5. The Bride I’m Looking For
Raden Putra and Ki Santa looked at each other, then Ki Santa said, “Mother, can we meet your daughter, so that we can tell her how good her cooking is?”
The old woman agreed to ask her daughter to come out. At first the young girl refused to come out of the kitchen but when Raden Putra finally revealed who he was and why he wanted to meet all the girls in the land, she shyly came into the room and knelt down in front of him with her face bent down.
As soon as Raden Putra saw her caught his breath in great surprise, for the young girl looked exactly like his former wife, Devi Limaran.
“You are the bride I’m looking for!” he cried out joyfully.
But the young girl shook her head and said that some time ago she had made a promise. The man who wanted to marry her had to do one thing: he had to obtain the holy gamelan ( Javanese orchestra ) Lokananta, from heaven which could make music without being touched.
This was indeed very difficult, but Raden Putra was quite willing to try.
“The person who wants to borrow the holy gamelan has to fast and meditate until the gods hear his prayer,” said Ki Santa.
Raden Putra and Ki Santa went home to let his father know, so that the wedding feast could be prepared. He himself went into the forest and fasted and prayed. He slept in the open air and lived on the leaves that were blown down from the trees and the rain that fell from the sky. He grew thin and weak but he did not gave up. After one hundred days the gods felt sorry for him and granted his wish: the holy gamelan Lokananta would play on his wedding day.
There was joy and happiness in the whole country when Raden Putra finally came home with his bride. On the wedding day the holy gamelan played its heavenly music and every person who heard the beautiful tunes felt happier than he had ever been.
Only then did the young girl reveal her secret. She was Devi Limaran herself. The music of the gamelan Lokananta had broken the evil witch’s spell and she was allowed to come back to her husband, never to leave his side again.
It was very difficult to say who was happier that day, the young couple, the old king or Bu Aminah, for of course the old widow had been invited to the palace. For how could Devi Limaran leave her behind in the old hut?
Bu Aminah remained in the palace. She had everything she wanted. Her old days were filled with joy, and sorrow had left her forever.
