gangga River will slowly form a lake. They are right. By the time dusk arrives, an expanse of water has filled the land that used to be a valley. Around it, the mountains are holding back the water, and at the far end near the ocean, the body of Prabu Arjunasasrabahu stretches across the river as a dam. The Gangga River Lake has been created. In the middle of it is dry land, where the daughters of Maespati palace live.

The dry and barren plain slowly changes because of what has been created by Batara Wisnu, who has emanated from the asceticismof Prabu Arjunasasrabahu. The feathers of the great giant transformed of the King of Maespati turn into soothing shady trees. The land has now become a valley surrounded by green hills. The roots of a banyan tree dangle, becoming a rope for the daughters of Maespati palace to swing on. The asana trees soon bloom, their flowers spreading across as an umbrella. The umbrella of yellow blooms offers a cool place for the palace daughters to shelter. On the slopes of the valley, the water from the Gangga River Lake seeps into the ground, giving life to pandan wangi, pidada, and rajasa trees. Some of the water from the river drips between the jangga trees as they spread their vines. There is the sweet sound of trickling water amidst the buzz of beetles caressing flowers. The katanga leaves fall on the tent roofs, and the daughters gather them to make a headdress. The fragrance spreads around the valley, carried by the gentle wind.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.