Religion in Bali by C. Hooykaas

6 Demons
The kanda mpat are not a mere ornament in the life of a Balinese for he is constantly harassed by
hords and armies of malevolent beings of the most divergent shape, function, abode and time of
activity—one would nearly say: as many as a playful mind during many hours of leisure can
imagine. When the exorcist priest, the sengguhu or resi bhujangga during an important ritual
recites his long litany PURWA BHUMI TUWA/KAMULAN, when he has had a good teacher
and himself has a good memory, he enumerates tens, dozens, scores of names and locates them
everywhere in our immediate neighborhood. He belongs to the fourth caste and invokes and
pacifies a set of demons entirely different from those which the brahman priest handles during
rites of exorcism. He has to convoke them, to regale them and finally to invite them to go home
to their respective quarters at a safe distance in the four directions. They are of course much
feared, not only by little children, so that it makes such a good humored effect when the
officiating priest in his long mantra of sending home the bhuta and kala tells them: "Now here
(on the ground) are the offerings destined for thee. When it is not yet enough I offer thee some
cash; take it to the great market and there buy what thy needest. After that kindly go home,
without fail each to his own quarters.
Whereas those administered by the exorcist priest are only distinguished by name and location,
those pacified by the padanda, at least during death ritual, can have something to do with ethics.
The priest uses the Sanskrit word dosa, sins, and these are distinguished in insignificant, usual
and colossal ones, the expiation (panebusan) for which consists of offerings on the same scale.
The making of these time devouring offerings comes to rest upon the shoulders of the relatives,
but the expenses are taken from the heritage before splitting it up on behalf of the heirs. So to
some extent the dead man has to pay for his sins and the word 'expiation' must be taken in this
sense.
One should avoid crossroads at mid day, for Kala, the frightful Lord of Demons, then and there
looks for his prey. One should not leave his house during the night without singing, or after
having quarelled. This is the time when beings consisting of a mere head, or of a thigh with a
devouring mouth, are roaming everywhere, but especially at crossroads and above all in the