Season 1 Episode 1 from West Java
Level of Indonesian and English fluency: Intermediate to Advanced
Indonesian Version
Kisah ini menceritakan seorang raja yang baik dan bijaksana bernama Prabu Tapa Agung dan kedua putrinya yang cantik bernama Purbararang dan adiknya Purbasari.
Saat ayah mereka sudah mendekati ajalnya, sang ayah meminta Purbasari untuk menggantikan posisinya untuk memimpin kerajaan. Sang ayah mengatakan bahwa dirinya sudah tua, tidak mungkin memimpin kerajaan tersebut dan memilih untuk mengundurkan diri serta bertapa.
Mendengar pesan ayahnya, Purbararang sangat marah karena menurutnya posisi itu adalah haknya sebagai anak sulung. Karena rasa marah dan iri hatinya, maka Purbararang merencanakan untuk menggagalkan pesan akhir ayahnya, hingga mencelakakan adiknya sendiri. Purbararang meminta bantuan orang sakti agar Purbasari tertimpa nasib yang buruk. Orang sakti itu menyiapkan sebuah lulur dan Purbararang berhasil membujuk adiknya untuk menggunakan lulur tersebut. Lulur itu menyebabkan tubuh Purbasari gatal-gatal dan berbintik-bintik hitam. Melihat keadaan itu, Purbararang berkata kepada Prabu Tapa Agung bahwa mungkin inilah kutukan yang ditimpakan karena mereka tidak menjalankan adat hukum yang berlaku di negeri mereka dan memilih Purbasari sebagai ratu. Prabu Tapa Agung termakan hasutan putri sulungnya dan dengan berat hati memutuskan untuk mengasingkan Purbasari ke hutan di luar kerajaan.
Prabu Tapa Agung memerintahkan seorang patihnya untuk mengantar putrinya ke hutan. Karena rasa kasihan, patih selain menemani selama beberapa waktu, juga membangun pondok untuk Purbasari tinggal. Sebelum meninggalkan Purbasari, Patih tersebut menghibur Purbasari agar selalu kuat untuk bertahan dan tidak larut dalam kesedihan. Sang Patih juga berjanji akan berkunjung untuk membantu Purbasari.
Selama hidup di hutan, ternyata Purbasari hidupnya tidak kesepian karena berteman dengan banyak hewan. Bahkan ada seekor monyet hitam yang sangat baik dan memperhatikan keadaan Purbasari. Setiap hari membawakan buah-buahan untuk makanan Purbasari. Monyet tersebut dipanggil Purbasari dengan nama Lutung Kasarung.
Tidak ada yang tahu bahwa Lutung Kasarung sebenarnya merupakan penjelmaan seorang dewa bernama Batara Guruminda Kahyangan. Karena kesombongannya, dia dikutuk dan diusir dari kahyangan dan menjelma di bumi sebagai seekor lutung. Hanya ketika ia bisa belajar untuk menjadi rendah hati dan mendapatkan kasih tulus seorang wanita maka ia bisa kembali ke wujudnya yang semula.
Pada saat bulan purnama, Lutung Kasarung bersemedi dan berdoa meminta agar Purbasari disembuhkan. Tiba-tiba disekitar tempat Lutung Kasarung bersemedi, tanahnya berubah menjadi telaga dengan air jernih, segar dan berbau harum. Keesokan harinya, Lutung meminta Purbasari untuk mandi di dalam telaga tersebut dan memberikan daun asam muda untuk digosokkan ke kulitnya. Secara ajaib, kulit Purbasari berubah dan menjadi ke keadaan saat dulu dia masih sehat. Purbasari sungguh sangat gembira karena dia akhirnya sembuh dan menjadi cantik seperti sedia kala.
Saat Patih berkunjung dan melihat keajaiban tersebut, Patih mengajak Purbasari untuk kembali ke kerajaan. Purbasari yang enggan pada awalnya, akhirnya menyetujui usul Patih asal bisa mengajak Lutung Kasarung yang telah menyembuhkan dirinya.
Saat tiba di kerjaan, Purbararang tidak menyukai apa yang dia lihat dan meminta untuk mengadakan perlombaan antara dirinya dan adiknya, dimana hukuman mati akan dijatuhkan bagi yang kalah.
Salah satu lombanya adalah siapa yang mempunyai rambut terpanjang. Dengan yakin, Purbararang membuka ikatan rambutnya yang tergerai panjang hingga dibawah betisnya. Purbasari sangat panik karena tahu dia tidak akan mengalahkan panjang rambut Purbararang. Tapi Lutung Kasarung menenangkan Purbasari dan memintanya untuk mempercayai bantuan dirinya. Dengan kesaktiannya, Lutung Kasarung meminta bidadari untuk datang menyambung rambut Purbasari hingga panjang rambut Purbasari menyentuh tumitnya, mengalahkan panjang rambut Purbararang.
Melihat kekalahan itu, Purbararang cepat-cepat membuat aturan perlombaan berikutnya, yaitu lomba ketampanan tunangan dari masing-masing putri. Purbararang yakin sekali tidak mungkin akan ada di negeri ini yang lebih tampan dan gagah dari tunangannya yang bernama Indrajaya, sedangkan Purbasari hanya ditemani oleh Lutung Kasarung. Namun, Purbasari yang lembut hati telah melihat dan mengalami sendiri bahwa dibalik wujud Lutung Kasarung, terdapat hati yang baik, setia dan selalu siap membantu dirinya. Tanpa ragu, Purbasari mengumumkan bahwa Lutung Kasarung adalah tunangannya. Di tengah-tengah ejekan dan tertawaan semua orang yang menonton, Lutung Kasarung secara ajaib berubah menjadi pria yang tampan melebihi Indrajaya. Batara Guruminda Kahyangan kembali ke wujudnya semula karena kutukannya telah berakhir, dia berhasil mendapatkan kasih tulus seorang wanita.
Setelah kalah dari perlombaan-perlombaan tersebut, akhirnya Purbararang menyerah dan mengakui kekalahannya. Dengan bijaksana Purbasari memaafkan kakaknya dan membebaskan kakaknya dari hukuman mati.
Akhirnya Purbasari dinobatkan menjadi ratu dan selama memimpin, Purbasari sangat dicintai rakyatnya dan membuat negaranya maju serta rakyatnya sejahtera.
English Version (8:45)
This story tells of a good and wise king named Prabu Tapa Agung and his two beautiful daughters named Purbararang and her younger sister Purbasari. When their father felt that his death was near, he asked Purbasari to replace his position to lead the kingdom. The king said that he was old and could not lead the kingdom and preferred to confine himself in a hermitage and lived as an ascetic.
Hearing her father’s message, Purbararang was very angry and disappointed because she thought that position would fall into her hands as she was the eldest. Consumed by her anger and envy, Purbararang planned to go against her father’s final wish and to harm her own sister. Purbararang asked a witch to curse Purbasari. The witch agreed and prepared an herb lotion to be given to Purbasari. Purbararang managed to trick Purbasari into using the lotion. The lotion caused Purbasari’s body to become itchy and her skin plagued by black spots. Seeing that situation, Purbararang provoked her father to banish Purbasari from the kingdom as she told him that Purbasari’s condition may be caused by them going against the local ancient custom by choosing Purbasari who was not the eldest child as the successor. Convinced by his eldest daughter’s words, Prabu Tapa Agung reluctantly banished Purbasari to the forest outside the kingdom.
Prabu Tapa Agung ordered his regent to take his daughter to the forest. Because of his pity, the regent, besides accompanying her for some time, also built a cottage for Purbasari to stay. Before leaving Purbasari, the regent reminded Purbasari to always be strong to survive and to not dissolve in sadness. The kind regent also promised to visit to help Purbasari.
During her life in the forest, it turned out that Purbasari was not lonely because she was friends with many animals. There was even a black monkey who was very kind and attentive to Purbasari’s condition. Everyday he brought fruits for Purbasari. Purbasari called the black monkey with the name Lutung Kasarung.
No one knew that Lutung Kasarung was actually a god named Batara Guruminda Kahyangan. Because of his arrogance, he was cursed and banished from the heavens and must live on earth as a black monkey. Only when he had learned his lesson in humility and earned the true love of a woman, would he turn back to his original state.
During the full moon, Lutung Kasarung meditated and prayed for Purbasari to be healed. Suddenly around the place Lutung Kasarung meditated, the land turned into a lake with clear, fresh and fragrant water. The next day, Lutung asked Purbasari to take a bath in the lake and also gave her young tamarind leaves to be rubbed on her skin. Miraculously, Purbasari’s skin healed and returned to its healthy state. Purbasari was very happy because she finally recovered and returned to being her beautiful self.
When the regent visited and saw the miracle, he asked Purbasari to return to the kingdom. Purbasari was reluctant at first, but finally agreed as long as she could take with her Lutung Kasarung who had healed her.
When arriving back at the kingdom, Purbararang obviously did not like what she saw and asked to hold a competition between her sister and herself, in which the loser shall be sentenced to death.
The first competition was to see who had the longest hair. With certainty, Purbararang untied her hair, and it cascaded long down below her calves. Purbasari was very worried as she knew she would not be able to beat the length of Purbararang’s hair. But Lutung Kasarung calmed Purbasari and asked her to trust his help. With his supernatural powers, Lutung Kasarung asked invisible angels to come and add the length of Purbasari’s hair which then reached the soles of her feet, defeating Purbararang.
Seeing the defeat, Purbararang quickly made the rules of the next race, namely the competition for the good looks of each woman’s fiance. Purbararang was convinced that there was no man in the country who was as handsome as her fiance, Indrajaya, whereas Purbasari only had Lutung Kasarung by her side. But the kind-hearted Purbasari has already seen for herself the good, kind, loyal heart of Lutung Kasarung and his endless willingness to always help her in need. Without hesitation, she announced that Lutung Kasarung was her fiance. In the midst of ridicule and laughter of everyone who watched, Lutung Kasarung magically transformed back to his original form, the very handsome Batara Guruminda Kahyangan. The curse was broken as he finally succeeded in earning the true love of a woman. Needless to say, his good looks surpassed that of Indrajaya’s.
After losing the competitions, finally Purbararang gave up and admitted her defeat. Purbasari wisely forgave her sister and released her sister from the death sentence.
Finally Purbasari was crowned queen and during her rule, Purbasari was loved by her people and brought progress and prosperity to her country.
Vocabularies
Ajalnya: his death
Bertapa: ascetic
Mencelakakan: to harm
Lulur: scrub
Adat: custom
Larut: dissolve
Penjelmaan: incarnation
Dewa: god
Telaga: lake
Sediakala – original
Batara Guruminda Kahyangan: the name of the character
Dinobatkan: crowned
Sejahtera: prosperous
The Indonesian language used here is in the daily-conversation format, that has influences from the local culture and custom. Should you have questions on the more formal version, please consult with your guru Bahasa Indonesia.