The legend of Annapurna, Hindu goddess of nourishment - Antara Raychaudhuri & Iseult Gillespie

Reviewer: Made Pramana

Lord Shiva— primordial destroyer of evil, slayer of demons,

Dewa Siwa— penghancur kejahatan, pembasmi iblis,

protector, and omniscient observer of the universe—

pelindung, serta pengamat alam semesta yang mahatahu—

was testing his wife’s patience.

sedang menguji kesabaran istrinya.

Historically, the union between Shiva and Parvati was a glorious one.

Secara historis, bersatunya Siwa dan Parwati sangatlah agung.

They maintained the equilibrium between thought and action

Mereka mampu menjaga keseimbangan antara pikiran dan tindakan

yang menentukan kesejahteraan dunia.

on which the well-being of the world depended.

Without Parvati as the agent of energy, growth, and transformation on Earth,

Tanpa Parwati sebagai perantara energi, pertumbuhan, dan perubahan di bumi,

Shiva would become a detached observer, and the world would remain static.

Siwa akan menjadi pengamat yang rapuh, dan bumi akan menjadi stasis.

But together, the two formed a divine union known as Ardhanarishvara––

Tapi bersama-sama, keduanya membentuk kesatuan ilahi disebut Ardhanarishvara––

a sacred combination

sebuah kombinasi suci

which brought fertility and connection to all living things.

yang membawa kesuburan serta hubungan kepada semua makhluk hidup.

For these reasons, Parvati was worshipped far and wide

Dengan alasan ini, Parwati dipuja di mana-mana

as the mother of the natural world––

sebagai ibu dunia alamiah––

and the essential counterpart to Shiva’s powers of raw creation.

serta pasangan penting untuk kekuatan penciptaan Siwa.

She oversaw humanity’s material comforts;

Dia mengawasi kecukupan duniawi manusia;

and ensured that the Earth’s inhabitants were bonded to each other

dan memastikan bahwa penghuni bumi terikat satu sama lain

physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

secara fisik, emosional, dan spiritual.

Yet a rift had grown between these two formidable forces.

Namun terjadi keretakan di antara dua kekuatan tangguh ini.

While Parvati sustained daily life with care and control,

Sementara Parwati menjaga kehidupan dengan perhatian dan kontrol,

Shiva had begun to belittle his wife’s essential work—

Siwa mulai meremehkan pekerjaan penting istrinya—

and insisted on quarreling about their roles in the universe.

dan bersikeras untuk berselisih tentang peran mereka di alam semesta.

He believed that Brahma, the Creator of the world,

Dia percaya bahwa Brahma, sang Pencipta dunia,

had conceived the material plane purely for his own fancy.

telah menyusun tingkat kecukupan duniawi untuk kesenangannya sendiri.

And therefore, all material things were merely distractions called māyā—

Karena itu, harta hanyalah gangguan yang disebut māyā—

nothing but a cosmic illusion.

hanya ilusi kosmik semata.

For millennia Parvati had merely smiled knowingly

Selama ribuan tahun Parwati hanya tersenyum mengetahui

as Shiva dismissed the things she nurtured.

bahwa Siwa menolak segala hal yang telah dia pelihara.

But upon His latest rebuke,

Tapi setelah teguran-Nya yang terakhir,

she knew she had to prove the importance of her work

dia tahu bahwa dia harus membuktikan seberapa penting tugasnya

once and for all.

untuk yang terakhir kalinya.

She took flight from the world,

Dia meninggalkan dunia,

withdrawing her half of the cosmic energy that kept the Earth turning.

membawa setengah dari energi kosmiknya yang membuat Bumi berputar.

At her disappearance, a sudden, terrifying and all-encompassing scarcity

Dengan kepergiannya yang tiba-tiba, ketakutan dan kelangkaan

enveloped the world in eerie silence.

menyelimuti dunia dengan kesunyian yang menakutkan.

Without Parvati, the land became dry and barren.

Tanpa adanya Parwati, tanah menjadi kering dan tandus.

Rivers shrank and crops shriveled in the fields.

Sungai-sungai mengering dan tanaman layu di ladang.

Hunger descended on humanity.

Kelaparan mendatangi manusia.

Parents struggled to console their starving children

Para orang tua kesulitan menghibur anak mereka yang kelaparan

while their own stomachs rumbled.

saat perut mereka sendiri keroncongan.

With nothing to eat, people no longer gathered over heaped bowls of rice,

Tanpa makanan, orang-orang tak lagi berkumpul untuk semangkuk nasi,

but withdrew and shrank from the darkening world.

mereka pergi dan menghilang dari dunia yang penuh kegelapan.

To His shock and awe,

Kaget dan ketakutan,

Shiva also felt the profound emptiness left by his wife’s absence.

Siwa juga merasakan kehampaan yang dalam setelah ditinggalkan istrinya.

Despite His supreme power,

Meskipun memiliki kekuatan yang agung,

He too realized that He was not immune to the need for sustenance,

Dia menyadari bahwa Dia juga membutuhkan dukungan,

and His yearning felt bottomless and unbearable.

dan kerinduannya terasa sangat dalam dan tak tertahankan.

As Shiva despaired over the desolate Earth,

Saat Siwa putus asa pada bumi yang gersang,

He came to realize that the material world

Dia sadar bahwa kecukupan duniawi

could not be so easily dismissed.

tidak bisa dengan mudah diabaikan.

At her husband’s epiphany,

Atas kesadaran suaminya,

the compassionate Parvati could no longer stand by

Parwati yang pengasih tak mampu lagi bertahan

and watch her devotees wasting away.

melihat para pengikutnya kelaparan.

To walk among them and restore their health,

Untuk datang kembali dan memulihkan kesehatan mereka,

she took the form of a new avatar,

dia menjelma dengan penjelmaan baru,

carrying a golden bowl of porridge and armed with a jewel-encrusted ladle.

membawa mangkok emas berisi bubur dan bersenjata sendok bertatahkan permata.

As word of this hopeful figure spread,

Saat berita tentang sosok penuh harapan ini menyebar,

she was worshipped as Annapurna, the Goddess of food.

dia dipuja sebagai Annapurna, Dewi pangan.

With the arrival of Annapurna, the world blossomed anew.

Dengan kedatangan Annapurna, dunia bersemi kembali.

People rejoiced at fertility and food, and communed together to give thanks.

Orang-orang bersukacita atas kesuburan dan makanan, dan mereka berterima kasih.

Beberapa orang percaya bahwa Annapurna pertama kali muncul di kota suci Kashi,

Some believe that Annapurna first appeared in the sacred city of Kashi,

or the Place of Freedom, on the banks of the Ganges—

atau di Tempat Kebebasan di tepi sungai Gangga—

where she opened a kitchen to fill the bellies of the people

tempat dia membuka dapur untuk mengisi perut orang-orang

until they could eat no more.

hingga mereka kenyang.

But it was not only mere mortals who were served at her feast.

Tetapi bukan hanya manusia yang disuguhi di pesta perjamuannya.

Humbled at the scenes of earthly pleasure blooming all around him,

Merasa rendah hati di tempat yang penuh kesenangan duniawi di sekelilingnya,

Lord Shiva himself approached the goddess with an empty bowl

Dewa Siwa menghampiri sang dewi dengan membawa mangkuk kosong

and begged for food and forgiveness.

dan meminta makanan dan ampunan.

For this reason, the supreme deity is sometimes portrayed as a poor beggar

Untuk alasan ini, dewa tertinggi kadang digambarkan sebagai pengemis miskin

untuk mendapatkan ampunan Annapurna;

at the mercy of Annapurna;

holding her golden bowl in her left hand, while the right forms the abhaya mudra––

memegang mangkuk emas di tangan kirinya,

dan tangan kanannya membentuk abhaya mudra––

a gesture of safety and assurance.

isyarat keselamatan dan kepastian.

With these symbols, this powerful avatar makes it clear

Dengan simbol-simbol ini, reinkarnasi yang kuat ini membuktikan

that the material world is anything but an illusion.

bahwa kecukupan duniawi bukan hanyalah sebuah ilusi.

Rather, it is a cycle of life that must be sustained—

Sebaliknya, itu adalah siklus kehidupan yang harus dipertahankan—

dari memberi makan mulut yang terbuka dan perut yang keroncongan,

from the feeding of open mouths and rumbling bellies,

to the equilibrium of the Earth.

hingga keseimbangan Dunia.