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Smaradhana


Smaradahana is an old Javanese poem (Kakawin) written by Mpu Dharmaja as a eulogy for King Kameçvara of Kediri in early 12th century East Java. The story tells about the disappearance of Kamajaya (god of love) and Kamaratih (goddess of love) from Svargaloka because being burnt by the fire burst out from the third eye of Shiva. They fell upon the earth wondered and incarnated as human beings, their spirit seduces and inspires the lovers' hearts.

Smaradahana is a sanskrit word from smara (love) and dahana. Dhana itself can be translated as thirst or yearning, also as dahana (fire). Smaradhana can be translated as the fire of love that burnt lovers' hearts which put them to yearn for their lover, suffering the thirst or hunger for love. The theme Smaradhana inspires many art and literature pieces such as stories, poems and love songs in Indonesia.

The story begin when the goddess Parvati was feeling lonely. She is missing and longing for her husband Lord Shiva, which at that time was meditating somewhere on a sacred mountain top. Then she send Kamadeva, a lesser love god known in ancient Java as Kamajaya to search for Shiva. His task is to inspired love in Shiva's heart, to make him yearning for his wife. Using the bow and arrow of love tipped with flower, Kamajaya shot the meditating Shiva. Suddenly Shiva felt the desire to see his wife. His heart is felt with memory of the past love-making with Parvati, so he promptly stop his meditation. However, when Shiva opened his eyes, he catch the glances of Kamajaya hiding behind the rock. Angered by the fact that Kamajaya, the lesser god, had dared to disturb his meditation, fire burst out from his third eye and burnt Kamajaya down to ashes. Kamajaya's wife, goddess Rati or known in ancient Java as Kamaratih, out of her love, devotion and loyalty, jumped into the Shiva's fire to follow her husband. They both burn out and disappeared from svargaloka, vanished from the realm of gods.


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