JAKA TARUB AND NAWANG WULAN
Jaka Tarub was a handsome and
diligent young man. He lived in a village near a lake. One day, when
Jaka Tarub passed the lake, he heard some giggles and laughs of some
girls who were bathing in the lake. He was curious, so he peeped through
the bushes. There were seven beautiful girls in the lake. They’re
fairies from the heavenly kingdom of kahyangan. Jaka Tarub saw a scarf
near the bushes. It belonged to one of the fairies. Jaka Tarub then took
it and hid it.
Crack!!! Accidentally, Jaka
Tarub stepped on a twig. “There’s someone!” said one of the fairies.
“Let’s get back. Hurry!” she said. They pulled over and wear their
scarf. “Where is my scarf?” one of the fairies couldn’t find her scarf.
She was the youngest fairy called Nawang Wulan. They tried to search for
it, but it was no where to be found. “We’re sorry, Wulan. We have to go
back to kahyangan,” said the eldest fairy. “You’ll have to find it by
yourself. We’ll wait for you in kahyangan,” she said in empathy. The
other fairies then flew to the sky leaving Nawang Wulan behind. Nawang
Wulan saw them leaving in tears. She was so sad.
“Excuse me …,” said Jaka Tarub,
startling Nawang Wulan. “Are you okay?” he asked. Nawang Wulan moved
backward, “Who are you?” she asked. “My name is Jaka Tarub. I was
passing by and I heard you crying, so I came to see what happen,” Jaka
Tarub lied. Nawang Wulan then told him about her problem. “I can’t fly
without my scarf,” she said. Jaka Tarub then asked Nawang Wulan to come
home with him. At first, Nawang Wulan refused the offer. But since she
didn’t have anywhere else to go, Nawang Wulan then decided to follow
Jaka Tarub.
Nawang Wulan stayed with Jaka
Tarub in the village. A month passed, and they decided to get married.
Nawang Wulan was willing to marry a human because she fell in love with
Jaka Tarub. After a year, they had a beautiful daughter. They named her
Kumalasari. They lived happily.
Jaka Tarub was also happy to
live with Nawang Wulan and Kumalasari. Especially because he always got a
lot of harvest since he married Nawang Wulan. He couldn’t even keep all
of his harvest in the barn because it was always full. “It’s so weird.
Nawang Wulan cooked everyday, but why is my barn always full,” Jaka
Tarub mumbled to himself. He was so curious. One day, Jaka Tarub stayed
at home. “I want to stay home today. I’d like to play with Kumalasari,”
he said to his wife. “Well, I’ll go to the river to wash the clothes.
Please keep an eye on Kumalasari,” asked Nawang Wulan. “I’m cooking rice
now. Please do not open the pan cover before it’s done,” she said just
before she left. “Could this be the secret?” Jaka Tarub thought. After
Nawang Wulan left, he curiously opened the pan cover. He found only one
single paddy. “How come?” he wondered.
Before lunch, Nawang Wulan came
home. She headed to the kitchen to see the rice she had cooked. She
found that the rice turned into only a few grains. “Did you open the pan
cover?” she asked her husband. “I… I’m sorry. I was curious,” Jaka
Tarub said as he realized his fault.
Ever since, Nawang Wulan had
lost her power. She couldn’t cook rice with only a single paddy. Their
paddy supply was slowly lessened. Their barn was almost empty. One day,
Nawang Wulan went to the barn to get some paddy. When she took one of
them, she found a scarf. “What’s this? This is my scarf,” said Nawang
Wulan startled.
That night, Nawang Wulan asked
her husband about the scarf. Jaka Tarub’s eyes widened, “You found it?”
he asked. Jaka Tarub looked down and asked for her forgiveness. “Because
I’ve found my scarf, it’s time for me to go back to where I belong,”
Nawang Wulan said. Jaka Tarub tried to stop her, but Nawang Wulan had
made up her mind. “Please take good care of Kumalasari,” she said. “If
she wanted to see me, take seven grains of candlenut and put it into a
basket. Shake it as you play the bamboo flute. I’ll come to see her,”
she explained.
Jaka Tarub promised to take good
care of their daughter. He once again asked for forgiveness for all of
his mistakes. “I’ve forgiven you, so you don’t have to feel guilty. I
must go now. Take care,” said Nawang Wulan as she flew to the bright
full moon.***
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