The Tatwa Brata Merapi-Merbau Text: A Study of Javanese Wisdom and Its Relevance with Social Harmony

This paper examines lakubrata (vow) and upawasa (fasting) in Javanese religious traditions based on the Tatwa Brata Merapi-Merbabu text. The text is written in »Buda» or Merbabu script and compiled in the Dharma Paolih (L 69) manuscript, a collection of the National Library of Jakarta. The methods applied to examine and understand the text are textual criticism and semiotics, as well as a religious approach. The text mentions various types of laku brata and upawāsa, namely: (1) brata haapatrahara, (2) brata haekadasi, (3) brata upawāsa, (4) brata umbhakarna, (5) brata hamaawa, (6) brata mancamona, and other braa. The conclusions are: (1) in one of the Javanese attitudes, tapa and samādhi are vital elements associated with the practices, (2) lakubrata and upawāsa are generally intended to: (a) maintain physical and spiritual health, (b) maintain harmony with the universe and the Creator, and (c) foster social harmony with fellow human beings, and (3) the Tatwa Brata Merapi-Merbabu text is a document of knowledge that describes Javanese wisdom (kawicakanan) and the way of life which refers to the social harmony system of the sixteenth century.