‘Metatah’ en masse means a ritual for all

Ni Komang Erviani ,  Contributor ,  Denpasar   |  Thu, 05/28/2009 9:50 AM  |  Surfing Bali

This won’t hurt at all: A Sangging uses a wooden mallet and iron file to smooth down the teeth of a woman. JP/Zul Trio Anggono

The smiles rarely left the faces of Ketut Budiarsa and his three brothers during the mass Metatah (tooth-filing) ceremony in Widya Graha Kepasekan, Denpasar, last Saturday.

“I am so happy because finally my brothers and I have the chance to undergo this ritual,” Budiarsa said.

“Actually, we have wanted to partake in the ritual for a long time but couldn’t manage it because it is
so expensive.”

A Metatah organized by a single family can cost anywhere from Rp 5 million to tens of millions depending on the intricacy of the offerings and the number of guests invited by the family.

It is as much a social event as a religious one and it is not uncommon for a family to spend more than Rp 30 million to hold a Metatah, much of which goes to paying for a sumptuous feast for the hundreds of invited guests.

“Several years ago my family wanted to hold a Metatah for me and my brothers but the plan was cancelled because we were told the cost would be around Rp 15 million,” Budiarsa added.

The heart of the ritual itself is very simple. It is a symbolic act of purging an individual of the
negative traits known as the Sad Ripu (six enemies): Kama (lust), Lobha (greed), Kroda (anger), Moha (anxiety), Mada (conceit) and Matsarya (envy).

A Sangging, a respected figure with deep religious knowledge and believed to possess supernatural powers, is the one tasked with purging those traits. With a small wooden mallet and an iron file, he will smooth down the teeth of a Balinese man or woman. Special attention is given to the canine teeth, the ultimate symbol of humanity’s animal  characteristics.

Upon the completion of the ritual, the man or woman will be officially acknowledged as an adult, a mature individual who knows and is aware of the differences between vice and virtue.

After years of waiting, the four brothers – Budiarsa, Nyoman Budiarta, Wayan Piadnya and Kadek Budiana – all painters from Kedewatan in Ubud, finally had their chance to undergo the Metatah on that cold morning. But this time they didn’t have to find a large sum of money to pay for it.

Each participant of the ritual was obliged to pay only Rp 100,000. The brothers spent an additional Rp 250,000 to rent traditional costumes and to have their faces made up at a local beauty salon.

“If we had to rely on our own incomes to hold this ritual then it would have been impossible for my sons to have their teeth filed,” the four brothers’ father, I Ketut Enggong, said.

Enggong is a laborer who ekes out a living from doing menial work in other people’s rice fields.

The mass Metatah was organized by the Mahagotra Pasek Sanak Sapta Rsi, arguably the largest and most powerful clan-based organization in Bali. The Mahagotra draws its membership from the direct descendants of seven influential sages in ancient Bali.

In total 109 individuals, 56 of which were men, had their teeth filed during the ceremony presided over by 20 Sangging.

A senior Sangging, Jero Mang-ku Puji Ardika, stressed that philosophically speaking, a mass Metatah
is not inferior to an individual Metatah.

“The most important thing is the symbolic message conveyed by the ritual itself,” he said. “The fact that Metatah is conducted en masse or individually has no religious or philosophical significance.”

He pointed out that religious rituals tend to be a very costly affair in Bali because many Balinese use religious ceremonies as an opportunity to show off their social status and economic achievements.

“Many Balinese still believe that an expensive and extravagant ritual will yield the optimum results.

That is certainly not the case, especially when the rituals are funded through bank loans or by selling land and rice fields,” he said.

Mahagotra is one of the most progressive of the Balinese Hinduism social organizations. Since its establishment in the early 1950s, it has been part of a continuous struggle against the rigid caste system and other feudal heritages of the religion adhered to by most Balinese. In the 1960s, Mahagotra spearheaded the campaign to popularize mass Ngaben (cremation) amid the increasing trend to turn the ritual into the most time-consuming, money-splurging endeavor any Balinese family has ever embarked upon. Early this year, the Mahagotra inaugurated the island’s first-ever Hindu crematorium, which will enable the Hindu adherents to conduct the cremation ritual in a much simpler and cheaper way.

Mahagotra chairman Prof. Dr. I Wayan Wita said mass cremations and mass Metatah are effective ways to strengthen social cohesion and the sense of solidarity among Balinese Hindus.

“We will continue our efforts to popularize the simple, cost-effective and meaningful religious rituals,” he said.

“After all, we don’t want to arrive at a point where the rituals, instead of enlightening the masses, become a paralyzing burden for the adherents.”

Another Mahagotra executive, Ketut Pasek Winastera, said the organization had a simple objective: To educate people to ensure Balinese Hinduism becomes a modern faith system that can guide and comfort its adherents through the numerous challenges posed in the modern global and materialistic world.

“Providing models of cost-effective rituals is one step to reach that aim,” he said.

“Instead of wasting money on extravagant rituals, the Hindu adherents should instead be investing in education and healthcare systems.”

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.