JAVANESE LOCAL WISDOM IN WEDHATAMA

Description

Serat Wedhatama was written by Sri Mangkunegara IV in early 1881 a few months before he died. There was no definitive clue when the book began to be written. However, by following the flow of events that colored his life, he apparently wrote Wedhatama when he felt that his death was approaching. He suffered a mild stroke which resulted in impaired eye and left hand. He had ordered his son, KPH Gondosewoyo, who was taking a technical school in Delft, to order a marble stone and steel frame that would later become his mausoleum. In addition he also began to order to build the cemetery Girilayu.

The burial places of the Mangkunegaran kings were to be built on the grounds that the Mengadeg funeral complex was full. The cemetery is the tomb of Mangkunegara I to the tomb of Mangkunegara III in addition to other Mangkunegaran relatives, one of which was Raden Ayu Semi the first empress of Mangkunegara IV.

Wedhatama is different from the previous works that were not specifically mentioned for whom those were intended. It was different from Serat Paliatmo which was clearly intended for his sons. Another example is Serat Tripama as a guide for the warriors. Wedhatama is the great words of praise for all humans. In it contained teachings about how to process the feeling, creation, and intention of a human being. It also gives a lesson on how a human relationship with other humans should be regulated. In Wedhatama Sri Mangkunegara IV no longer sorted life in several fragments as in Serat Paliatmo. In it he divided life into fragments or parts such as: family life, homeland, environment, and so on. In contrast, in Wedhatama Mangkunegara IV saw life as a totality.

RM Darajadi Gondodiprojo