Sailing The Story of Dewa Ruci Boat

TIMESINDONESIA, LOMBOK – Hotel Tugu Lombok’s Dewa Ruci boat carries the legend of Dewa Ruci, the Ruler of the Ocean. A part of the epic ancient Hindu story of Mahabharata, the story began with the main protagonist, the strong Bima, one of the five Pandawa brothers, who had a teacher named Drona who ordered Bima to look for the ‘water of life’ which would help Bima reach the perfection of life. This order was just a ploy to distract Bima so that he would not participate in the Baratayuda War, because Drona actually wanted the stepbrothers of Bima, Kurawa, to win the war against the Pandawa brothers.

Bima, who was always a loyal student, immediately carried out the teacher’s orders. First, he was sent to the Candramuka mountain cave. There he fought two giants who lived there, namely Rukmuka and Rukmakala whom Bima defeated, but the water of life was nowhere to be found.

He was leaning on a banyan tree when he heard a whisper, “Oh my sad grandson, you are looking for something that is not here. It is impossible to find the water of life here.” The voice was The God of Indra’s who then told him that to seek for the water of life, he had to return to Astina.

After his return, he again met his teacher Drona who said that he was only testing Bima. This time, he ordered him to go to the Ocean to get the water of life. Bima’s relatives warned him that it was just a trap, but he went anyway.

Arriving at the edge of the sea, he was doubtful if he could enter the great ocean. Using the supernatural magic that he got from Batara Bayu, the God of Wind, he entered the seabed by slicing the water, and was even able to breathe underwater. There at the bottom of the sea lived a dragon that Bima was able to beat by stabbing his nails.

After the dragon died, Bima met a dwarf God named Dewa Ruci whose face resembled Bima himself. The size of Dewa Ruci was no bigger than Bima’s palm. Dewa Ruci ordered Bima to enter his left ear, an impossible order. However, with a miracle, Bima managed to enter and in it Bima found a vast world. Dewa Ruci then told him that the water of life was basically within man himself, and he needed not to go anywhere to find it but instead, simply to look inside himself.