The author's investigation of early-modern Javanese law reveals that judicial authority does not come from the contents of legal titles or juridical texts, but from legal maxims and variations thereof. A century and a half ago Simon Keyzer, a recognized scholar of Javanese law, noted that understanding of that law is dependent upon a grasp of such pithy expressions, which provide the key to the whole body of suits. (*Preface*, C.F. Winter, *Javaansche Zamenspraken*, 1858, which examines hundreds of *sloka*, the majority of which are directed to prevailing legal practice).Drawing upon the contents of 18th century Javanese legal texts, the present work builds upon Keyzer's and Winter's references to '*sloka*-phenomena', namely *sloka* proper (maxims) and its derivatives *sinalokan* (that made of *sloka*), *aksara* here meaning legal principles, and *prakara* (matter, case). These are usually conveyed in vignettes illustrating their function and as a group, constitute the essence of traditional Javanese written law.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Section I: Law, Sloka, and Sources
- 1. Traditional Law. Sloka in Pepakem
- Javanese written law
- Legal texts as pepakem
- Generic pepakem and the Pepakem Cirebon of 1768
- 2. Sloka in Javanese Titles
- Manuscripts v. titles
- Titles of the Sloka phenomena
- Sloka
- Slokantara tradition
- Jimbun Slokantara
- Combi Slokantara, Raja Niscaya, Wadigun Wangkara
- Jugul Muda tradition
- The Surya Alam challenge
- The Kartasura Surya Alam and the van der Hout translation
- Aksara
- Sinalokan
- Luwangan
- Didactic sinalokan
- Prakara
- The Yogyakarta/Combi Surya Alam
- Summary
- Section II: Sloka Phenomena in Vignettes
- 3. Sloka
- Substance of a sloka
- The second vignette
- Interpretation
- Verbal symbols
- Sloka ratu
- Sloka authority to punish
- Conclusion
- 4. Aksara
- Origins
- Aksara in the Jaya Lengkara
- Aksara modes
- Descriptive mode
- Functional mode
- Aksara of the right/truth
- Aksara of the wrong
- Rajâji mode
- Sloka support for aksara
- Aksara of a Surya Alam
- Discussion
- 5. Sinalokan
- Sinalokan in the Jugul Muda
- Other sources of sinalokan
- Luwangan sloka
- Kinawi
- 6. Prakara
- 7. Vignettes and Practice
- Vignettes
- Jugul Muda and Jaya Lengkara vignettes
- A triangle drama
- Bok Ening/Ni Indun
- Indelibly Dora
- Ki Temen v. Ki Dora
- Kartiguna/Japlak
- Jimbun Era texts
- Pun Dalu
- Ni Guna v. Pun Tarka
- Pun Bama v. Pun Diwal
- Practice
- Karta Nagara v. Karta Dinata et.al. 1722
- State v. Wira Wadana and Tanu Patra, 1715
- Kandurahan Panembong v. Suba Mangala of 1714/15
- Puspa Nagara/Wisa Truna affair of 1717
- Section III: Character, Apparent Demise, and Context
- 8. Character
- Sloka phenomena as unique
- Goal
- Selectivity
- Autonomous law
- 9. Context
- ‘Rumors of my demise…’
- Sloka phenomena today
- Past in the present
- Aji Saka lives!
- Ramalan: contemporaneous Islamic moral wisdom
- Section IV: End Material
- Appendix I. The Problematic Pepakem Tjerbon
- Appendix II. Classic Sloka
- Appendix III. Titles ‘Left Out’
- Appendix IV. Diverse Components
- Abbreviations
- Sources Consulted
- Index
- List of Tables
- Table 2.1 The Surya Alam
- Table 2.2 Dedicated and non-dedicated titles containing sloka phenomena
- Table 4.1 Aksara
- Table 4.2 Andhih-andhihan
- Table 4.3 Uger-Uger (aksara salah)
- Table 4.4 Aksara: punishment and sloka
- Table 4.5 Surya Alam aksara and punishments
- Table 5.1 Luwangan sinalokan
- Table 6.1 Prakara evolution
- Appendix I, Table 1 Manuscripts v. the Pepakem Tjerbon