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A Song of Devotion: Inspiration from Keraton

The sound of morning azan from the mosque near my hostel woke me up. Four thirty o’clock. I decided to enjoy the morning view. I walked along Malioboro Street, the renowned street at Yogyakarta. Soundless footsteps on the paseo. What a mystic dawn.
On my way, I saw an old man walking and bringing big bamboo basket in both of his hand. He wore a full dress Javanese uniform. Once in a while he stopped and put the basket. Curious. I introduced myself and offered help to bring the basket. I told him that perhaps we were on the same destination, The Sultan Palace: Keraton.
The old man whose name was Mbah Maridjan was very friendly. He told me that he was an Abdi Dalem, a palace servant, who had been working in the palace for forty years. He was very proud of being palace servants. The Sultan of the Palace gave them special education to be an expertise in Javanese tradition, especially in Palace custom. He prepared every ritual that held in the Palace. The basket that he brought contained offering that would be used in Grebeg Syawal Ceremony, a ceremony to celebrate the day of victory after the fasting month of Ramadan. There would be a parade that involved imperial army of several garrisons and palace servants. Mbah Maridjan would also join in this sacred tradition. He invited me to see the parade.
Being Abdi Dalem is a passion. Salary is not the most important thing for him. Although he only received 1-2 dollar in a month, he accepted it gratefully. “The most important thing is devotion. God will always give a way. It will bring you to happiness,” he said. He believed that the blessing of the Palace brought wealth, health, children and fortune. Amazing. “When I give all of my life, I feel peaceful. I find an Inner peace,” he added. In this modern world, when many people fight with one another to be the richest, Mbah Maridjan had shown me the different point of view. Thank you for your precious and inspiring lesson, Mbah!