"Garuda Pancasila with the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika"
is the official national
motto of
Indonesia. The phrase is
Old Javanese and is often loosely translated as "Unity in Diversity," but literally means "(Although) in pieces, yet One." It is inscribed in the Indonesian national symbol,
Garuda Pancasila (written on the scroll gripped by the Garuda's claws), and is mentioned specifically in article 36A of the
Constitution of Indonesia.
It is a quotation from an Old Javanese poem
Kakawin Sutasoma, written by Mpu Tantular during the reign of the
Majapahit empire sometime in the 14th century.
Kakawin contains epic poems written in
metres.
This poem is notable as it promotes tolerance between
Hindus (Shivaites) and
Buddhists .
Full stanza
Original
This quotation comes from canto 139, stanza 5. The full stanza reads as follows:
Rwâneka dhâtu winuwus Buddha Wiswa,
Bhinnêki rakwa ring apan kena parwanosen,
Mangka ng Jinatwa kalawan Siwatatwa tunggal,
Bhinnêka tunggal ika tan hana dharma mangrwa.
Translation
It is said that the well-known Buddha and Shiva are two different substances.
They are indeed different, yet how is it possible to recognise their difference in a glance,
since the truth of Jina (
Buddha) and the truth of
Shiva is one.
They are indeed different, but they are of the same kind, as there is no duality in Truth.
This translation is based, with minor adaptations, on the critical text edition by Dr. Soewito Santoso .
