Balinese Life

In Search of Balance
Through Daily Work and Worship

Scenting fragrance of incense sticks and assorted colourful flowers are filling up the atmosphere of Bali everyday. It enables the Hindus to have a concentrated mind on their work and worship. When you go on a trip throughout this island, you will encounter many Balinese people presenting oblations on varied shrines and places where they do activities. This represents their devotion to God that they are ready to begin the activity and in the hope they could earning their life.

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada says (Niti-sastra: 28):” If you want spiritual progress, you should think that in few minutes the demise will come. However, if you desire material happiness, you should think that you will never die.” This verse intends to remind us that the demise spreads in front of us at all times. Therefore, before it comes, make time to know ourselves and the Creator. By this, we will find no fear in facing any obstacles, including the demise itself. When one has determined to choose a spiritual path he will get enlightened during his lifetime. Amongst the many ways to arrive there, one may choose the yajna or holy sacrifice path that is underlying the Vedic philosophy. This enables the material and spiritual lives to go hand in hand.
By and large, this yajna performed by the Hindus falls into two categories, namely the nitya yajna (daily) and naimitika yajna (occasionally). Daily or personal worship at home, like saiban and regular worship, keeps them God-conscious and their home holy. Saiban or naivaidya is performed everyday without exception after cooking in the morning. It represents their daily gratitude for the given endowment and presented to the Creator before they consume together. On the contrary, occasional worship consisting of that celebrated in particular periods of time like the temple anniversary, Galungan & Kuningan, Pagerwesi and Saraswati every one pawukon year (210 days), while those celebrated annually comprise Nyepi and Mahashivaratri.
Daily worship by presenting canang, on the other side, result in an opportunity to provide this paraphernalia as a business. Canang vendors can be easily found at traditional markets or city corners everyday, in the morning or evening. Volume of canang ‘sale’ increases by the rerainan or days of ritual like the Tuesday Kliwon, Wednesday Kliwon, Kajeng Kliwon, Saturday Kliwon, full moon and new moon. Even, on the anniversary of some public temples, some canang vendors are available in front of those temples. So, it would be adequately convenient for devotees to get the canang for worship at ease.
Due to daily activities outside of their home, one may have no time or only limited time to prepare this simple regular oblation. That’s why he or she will purchase some pieces of canang for daily needs. Other than by buying on location by retail, there is another way to obtain it, namely by subscription for the whole months or certain important days during the month. It is just like a newspaper subscription along with its subscription rates that virtually the same. Yet, it’s the fact today. For canang vendors, this piece of work can become a livelihood as there is regular and increasing demand on certain periods.
A unique phenomenon occurred when the crisis came up against the Bali tourism few years ago. It had a significant impact on the canang vendors as well. How so? When the tourist arrivals drastically reduced, it means that it requires fewer vehicles for transferring them in and out or for excursion throughout the island. A driver will mostly buy some pieces of canang at every time he is on duty, presented in the vehicle or places visited to invoke safety. Therefore, if fewer vehicles are in operation it means that they require fewer canangs. As a consequence, the sales of canang decreased. (BTN/029)