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The wayang kulit, the shadow-play theater, is a major source of aesthetic, emotional, and moral education in Javanese society. One of the most popular stories of the wayang repertoire, drawn from the Javanese version of the Mahabharata epic of India, is that of Dewa Ruci, in which the young Bima, called Bratasena, is sent by his guru Durna to search for the water of life. This is actually part of an evil plan to destroy the five Pendawa Brothers, the heroes of the epic, of whom Bratasena is the strongest and most feared. Refusing to believe that a guru could be untruthful to his disciple, Bratasena undertakes the arduous quest. First, he journeys to the mountain Tjandramuka where he encounters two giant ogres and a fight ensues. Bratasena, apparently victorious, kills them, but is surprised when they assume divine forms and reveal their true identities as Bayu (Bratasena's father, the god of wind) and Indra (the god of storm and rain). They tell Bratasena that the water of life cannot be found on the mountain, but that he should continue his search.
Angry, Bratasena returns to his guru and says that he has been deceived; but the guru says that he had sent Bratasena up the mountain as a test of his bravery and strength to make sure that he was able to undergo the actual journey he must make. Then, he tells Bratasena that he will find the water in the middle of the sea, hoping that Bratasena will be drowned there.
Rejecting the warnings of his family, Bratasena departs again on his quest. Taking great leaping steps, he lands at the shore of an immense sea. Knee-deep in the water, Bratasena is seized by a serpent; but, with his long daggerlike