Belimbing's Dilemma: A Lesson in Love and Decision-Making
Folklore from West Java
ONCE upon a time in Ujung Kulon, Banten, there was a small village. The head of the village was Resi Rarata. He was a holy man. He had great supernatural Power. Resi Rarata had a beautiful daughter. Her name was Nyi Mas Belimbing. Many men fell in love with her. One of them was Ki Pandam Alam. He was the son of Sang Hyang Tenggulung. Just like Resi Rarata, Sang Hyang Tenggulung also had great supernatural power.
Ki Pandam AIam really loved Nyi Mas Belimbing. He wanted to marry her. However, Nyi Mas Belimbing did not love him. So she rejected the marriage proposal. Ki Pandam Alam did not give up. He patiently waited for her to love him. Nyi Mas Belimbing was in the back yard of her house. She looked confused. She had been like this for many days. Her father paid attention to her. He wanted to know what bothered her mind.
"My Child, is there anything I can do for you? You look confused. What's the matter?"
Nyi Mas Belimbing knew her father really loved her. But she was embarrassed to talk to her father about her problem. And finally she told him.
"Father, I'm in love with someone. His name is Sunan Gunung Jati. He lives in Cirebon. I never meet him. I just met him in my dreams. Father, may I go to Cirebon to meet him?"
"No! It's not good for a woman to meet a man. If he is meant to be your husband, let him come here and meet you."
Nyi Mas Belimbing was sad. She had heard that Sunan Gunung Jati was a holy man. He taught about Islam to the people. She really loved him, however, she did not want to disobey her father.
The days passed by and Nyi Mas Belimbing kept on dreaming about Sunan Gunung Jati. And finally, she could not hold it anymore. She decided to go to Cirebon to meet Sunan Gunung Jati.
Meanwhile, Ki Pandam Alam heard that Nyi Mas Belimbing left the house to meet Sunan Gunung Jati in Cirebon. He did not want to lose her. He immediately followed Nyi Mas Belimbing. And he was finally able to catch her, and he persuaded her to go back home.
Nyi Mas Belimbing refused it. She has already made up her mind. After all, she knew her father would be angry with her. But Ki Pandam Alam kept on persuading her. Unfortunately, Nyi Mas Belimbing had insisted to go to Cirebon.
Ki Pandam Alam was slowly getting angry. He hit her! Nyi Mas Belimbing was also angry. She hit back! And later they were fighting.
Ni Mas Belimbing was not an ordinary girl. Her father had taught her many things, including martial arts. And slowly, Ki Pandam Alam lost the fight. He went back home.
Ki Pandam Alam told his father, Sang Hyang Tenggulung, about the fight. He told his father that he did not want to lose her. Then, his father used his supernatural power. He changed Ki Pandam Alam's appearance. He was changed as Sunan Gunung Jati.
And when Nyi Mas Belimbing met the false Sunan Gunung Jati, she was very happy. She did not know that it was not the real Sunan Gunung Jati.
Shortly, they got married. Unfortunately, the magic that changed Ki Pandam Alam as Sunan Gunung Jati had broken. Nyi Mas Belimbing was very sad! She really regretted that she did not listen to her father.
She did not want to go back home. Especially that she was pregnant. She did not want to make her father ashamed because of her. Nyi Mas Belimbing then killed herself. People then buried her body.
Strangely, they heard a baby cry from the graveyard. They told the real Sunan Cunung Jati about the cry. He asked people to dig the graveyard. Later, people were surprised. Inside, they found a baby boy. And he was still alive!
Sunan Cunung Jati loved the child. He named the child as Cikal. And he adopted Cikal as his son. And when Cikal was grown up, he also taught Islam to the people. ***
ONCE upon a time in Ujung Kulon, Banten, there was a small village. The head of the village was Resi Rarata. He was a holy man. He had great supernatural Power. Resi Rarata had a beautiful daughter. Her name was Nyi Mas Belimbing. Many men fell in love with her. One of them was Ki Pandam Alam. He was the son of Sang Hyang Tenggulung. Just like Resi Rarata, Sang Hyang Tenggulung also had great supernatural power.
Ki Pandam AIam really loved Nyi Mas Belimbing. He wanted to marry her. However, Nyi Mas Belimbing did not love him. So she rejected the marriage proposal. Ki Pandam Alam did not give up. He patiently waited for her to love him. Nyi Mas Belimbing was in the back yard of her house. She looked confused. She had been like this for many days. Her father paid attention to her. He wanted to know what bothered her mind.
"My Child, is there anything I can do for you? You look confused. What's the matter?"
Nyi Mas Belimbing knew her father really loved her. But she was embarrassed to talk to her father about her problem. And finally she told him.
"Father, I'm in love with someone. His name is Sunan Gunung Jati. He lives in Cirebon. I never meet him. I just met him in my dreams. Father, may I go to Cirebon to meet him?"
"No! It's not good for a woman to meet a man. If he is meant to be your husband, let him come here and meet you."
Nyi Mas Belimbing was sad. She had heard that Sunan Gunung Jati was a holy man. He taught about Islam to the people. She really loved him, however, she did not want to disobey her father.
The days passed by and Nyi Mas Belimbing kept on dreaming about Sunan Gunung Jati. And finally, she could not hold it anymore. She decided to go to Cirebon to meet Sunan Gunung Jati.
Meanwhile, Ki Pandam Alam heard that Nyi Mas Belimbing left the house to meet Sunan Gunung Jati in Cirebon. He did not want to lose her. He immediately followed Nyi Mas Belimbing. And he was finally able to catch her, and he persuaded her to go back home.
Nyi Mas Belimbing refused it. She has already made up her mind. After all, she knew her father would be angry with her. But Ki Pandam Alam kept on persuading her. Unfortunately, Nyi Mas Belimbing had insisted to go to Cirebon.
Ki Pandam Alam was slowly getting angry. He hit her! Nyi Mas Belimbing was also angry. She hit back! And later they were fighting.
Ni Mas Belimbing was not an ordinary girl. Her father had taught her many things, including martial arts. And slowly, Ki Pandam Alam lost the fight. He went back home.
Ki Pandam Alam told his father, Sang Hyang Tenggulung, about the fight. He told his father that he did not want to lose her. Then, his father used his supernatural power. He changed Ki Pandam Alam's appearance. He was changed as Sunan Gunung Jati.
And when Nyi Mas Belimbing met the false Sunan Gunung Jati, she was very happy. She did not know that it was not the real Sunan Gunung Jati.
Shortly, they got married. Unfortunately, the magic that changed Ki Pandam Alam as Sunan Gunung Jati had broken. Nyi Mas Belimbing was very sad! She really regretted that she did not listen to her father.
She did not want to go back home. Especially that she was pregnant. She did not want to make her father ashamed because of her. Nyi Mas Belimbing then killed herself. People then buried her body.
Strangely, they heard a baby cry from the graveyard. They told the real Sunan Cunung Jati about the cry. He asked people to dig the graveyard. Later, people were surprised. Inside, they found a baby boy. And he was still alive!
Sunan Cunung Jati loved the child. He named the child as Cikal. And he adopted Cikal as his son. And when Cikal was grown up, he also taught Islam to the people. ***
Caution in Decision-Making: Insights from Sunan Gunung Jati
The moral lessons embedded in this tale revolve around the pitfalls of decision-making, the significance of obedience to parental guidance, and the potential repercussions of impulsive actions. The moral messages in this story can be outlined as follows:
- Fault in Decision-Making: Nyi Mas Belimbing made a mistake by not heeding her father's advice and impulsively deciding to go to Cirebon without permission. This teaches the importance of considering the consequences of each action taken.
- Obedience to Parents: Despite deep love for Sunan Gunung Jati, Nyi Mas Belimbing should have been more obedient to her father's prohibition. Obedience to parents can prevent conflicts and future sorrow.
- Consequences of Impulsive Actions: Impulsive actions can have serious consequences. When Ki Pandam Alam tries to force Nyi Mas Belimbing to return and becomes involved in a fight, it eventually leads to a tragedy that changes their lives.
- Honesty and Honor: Sang Hyang Tenggulung and Ki Pandam Alam use deception and illusions to achieve their goals, which ultimately brings negative impacts. This underscores the importance of honesty and honor in achieving life's goals.
- Acceptance and Learning from Mistakes: The story shows that despite Nyi Mas Belimbing's mistakes, new hope emerges in the form of her son, Cikal. This illustrates the importance of accepting mistakes and learning from them to create a better future.
These moral messages provide insights into values such as awareness of consequences, obedience, integrity, and the ability to grow and learn from mistakes.
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