KETOET GEDE, SINGARAJA, THE STORY OF BIMA AND HIS OPPONENT SAKUNI
LOr. 3390-305
Drawing on Dutch paper, watermark Concordia, countermark VdL., 34 x 42.1 cm
Bima, right, and Sakuni, left, each of them armed with a club, face each other. Their servants are holding their weapons ready for use. There is a tree with monkeys in it in the centre. Between the two protagonists is a double row of rock ornaments with triangles consisting of little dots.
A text in Balinese script in ink at the top right says: ‘wrekodara; ngawe gade”, Wrekodara (which is another name for Bima) holds a club. On the right in the centre is written: ‘twalèn ngagem sliksik;’, Twalèn handles a penis-arrow. Sliksik (meaning to penetrate) is according to Van der Tuuk (II: 249) the name of a miracle bullet owned by the Déwa Agung from Klungkung. Twalèn’s weapon has the same effect as this bullet, when he operates it.
In the centre to the right is written: “taru waringin, madaging hijah”, a waringin tree with small black monkeys.
At the top on the left is written: “sang sakuni ngabe gade”, Sakuni holds a club. Close to the tree on the left we read: “dèlem ngaba kris tkèn tamyang”, Dèlem holds a kris and a shield. The latter is his characteristic attribute. In the centre, in the centre, hardly visible because the stamp of the Leiden University Library overlaps it, is written: “pangkung”, dry river, ravine.
The scene refers to an episode described in the Old Javanese Bharatayuddha (XLIII: 4-5).the Pandawa, i.e. Bima, chases the Korawa after Salya’s death. Bima then meets Sakuni, who is very afraid. When he is pulled by his hair by Bima, he cries and screams. Bima then starts scolding him, because it was he who in the past always came up with all kinds of ruses and tricks to kill the Pandawa.
