CH 15–2: How Kampar Got Steamrolled by Melaka

The chapter continues with the news that Sultan ‘Alauddin orders the conquest of Kampar (in Sumatera), with Seri Nara Aldiraja as his war commander. When everything is ready, Seri Nara Aldiraja goes forth with Sang Setia, Sang Naya, Sang Guna and the war-​chiefs; Ikhtiar Muluk comes along, too.The Raja of Kampar is named Maharaja Jaya, who is from the royal family of Pagaruyung, and his city is Pekan Tua. When he hears that Seri Nara Aldiraja is coming to attack, he orders his chief minister Tun Demang to assemble the troops. So Tun Demang goes to the people and gathers an army, and equips them with weapons. Then Seri Nara Aldiraja arrives and the men of Melaka come to shore. Maharaja Jaya goes forth on his elephant, with the spear-​wielding Tun Demang marching beside him. The men of Kampar then fight the men of Melaka: some use spears, some hack with battle-​axes (“berte­takkan cipan”), some shoot with arrows, and many men from both sides are killed, and lots of blood flows on the ground.

The men of Kampar are forced to recede. When Maharaja Jaya and Tun Demang see this, they run forth and attack the men of Melaka, leaving a trail of corpses (“bangkai bertimbunan”) in their wake. The Melakan men flee to the sea-​side, leaving only Seri Nara Aldiraja and Ikhtiar Muluk who stand their ground. Maharaja Jaya and Tun Demang and the Kampar men continue their attack, showering down weapons like rain. And Seri Nara Aldiraja says to Maharaja Jaya, “Your Majesty, I ask that you give me this piece of ground that I stand on. If you persist in trying to wrest it from me, I will present this spear (to kill you) from your royal elder brother (the king of Melaka).” Tun Demang then stabs Ikhtiar Muluk through the shoulder with his spear. Ikhtiar Muluk then takes his head-​cloth and says to Seri Nara Aldiraja, “Chief, I have been wounded.” And so Seri Nara Aldiraja bandages the wound (“dibebatnya”).

Ikhtiar Muluk, who is armed with a Persian bow, shoots right at Tun Demang’s temple (“pelipisan”), making him gush blood (“meleleh”), and Tun Demang collapses beside the elephant of Maharaja Jaya. When Maharaja Jaya sees Tun Demang is dead, he steers his elephant straight at Seri Nara Aldiraja. And Seri Nara Aldiraja uses the spear in his hand to stab Maharaja Jaya straight through the chest, and the king collapses on his elephant. And so Maharaja Jaya dies.

When they see Maharaja Jaya and Tun Demang are dead, the men of Kampar run like hell, but they are hounded by the Melakan forces who kill them, and then go into the fort. And the Melakan men go on a looting frenzy. After this, Seri Nara Aldiraja returns with the spoils.

After a journey of some time, they arrive in Melaka and Seri Nara Aldiraja presents himself to Sultan ‘Alauddin, who is pleased as punch at the conquest, and gives rewards to Seri Nara Aldiraja and Ikhtiar Muluk. And Kampar is handed to Seri Nara Aldiraja, who estab­lishes a governor (“Adipati”) in Kampar.

The king commands Seri Nara Aldiraja to go to Kampar and install his son Raja Munawar Syah as king, with Seri Amar Aldiraja as the Bendahara. And so Seri Nara Aldiraja goes and does just that, after which he returns to Melaka to present himself to the king.

After ruling for 33 years, the king falls sick. When he realises he’s about to die, he calls for his son Raja Mamat as well as his chiefs, and they all come to him. The king asks to be propped up (“disandar”) on the female attendants (“dayang-​dayang”), and he asks for five men to approach him.: the Bendahara, the Penghulu Bendahari, the Temenggung, Kadi Munawar Syah and the Laksamana. And he says: “Dear fellows, my end is near. If I die, make my son Raja Mamat the new king. Cherish and love him the way you cherished and loved me. If he makes dumb mistakes (‘khilaf bebalnya’), you need to forgive him as he’s just a boy.”

When they hear Sultan ‘Alauddin’s words, all the men weep buckets. And they say to him amidst their tears, “Your Majesty, we pray that God prolongs your life, because we simply can’t get enough of being ruled by you (‘belum puas diperhamba’). But if, God forbid, the flower in your grasp should wilt, we will carry out your orders, for never will be obey (the descendants of) another Raja.” And the king is mighty pleased to hear this.

The king then looks at his son Raja Mamat’s face and says, “Hey son, let it be known that nothing in this world is permanent. Every living thing will die; only faith (“iman”) is forever. My dying instruction to you is to serve God with all your heart. Don’t take anything from another person without just cause, because God’s servants have been entrusted to you. If your subjects are in difficulty, you must help them at once. If they are victims of injustice, find out about it so that in the afterlife you will not be burdened by your wrong-​doing. In the words of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), ‘All those who tend (‘mengebala’) will be questioned about that which they tend’ — meaning that all kings will be questioned as to whether they tended their subjects well. So you need to be always fair, so that you will be protected by God when you are in the next world. You need to always consult with your ministers and chiefs, for even the wisest king will not be able to rule fairly if he does not consult with his officers. A king is like fire, while his chiefs are like wood, because fire without wood will not produce a flame. Also, the subjects are like roots, while the king is like a tree; if there are no roots, a tree cannot stand, and that’s how it is with kings and their subjects. However grievously a Malay does wrong, do not punish him unless it is in accordance with God’s laws, because all the Malays are like your clay (“ketuhaanmu”), for as the Prophet said, “The slave is the clay of the master.” If you kill a subject who did no wrong, your kingdom will be destroyed. Hey son, mark my words if you want you kingship will be blessed by God.”

After this, Sultan ‘Alauddin dies, and he goes from a temporary (“fana”) world to one that is permanent (“baqa”).


CH. 15–1: How a Melakan Warrior Had to Wait Before Kicking Haru Asses

The chapter begins with the story of Haru. The king of Haru is named Maharaja Aldiraja, who is the son of Sultan Sujak, who in turn seems to be descended from a rock (“perbatu”); that’s OK, we promise not to judge! Maharaja Aldiraja sends a missive to Pasai; the envoy is Raja Pahlawan. When he reaches


Ch. 14–5: Why the Bendahara Mentions Royal Horniness on His Deathbed

The final part of this chapter starts with Sultan Ibrahim, who is the Raja of Siak. There is a Siak man who commits a wrong against him, and the king asks Tun Jana Fakil to put him to death. So Tun Jana Fakil executes him. Word reaches Melaka that this execution took place without Melaka’s


Ch. 14–4: How Melaka Delivered a Smackdown to Pahang

The chapter continues with the news that a man commits an offence (“berdosa”) against Raja Mahmud, the heir to the throne of his father Sultan ‘Alauddin Syah, but the offence was not so serious (“tiada apa behena”). The Seri Maharaja sentences this man to death, and so he is executed. When the Bendahara Paduka Raja


Ch. 14–3: How the Sultan of Melaka Turned into a Kick-​ass Vigilante

The chapter continues by saying there is a time when robbers are rampant in Melaka, with people getting getting robbed night after night! Sultan ‘Alauddin is very distressed (“masyghul”) to hear of these violent thieves. So one night, he dresses like a thief and goes out, in this disguise, with Hang Isak and Hang Isap


Ch. 14–2: How a Grandmother From Hell is Stopped from Committing Regicide

The chapter continues with the news that, after ruling for 73 years (which would make him 90), Sultan Mansur Syah falls ill. He summons his children, the Bendahara, and all his chiefs, and he tells them: “I feel the world is slipping from my grasp, and I now yearn for the afterlife. To Bendahara Paduka Raja


Ch 14–1: How the People of Campa Ended Up in Melaka

The chapter begins with an account of the Raja of Campa. The Raja of Campa lives in a city called Malafasat. Near his palace is an areca palm tree with a very big blossom (“mayang”) — but even after a long wait, the blossom does not unfurl (“mengurai”). And so the Raja of Campa tells


Ch. 13: How the Pasai King’s Uppity Words Lost Him a Valuable Ally

This chapter is about the Raja of Pasai, whose name is Sultan Zainal Abidin. He is one of two brothers, and his younger brother wants to unseat him as king. All the people of Pasai support the younger brother in his treasonous mission to kill the king, and Sultan Zainal Abidin has to escape in


Ch. 12–3: How the Sultan of Melaka Got Cock-​Blocked

The final section of this chapter begins with Sultan Mansur Syah sitting in his hall of audience, in the presence of all his chiefs, ministers, eunuchs/​courtiers (“sida-​sida”), and warriors. He says to all the chiefs: “We thank Almighty God that He has granted us such a great kingdom, but I have one further wish: to


Ch 12–2: How The Pasai Philosopher Answers (or Not) a Riddle from Melaka

The chapter continues with the arrival of a certain Maulana Abu Bakar, who brings with him the book Durr Manzum. (This is apparently a tome about Islamic mysticism. I can’t find much info on this online so maybe there is an alternate spelling?) He disembarks and goes to the court of Melaka, where he is