Last month, for research purposes, I visited the sacred tomb of Sheikh Mudzakir located on the northern coast of Java. When I arrived, around 20 people recite shalawat and pray; it was ten in the morning, and according to the gatekeeper, the number of visitors usually increases after dhuhr. In the corner, there was a lady playing with a little girl, later I found that the girl in fact was her granddaughter. I greet her and started a random chat about the playful granddaughter. Seeing an empty spot near the lady, I sat there to rest and continue to chat with the nice lady. But then, a man claimed as a regular visitor, approach me and said “careful mbak, she’s deaf and a bit crazy, if you want to talk to her, you must shout”. He said it in an audible voice, meaning the lady–who turn out hearing just fine–was also aware of his words.
I ignore the man's warning and continue to chat with her, in a normal voice, while playing with her granddaughter. After an hour of conversation, I draw a few assumptions: (1) she is not deaf, that is for sure; (2) she is not crazy, by whatever definition, since her words and sentences are comprehensible and not doing anything un-normal by common standards; (3) she turns out to be the granddaughter of the Sheikh (a duriyah/descendant)–I confirmed this from the Sheikh family’s public relations that she is indeed a descendant; and (4) she is in charge with the cleanliness of the tomb during open hours. I did not ask about why she was pretending to be deaf, but at least by doing that, the devoted visitors will leave her alone. To be honest, I experienced similar situations a few times–talking with the so-called madman but turn out they totally made sense–, all that make me questioned: what is the position of the crazy in religion? For this, I look into the classic Javanese narrative of Suluk Gatoloco. While an interview with a local figure, a guardian of the Perigi Site in Banyuurip, Purworejo, added another dimension to the narrative.
Suluk Gatoloco is controversial. Often referred to as "The heretical daydreams of an undoubtedly opium-besotted Javanese mystic" (Hurgronje in Anderson, 1981: 109). Gatoloco literally means ‘the man who masturbates’, following the eclectic title is a long poem written in stanzas. The writer is unknown and the dating is not fixed. Van Akkeren (in Anderson, 1981: 110) “was inclined to a date of c. 1830, arguing that the poem's hostility to orthodox Islam and its aggressive Javanism probably reflected a widespread reaction among the Javanese literate class to the total failure of Diponegoro's Islamic-tinged political leadership". While Drewes (also in Anderson, 1981: 110), considered the Suluk is written circa 1478, inspired by Serat Dermagandul and Babad Keyin from "Hindu-Buddhist" Majapahit era. While differing in fixating on the date, the two scholars shared a similar insight on the ideological stance of the Suluk as critics of Islamic orthodoxy at that time.
To describe the infamous character, Anderson's depiction of Gatoloco is:
“the only son of King Suksma Wisesa of Jajar, and his inseparable punakawan Dermagandul. Appalled by the child's monstrous and repulsive appearance, the King bids him spend his first sixteen years in lonely meditation. Returning home sixteen years later, the boy has his head "clipped" by his father. But since this only makes him more hideous, he is sent back for another four years of ascesis. His meditation is rewarded with the gift of a matchless skill with language”.
In his ‘adventure’ to see the world that Gatoloco met Kiayi and Santris, and later a dangerous enemy known as Perjiwati (transl: female genitalia). The following stanzas provide an example of Gatoloco’s banter with Santris (stanzas 16 to 18):
"You should not be allowed to teach.
Your ngelmu tells you only how to beg!
You're capable of nothing more
Than squatting in the yards
Of others with a bag for rice, both fresh and stale!
Your limit's the kabula-prayer;
Beyond 'lam jakunil’ you're stuck!
How can you be compared to us--
Gray-bald as bondol-birds, by Ngelmu grazed?
Our turbans are so white because
Our words are bright. If we're
Defeated, we take profit from the parallels.
That's why our skull-caps look so like Colanders
woven from rattan.
Collect the santri of the realm!
With ease of knowledge we'll illuminate
Whatever is above, below.
Our coats are velvet red
Because we read the nature of what's rough,
what's smooth
Our sashes poleng multicoloured
Because our ngelmu is complete.”
Ngelmu, or knowledge, is the central debate in Suluk Gatoloco. The Kiayi, being constantly beaten and humiliated by Gatoloco’s argument, condemn him as a madman. The condemnation also reflects in reality as the Suluk angered and embarrassed segments of Javanese societies, especially aristocrats and religious leaders. Later, the mad Suluk went underground and was labelled as a “mockery of Islamic teaching”.
Javanese literature critics, however, see it otherwise. Van Akkeren (in Anderson, 1981: 113) mentioned that Suluk Gatoloco came from “Sufi mysticism tradition, with its emphasis on the esoteric interpretation of the vocabulary and practice of Islam”. The mad and decadent Gatoloco is the “personification of a living manifestation or descending divinity into the world, adept in search for a mystical reascent towards the aboriginal Oneness”. The sexual narrative, according to van Akkeren, is a sign of a mystical union. This interpretation, of course, rarely reaches the general readers. Muslim authorities in Indonesia make sure the Suluk stays off the radar; one famous incident is the allegation made by Tjokroaminoto to Djawi Hiswara editor for Suluk Gatoloco in 1889. Today, the Suluk remained unnoticed. Only keen reader of Java mysticism familiar with the rambling of Gatoloco.
Pak Sumarto, is among those keen readers. He is quite familiar with the concept of Muslim Sufism and mentioned several cases of “pretend madmen” who actually tried to criticise the ignorant mainstream or orthodox Kiayi. Here, the term “ignorant mainstream” is vital to interpret the pretend madness of the lady in the sacred tomb I mentioned in the early part of this article. She preaches in silence (pretending to be deaf) and criticises the ignorant mass by being constantly present. According to her “[knowledge] blessing cannot be reached by a short visit, that nonsense”.
Aliyuna Pratisti (10 October 2022)
References:
Anderson, Benedict. 1981. The Suluk Gaṭoloco: Translated and with an Introduction. JSTOR 32:109-150.
Interview with Sumarto, Guardian of Situs Perigi, Banyuurip, Purwokerto, 17 Juni 2022.
Image: https://freeimagegenerator.com/classicjavanesestorygatoloco
Comments
Post a Comment