The ship with the dragon that sharpens both the brain and the heart

The approximately 111-meter-long ship Bima Suci was built in 2019 by the Indonesian military and is one of the world's largest sailing ships. The ship's task is to teach young people how to sail and represent Indonesia internationally. During the Tall Ships Races, the ship is docked at Cicignon Ferry Terminal and invites you to meet a cheerful and welcoming culture that finds its exciting roots in Hinduism.

Caption: The hero Bima is used as a figurehead on the ship. Behind the figurehead, you can see clouds as Bima flew over the sky with a dragon in battle. Similarly, the ship Bima will sail over the sea.

About the hero Bima

The ship is named after the hero Bima Suci from the Hindu book Mahabharata. Bima Suci had a tough childhood as his uncle and cousin tried to kill him on several occasions, but Bima ate much more than anyone else and trained hard to become an exceptionally skilled warrior.

As a student, Bima was given the task by his teacher to dive to the bottom of the sea to find the pure water, which represented eternal forgiveness. Bima faced opposition from his family, who wanted to protect him from dangers, as they believed the teacher had given Bima a foolish and dangerous task. And they were right, as the pure water was not found at the bottom of the sea but in the depths of the heart. Bima dismissed his family's protests because he had a pure heart with loyalty to his teacher, so he sharpened his mind to master the task as best he could. On his journey, Bima encountered two enormous giants whom he defeated before being attacked by a massive dragon. The dragon represents disloyalty and mischief, so Bima fought off temptations in both his heart and his mind. The dragon tried to kill Bima, but he tore open the dragon's belly with his teeth! Bima's great feasts had given him a strong jaw that saved his life.

Eventually, Bima succeeded in reaching the bottom of the sea, but he did not find the pure water where he expected. Instead, a god entered his ear and told him that everyone has a piece of the divine within them in the form of the pure water in their heart. He looked into his own heart, accepted that God had a place there, and let the pure water in his heart cleanse itself, granting him forgiveness and transforming him into something even better. Bima distanced himself from selfishness and realized that everyone is equal and entitled to equal love. For this reason, he is called Bima the Pure. Bima then chose to become a priest to spread his knowledge of the pure water and that everyone is equal before God.

In Bali, people seek to find the sacred water in their hearts and sharpen their minds and hearts to serve and participate in divinity through one of several ways. Through a life as a dancer or musician, one follows a spiritual journey in which they are devoted to God. Therefore, the crew of the ship Bima Suci takes part in this spiritual journey when they dance, perform, and play music during their stops in The Tall Ships Races.

Just as the hero Bima Suci was great and strong and performed tasks with a good heart, the ship Bima Suci will carry out its tasks in a manner befitting the hero's memory. Just as the hero Bima Suci was loyal to his teacher, focused in his mind, courageous in adversity and resistant to disloyal and negative temptations, the 104 young apprentices will listen and learn from the steady crew of 102 men. On board the ship, there is a dragon that serves as a reminder to the crew to have a sharpened and pure mind and heart.

Helping young sailors

And in the spirit of Bima Suci, we in Fredrikstad will sharpen our minds and hearts and offer helping hands to the young sailors from Fredrikstad and the rest of the world. The young ones need help to feel safe and welcome in the big world, help to learn something new, help to master their tasks, and, most importantly, to feel friendship. The city of Fredrikstad is fully equipped for this with its young crew members, willing volunteers, and 85,000 residents who share their warm smiles, cultural experiences, and delightful humor. You are welcome to this grand international friendship celebration where all pure hearts are welcome!

Beautiful Norway

Both male and female soldiers from Bima Suci think that Norway is a particularly beautiful country where even the people are beautiful and kind. The only difficulty here is exchanging currency or using Euros in the shops. A couple of the soldiers got to taste the local "Dundersalt" from Brynild, and they smiled and said, "Oh, suddenly we feel very much at home because it has a very similar taste to Indonesia! This tastes good!" They hope that many will cheer for them at the Crew Parade and talk to them afterwards. "Thank you, kind Fredrikstad!" they say."

Text and Photo: Aina Aimée Isenskjold