JAKA TARUB

JAKA TARUB

Once upon a time there was a handsome young man, his name was Jaka Tarub. A lot of women in the village liked him, but he stays single because he wanted to have a very beautiful wife.

One night, it was full moon at that time, Jaka Tarub was walking in the wood. Suddenly he hear sounds of women near waterfall. He slowly came close to the direction of sounds, he hide behind the trees and saw 7 beautiful women taking a bath. Those women were so beautiful, Jaka Tarub thought they must be angels (bidadari). He stole one of the shawl of the angel and he wait, behind the dark shadow of trees.

Angels or Bidadari in Indonesian folklore usually didn’t have wings, they fly with their shawl. Bidadari live high above the earth, the place called Kahyangan (almost similar with heaven).

It was time for the Bidadari to come home to Kahyangan. One of the Bidadari soon realise she lost her shawl. She said to her sisters, “I lost my shawl, I can’t go back yet. But I will find it and I will come back. You girls go ahead.”

The Bidadari who lost her shawl is Nawang Wulan.

She tried to find the shawl but she couldn’t find it. She got so depressed and feel alone and she cried. That was the time Jaka Tarub came to her. Comfort her and promise he will help her find the shawl so that she could come back to Kahyangan.

After some time she still couldn’t find the shawl, she desperately thought that there’s no way she could come home. Then, Jaka Tarub married her. They have a son. But for all that time, Jaka Tarub hide Nawang Wulan’s shawl in barn where he keep the rice.

But lies – no matter how hard you try to hide it, will discovered eventually. One day Nawang Wulan accidentally saw her shawl when she wanted to get rice to cooked. And she took the shawl, leave Jaka Tarub and their son to come home to Kahyangan, where she belong.

Nawang Wulan said to Jaka Tarub, ” I’m sorry I have to go, but this is not where I belong. Every time you and our son miss me, please just look at the moon (Wulan). I’ll always be there watching over two of you.”

Nawang Wulan flew away to Kahyangan and Jaka Tarub feel very sad.

The moral of the story from my opinion, we can’t force love to happen and we can’t force someone to love us. If that person don’t belong to us, the person will go away soon or later.