Begawan1 Mintarga opened his eyes in a hushed manner. As you might expect, the morning star is the brightest of all the constellations. His eyes then turn to the scenery, the lights of the people's houses are faintly visible and dimly lit when viewed from the boulder, where he is ascetic from the top of the hill.
The rushing wind and splashing of the falling waterfall broke the silence. Begawan mintage lets out a long sigh. The hint of the Batara2 this time felt stranger than before. If usually, the one who comes to meet him is the light of the Batara, then this time what he met was a silver-white figure similar to a snake.
The figure has long, forked horns on top of his head. His silver-white scales made Begawan Mintarga look into his eyes with eyes half-closed from glare. He has a kind of long mane fur almost all over his body. A pair of whisker-like manes, and four legs, one of which carries a luminous round object.
The terrible creature claimed that he was named Sang Hyang Antaboga3. He is the master of the bottom of the earth and the ocean. He had just returned from his journey from Swargaloka4 and was asked for help by the gods to meet him. Sang Hyang Antaboga will convey the message of the gods to him.
"Presumably, what message does the Batara5 want to convey to this despicable servant, my lord Sang Hyang Antaboga?" asked Begawan Mintarga in a deep voice, as it resisted the vibrating fear that swept through his soul. He had met many creatures other than humans. Ranging from demons, jinn, and even giants, but only this time he felt goosebumps as soon as he saw the creepy creatures in front of his eyes.
He also doubted if this creature before him was a messenger of the Batara because the Batara light was bright but not dazzling, calm, gentle, and soothing to the soul, not as rude and sinister as the creature that now appeared before him.
The doubts were read by the dragon.
"Mintarga, indecision can make you wretched!" He said in an ominous, hoarse voice.
"Please forgive the servant, my lord. The servant is only worried that he will meet not the messenger of the Batara but the devil disguised to weaken the servant's faith."
Hearing the explanation from Begawan Mintarga, Sang Hyang Antaboga burst into laughter, his mane hovering and looking terrible.
"Batara already know your answer. Hence they gave me this, Mintarga!" One of Sang Hyang Antaboga's legs, which had initially carried nothing, had a Padma. The lotus flower was radiant when he arrived at the swargaloka, and the light was as soothing as she remembered seeing in a dream.
"Is this enough Mintarga? Demons, jinns, giants, and the like will not be able to hold and pluck the Padma that is in the park of Swargaloka!"
Resi Mintarga nodded. After seeing the Padma below by Sang Hyang Antaboga, the hesitation in his heart faded and was erased.
"Begawan Mintarga is the adopted son of Maespati's royal servant, Djatiwalu. Are you ready to hear Batara 's message for you?"
Once again, Begawan Mntarga nodded, but this time he no longer had any doubts in his heart.
"Now hear the message from the Batara to you, Mintarga, the adopted son of the servant Maespati, Djatiwalu. From now on, you will take care of the seven dragon eggs until the birth of someone who will be able to liberate the ends of Swarnadwipa4, Jaya Dwipa4, Borneo4, and the entire Archipelago from the dark ages that will invade. Are you willing to accept divine order, Mintarga?"
"My lord, the servant, is willing to accept this heavy responsibility."
"Before these seven dragon eggs are yours, do you have anything to ask, Mintarga?"
"Yes, my lord. If my lord, Sang Hyang Antaboga pleases, may the servant ask anything?"
"What question is that?"
"How will the servant recognize the child later? Will there be any special omens?"
"Don't worry, Mintarga. If that time had come, the eggs would have emitted seven rainbow-colored lights. The kid who will come looking for you. Those eggs will not be seen by ordinary eyes. Only yours and the child's can see them, if the child touches them, then the eggs will disappear, and all the dragons will be born in their body."
"Born in their body?"
"Yes, but I can't explain it further because everything is the secret of the Batara. And none of us knows the secret."
"Alright, Sang Hyang Antaboga, your servant understands. But how can the child look for a servant?" He questioned.
"Begawan Mintarga, if you trust the Gods, then your unreasonable things will come to see you. Be patient, because caring for the dragon eggs is not easy. You must keep burning the seven dragon eggs on the smoldering fire. That fire should never be extinguished. And if you die before the birth of the foreseen child, you must tell the person you trust most about the dragon eggs. But be careful not to believe the wrong person. If that happens, then the dragons that will be born will destroy the entire archipelago and this world without a doubt."
Begawan Mintarga took a tense sip of saliva. He looked worried. He was already 78 years old and would die at any time, but now that he had such a big mandate, he was also afraid and distrustful of his students. He was worried that his students would be tempted and would be the key to making destruction in this world, but those questions were in his eyes, especially when he saw the creepy face of Sang Hyang Antaboga. His tongue felt speechless.
"Mintarga, there is nothing for you to worry about. Believe in the Batara, let the working hands of the Gods save you."
"Well, my lord, the servant understands."
"If there's nothing else you want to ask, now close your eyes," he commanded in a rough voice.
Begawan Mintarga cupped his eyes, and after a while he felt something cold, stroking his closed eyelids.
"Open your eyes!"
Begawan Mintarga opened his eyes. He saw the dewy seven-color flower Ananta kusuma5 in the grasp of one of Sang Hyang Antaboga's legs now on the dragon's feet, and it seemed that the water from Ananta Kusuma was stroking his eyelids.
"This Ananta Kusuma is a flower that symbolizes the seven dragons, and from now on, you are allowed to see it."
Ananta Kusuma soon disappeared from Begawan Mintarga's sight. It was Sang Hyang Antabooga who opened the round object he was carrying.
"This is the Cupu Astaghina6 that Batara gave me. Now, Mintarga, please accept the gift of the gods to you."
A round object called Cupu Astagina slid from Sang Hyang Antaboga's hand into Begawan Mintarga's lap. Cupu, an object that was originally as big as a stone, shrank to the size of a chicken egg. The thing was dazzling silvery white, and Begawan Mintarga realized that, from that day on, his life would never be the same again.
And after handing over Cupu Astaghina, Sang Hyang Antaboga disappeared from Begawan Mintarga's sight, disappeared, and left only a gust of wind.
1. Begawan : The title of priest or ascetic in Hinduism in Indonesia
2. Batara : god in Sanskrit language/ in Hinduism in Indonesia.
3. Sang Hyang Antaboga : The ruler god of the earth is in the form of a dragon, and he appears in Hindu mythology in Java and Bali, Indonesia.
4. Swarnadwipa, jaya dwipa, borneo (Indonesia island in Sanskrit)
5. Ananta kusuma Colorful flowers in Sanskrit
6. Cupu astagina : Cupu Astagina is a container given by the god that is round and small in size made of wood or metal