“One day there will be a cart without a horse.” “There will be a boat flying in the sky.” “These are the signs that the Jayabaya era is coming.”
Today, we are honored to introduce you to a great king from ancient Java, who also was a gifted clairvoyant: Prabu Jayabaya. Raja Jayabaya, whose full name is Sri Mapanji Jayabaya, was the great King of Widarba (now the Kediri Regency in East Java) who lived in the 12th century. Prabu Jayabaya (“Prabu” in Javanese means both “King” and “spiritual Master”) was famous as “narendra gung binathara,” meaning an honorable leader, great envoy of justice, and ruler of the universe who governed in peace and beauty. He was believed to be God incarnated in the world.
The Kediri Kingdom experienced a golden age when it was ruled by His Majesty Prabu Jayabaya from 1135 to 1157. It was like the Javanese saying: “gemah ripah loh jinawi, tata tentrem karta raharja,” meaning a prosperous, safe and peaceful country. Under the leadership of Prabu Jayabaya, the Kingdom reached a pinnacle of civilization, as evidenced by the high quality of Javanese literary works such as “Bhāratayuddha” retelling the Indian epic Mahabharata; “Gathutkacasraya”; and “Hariwangsa” telling the story of Lord Krishna. The authors of such Javanese masterpieces were prominent poets still famed today, Empu Sedah and Empu Panuluh. In the prologue of these texts, King Jayabaya is even mentioned as the protector of these two celebrated poets.
The prosperous Kingdom of Kediri just like their faithful Hindu ruler, Raja Jayabaya, also placed great value on the spiritual sphere. Places of worship were built everywhere, and all spiritual masters were treated with respect. The King himself was very fond of meditating alone in the forest. Deep meditation along with avoiding food and sleep became his daily ritual. Because of his pious behavior and clairvoyance, the Javanese people called him Prabu of “weruh sadurunge winarah” meaning one who is blessed with the ability to know events before they occur. King Jayabaya is most famous for the prophecies attributed to him. Although the original manuscripts did not survive, his predictions have been passed down orally and recorded by poets later on, in books such as “Serat Musarar,” “Serat Pranitiwakya,” and especially the well known collection titled “Prelambang Jayabaya.”
The following prediction by King Jayabaya is particularly popular among Indonesians, as it reveals about the history of their country. “White buffaloes will come to rule Java, and they will remain for a long time; they will be supplanted by a yellow [people short in stature], who will remain only for the lifetime of the corn plant; then, after a period of chaos, Java will come back to its own people.”
Here, it is predicted that the Indonesian archipelago would be ruled by a “white” race for a long time, then a “yellow” race for a short time (represented by the short lifetime of the corn plant), then be glorious and independent again. This prophecy became a reality with the 300 years of Indonesian colonization by the Dutch (white race) from the 18th to 20th centuries. The Japanese defeat of the Dutch in Indonesia in 1942 was thus actually received with joy, as the Javanese viewed it as a realization of the 800-year-old prophecy. The Japanese (yellow race) then occupied Indonesia until 1945, or three-and-a-half years before Indonesia’s independence in August 1945. After that, the country has developed into the largest economy in Southeast Asia. King Jayabaya’s prophecies have had a great influence on the minds of many Indonesians till today, and researchers still study them, because much of what he predicted has come to pass.
To every Javanese person, King Jayabaya is their ancestor whom they are very proud of and admire. The King’s predictions are reflections of future events, but they also contain reminders that people should always turn to the teachings of moral goodness and remember their true identity which actually belongs to God. For example, King Jayabaya wrote, “Tansah eling lan waspodo,” meaning, “Always remember the True Self and be aware.” This saying is still cherished among the spiritually minded Javanese people.
According to King Jayabaya, a Great Leader would appear one day to usher in an enlightened and peaceful new era. He called this Savior “Ratu Adil.” “Ratu Adil” means the “King or Queen of Peace and Justice.” And He/She would come when certain distinct signs and phenomena would be seen in the world:
“One day there will be a cart without a horse.” This means in Javanese that one day there will be a cart without a horse. This has happened now in the modern era. There are carts without horses, which are today’s machine-operated cars, buses and trains, etc.
“The island of Java will be circled by an iron necklace.” This means that the island of Java will be enclosed by “an iron necklace.” The word “iron necklace” is believed to be a symbol for trains and their railroad that goes around Java Island.
“There will be a boat flying in the sky.” With this sentence about “boats flying in the sky,” King Jayabaya wanted to tell about the future mode of transportation that is the airplane, which certainly looks like a ship sailing through the sky with people aboard!
“The rivers will lose their current.” The prediction says that the rivers will lose their currents and dwindle. The King thus knew already what would happen to our earth, just as scientists have been warning us that many springs, lakes and reservoirs are running out of water. Also, in another part of the prophecy, the King said that “rains will fall in the wrong season.” Etc… He clearly foresaw the current global warming and climate change, which we are experiencing because of humans’ mass raising and killing of animals and negligence to the environment.
“There will be markets without crowds.” The prophecy also reveals that there will be markets without crowds of people. With the current technology, there are indeed a lot of markets today without sounds and without crowds, since the buying and selling transactions are done online.
“These are the signs that the Jayabaya era is coming.” King Jayabaya then states that all the above “are the signs that the Jayabaya era is coming.” “Jayabaya” stands for “Jaya” meaning glory and “Baya” meaning danger. Thus, the Jayabaya era means the Golden Age after the dark age is gone. This is the era when Ratu Adil, the King/Queen of Peace and Justice, will come! Could Supreme Master Ching Hai be this Savior-Leader whom Prabu Jayabaya prophesied? We’ll find out the truth as the coming episodes unfold. “I hope people wake up for the new era. Honest and transparency and peace. I’m working at it.” “I want our world to be perfect, paradise-like for our innocent children that come after us, and for the innocent helpless, defenseless but beautiful noble souls in the form of animals.” “Now it’s time for humanity to go back to how our Creator originally intended for all Hiers children to live – in dignity, respect, peace, love, and to be good stewards of our Earthly abode.”
