Keris suitability according to Balinese belief/numerology
 

I've recently started reading Eiseman's 'Sekala and Niskala' (1989), which has a short chapter dedicated to the Balinese keris.

In Balinese belief, a kerises suitability for its potential owner/wielder is determined by the relationship between the ratio of length:width, and the length or dimensions of the blade and the wielder's hand. It is the latter I am mainly interested in for this post.

Eiseman details two ways in which this is done.

1) The first method involves placing one's right thumb at the base of the blade, at the ganja, then the left is laid adjacent and as close as possible to the right thumb without overlapping or deliberately crowding, then the right thumb is picked up and placed adjacent to the left, and so on. You count how many times this occurs until you reach the end of the blade. If the last thumb doesn't quite fit, it's counted anyway. The total number of thumbwidths is divided by 7.

The remainder number corresponds to a particular meaning - most good, some bad. If the meaning of this number for you is bad, you obviously shouldn't have it. For ease of reading this initial post I will include Eiseman's table of the numbers and their meanings in an appendix in a post below this.

2) The second method is similar to the above but instead of using thumbwidths, one involves using the width of four fingers, close to the palm. At the top only some fingers will fit on the blade, and the numbers remaining on the blade determines its meaning for the wielder.

Variations

When I did method 1 with Pemangku Pande Ketut Mudra, I was instructed not to count past 7. You restart the count after hitting 7, and if the last finger doesn't fit, it is not counted. I suppose this gives you the same or very similar result.

Is anyone aware of any other variations, or have had it done differently?

Meanings

Please refer to appendix in post below. The (positive) meanings that I got given by Pemangku Ketut Mudra I think corresponds to one of the numbers and meanings in both the thumb and 4-finger method, although he used basic Bahasa Indonesia to explain them to me.

I didn't write down his words as I preferred to keep it conversational, but I'm beginning to doubt my memory which has led me to another question:

In Bali, is there unanimity regarding these numerological meanings, or do they vary? I would be interested to hear what you have experienced or know about this, and if I could be pointed to any other literature that might support Eiseman or present a different account.

Appendix

From 'Sekala & Niskala', Fred B. Eiseman Jr., 1985.

Thumbwidth method:

1. The kris is satriya; good to be used by one of the Ksatriya caste

2. The kris is ratna candra-masurya; good for sellers of anything

3. The kris is wanara cinara-cara; good for use by subordinates of the king

4. The kris is kala-mertryu (the spirit who takes your soul when you die); the kris is bad for Ksatriya caste people because it can cause them to harm themselves

5. The kris is Arjuna-pasupati, the kris of a soldier; if the person is robbed, others will help him

6. The kris is kepaten twan, very bad; not good for use by anyone

7. The kris is dharmawangsa; good for use by high priests.

4-finger method

1. This kris is sang akarya, which means "good behaviour"; the owner will be followed by many people

2. This kris is kalamertiyu, meaning that it is for a person who is a good judge; the owner will have many friends and people will like him; the owner can read the character of others very easily

3. THe kris is kalajana, it represents anger; if the owner uses it when asking something from someone, bad things will occur

4. This kris is nagawiraksa, meaning that it is good for people who like to fight, such as Ksatriyas; the owner will be brave in war

Using the knuckle of the thumb as a constant width I counted 22 starting at the base of the blade including the thickness of the ganja. Divided by 7 the answer is essentially 3 and about 5 other decimal points using inches.

Would we round this off to come to our answer?

A straight keris w/a ganja wulung.

I have read Eiseman and have, of course, seen various methods of determining compatibility with a keris in numerous other books and pamphlets. I wonder how often the final determination works out the same when using different systems on the same keris and person?
These methods are definitely good keris lore, but they seem a bit arbitrary. And in what context does checking for this compatibility occur? Many keris are made specifically for their owners. Certainly when made to order they would be created to proper specifications. But if a keris was being past on to your as pusaka or gifted to you suppose one might want to check for suitability. Though it must be awkward to refuse your family pusaka because it doesn't measure correctly by your thumb. :shrug:

Believe!

Rick - the actual measurement in inches or cm doesn't matter. You got 22. Seven goes into 22 three times, with a remainder of 1. Good for a warrior :cool:

David - it probably never ends up the same. As Alan said - believe. The inconsistencies likely have internally consistent explanations that insulate them from error.

As for the context under which this occurs, buying a keris off someone, being given a keris by someone or finding a keris seem appropriate. As for giving and receiving pusaka, this seems to be exempt. I don't know the convention or supernatural beliefs around this in Balinese culture, but in my own culture (Sundanese) you become the custodian by the good judgment of whoever gives it to you, and sometimes from "advice" given by your ancestors. In absence of that, if it was not meant for you or you mistreat it, it is believed that the objects can either disappear mysteriously, you become violently ill until the object is given to someone suitable (or returned, in the case of theft), or the "essence" or power of the object leaves its shell. I'm sure there are some standards and conventions around pusaka custodianship to which these tests of suitability do not apply.

Interestingly, Pemangku Ketut Mudra mentioned that while you can make kerises for specific people and imbue the keris with specific talismanic qualities, he thought that this was a wrong or improper thing to do, based on how wrong it could go, and how you could never guarantee how that person would yield the power.