Kekuasaan dan Kekuatan Bhuta dalam Teks Lontar Roga Sanghara Bhumi dan Covid-19 di Bali: Analisis Etnolinguistik

This paper discusses the power of bhuta in the lontar (palm leaf) manuscript of Roga Sanghara Bhumi (RSB), in the context of Covid-19 in Bali, from an ethnolinguistic perspective. The RSB manuscript is a treasure documenting local knowledge reflecting Balinese Hindu culture about the existence of bhuta as a negative force causing disease outbreaks. The linguistic aspects examined and discussed include the integration of various lexico-grammatical elements, textually and contextually related to power and pandemics. The study is qualitative descriptive; important findings include the use of ethnolinguistic capital and local Balinese-Hindu symbols related to the conception/role of bhuta's power and rituals practised by the Balinese, and how the Balinese maintain the dynamic balance of the universe's harmony and well-being. Evidence of ethnolinguistic resources includes multi-lingual diglossic closely related to the function of RSB as a reference of advice to deal with pandemics. Cultural contextual features in RSB describe the cosmology, description and explanation of the occurrences of various outbreaks (sasab, gering, mrana, grubug) and the role of butha and its handling. Analysis in the context of Covid-19 is also provided. This paper underscores the importance of using local-traditional wisdom approaches in pandemic management to complement modern ones.