Balinese Religion

The Balinese religion recognises spirits of all kinds. There are spirits of good and evil, gods and demons, banded into two opposing groups so that there is continuous conflict between then(. All spirits are imbued with magic powers, and the eternal struggle between good and evil inevitably affects the daily life of the Balinese. They must propitiate both sides in this struggle so as to avoid neglect by the good spirits and retribution by the bad spirits. It is important that a balanced control of spirit influence be maintained in the interests of harmonious village life. The influence of the gods that produce good fortune, good health and fertility is counterbalanced by the influence of the evil spirits that bring misfortune, bad health and famine. There are times when individuals, or families, or even the village become more prone to the influence of evil, such as at childbirth, menstruation, death, or when a crime has been committed or temple vandalism has occurred. If for these reasons a person or a community becomes physically weakened or religiously unclean (sebel), cleansing and purifying ceremonies must be held to restore the balance of good over evil. This is done by making offerings, purification by fire and water, and by the incantation of secret and magic formulae by consecrated priests, or pedandas. Very many Balinese rituals are of this nature.
There are many demons and devils in the Balinese spirit world. Some are the inoffensive giants of legend, the raksasas, but the butts and kalas are the evil spirits of malice and dissension that haunt the sea shore, the depths of the forest, isolated places and the crossroads of the village. Their purpose is to disturb and pollute, to persecute and destroy, to promote sickness and ill-health.
Gifts to the gods must be sumptuous and well-presented. They must be offered on suitable altars and consist as do presents given to human beings, of gifts of fouls, flowers, meats and money. Offerings intended for evil spirits, however, are contemptuously thrown on the ground and are generally of offal. The gods consume the essence of the offerings, wafted towards them by the priests. The villagers take home and eat the material remainder. Offerings to appease evil spirits, however, being polluted in themselves, are left for the dogs to consume. There are special occasions set aside on every fifth and fifteenth clay for appeasing the evil spirits, but little offerings-a few grains of rice, a few kepengs, a few flowers-will, by virtue of their greed, keep them occupied and minimise their evil actions.
It is clear that if conditions in the village are such that the cs it spirits become dominant, serious troubles will ensue. 'I' his situation call result in epidemics of sickness, the loss of c ri ills and other misfortunes, death and destruction, tinder these conditions most elaborate and costly ceremonies of purification with offerings of blood are necessary to effect that purification.