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12 Priests: Sengguhu<br />
For two reasons the sengguhu, from the half dozen of Bal<strong>in</strong>ese priests, deserves to be dealt with<br />
<strong>in</strong> relation with the brahman amangku dalang. First because he is also an exorcist (but without<br />
any side of enterta<strong>in</strong>ment), secondly because at major occasions he beg<strong>in</strong>s his ritual <strong>by</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Holy Water exactly like his one teacher, the padanda. From his sengguhu teacher he learns<br />
another section of his mantraic apparel and above all the litany PURWA BHUMI, 'cosmogony',<br />
followed either <strong>by</strong> TUWA, 'old', or <strong>by</strong> KAMULAN, 'orig<strong>in</strong>(al)'. When officiat<strong>in</strong>g under these<br />
circumstances he is robed and mitred as a padanda and claims the title resi bhujangga. Resi<br />
denotes a seer <strong>in</strong> India's far past; pancha resi and sapta resi are a pentad and a septad of them,<br />
elevated to heavenly rank and known to literate Indians and Bal<strong>in</strong>ese. But resi <strong>in</strong> <strong>Bali</strong> has the<br />
special mean<strong>in</strong>g of 'person not belong<strong>in</strong>g to the rank of a brahman but master<strong>in</strong>g his daily ritual'.<br />
In the case of those belong<strong>in</strong>g to the <strong>in</strong>termarry<strong>in</strong>g group of the sengguhu, officially ranked as<br />
be<strong>in</strong>g sudra or jaba ('outside', i.e. outside the three higher H<strong>in</strong>du castes, tri wangsa), this is<br />
conform reality, for he is <strong>in</strong>structed <strong>in</strong> the complete surya séwana. But when a ksatrya, belong<strong>in</strong>g<br />
to the second caste, that of the 'warriors' or military men, wishes to learn to prepare his own Holy<br />
Water and thus become a resi, <strong>in</strong> the ma<strong>in</strong> two differences can be noted. First the mantras<br />
directed to Siwa are augmented with a f<strong>in</strong>al word be<strong>in</strong>g one of Wisnu's names, so that the<br />
nobleman is worshipp<strong>in</strong>g Wisnu. Secondly the essential element <strong>in</strong> Surya séwana, consist<strong>in</strong>g of<br />
the div<strong>in</strong>e descent of Siwa <strong>in</strong>to the worshipper, is skipped—perhaps because he is worshipp<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Wisnu.<br />
Once a year an energetic endeavour is made to chase all demons from the island and to make<br />
them believe that it is deserted, sepi, and not worthwhile ever to return to aga<strong>in</strong>. This observation<br />
of the state of nyepi, consist<strong>in</strong>g of m<strong>in</strong>imalis<strong>in</strong>g traffic and forbidd<strong>in</strong>g to have smoke from<br />
cook<strong>in</strong>g fires as well as from sigarettes, is preceded <strong>by</strong> the sengguhu's chas<strong>in</strong>g off the bhutas and<br />
kalas. To that purpose he chooses a village's ma<strong>in</strong> crossroads as his field of action; while he<br />
drones the recital of his litany <strong>by</strong> the un<strong>in</strong>terrupted r<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g of his bell, his helpers add<br />
considerably to the noise <strong>by</strong> elicit<strong>in</strong>g the full power from a small handdrum and from a disc to<br />
which five bells are attached.
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