Sabha-parva adapted to Purbo Asmoro’s Sesaji Raja Suya: transformation of the concept of power

Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata have been regarded as the sources of Javanese wayang act. The literary adaptation includes textual and ideological transformations as the outcome of acculturation between the Javanese and Indian culture. This paper investigates the textual and ideological transformations on the adaptation of Mahābhārata’s second book, Sabha-parva, into Sesaji Raja Suya wayang act by Purbo Asmoro. In this article, Sabha-parva and Sesaji Raja Suya are analyzed as hypo-text and hypertext, respectively, by combining literary adaptation and hypertextuality approach by Gerard Genette and in-depth interview with the author to discuss textual transformations in the characterization of several characters: Yudhisthira, Arjuna, Bima, and Jarasandha. Further analysis on ideological transformation implementing Benedict Anderson and Soemarsaid Moertono’s concept of power in the Javanese culture. Research result shows that the textual transformation represents the notion of Jawa-sabrang which constitutes the Javanese concept of power. According to the discussion, this article concludes that the notion of Jawa-sabrang in Sesaji Raja Suya represents the terrorism issues in Indonesia.