Studium: Makabuhay by Nemesio E. Caravana

Makabuhay is a quatrain written by renowned post-World War 2 actor and film director, Nemesio E. Caravana. Makabuhay is the Tagalog name for Tinospora crispa (L.) Hook.f. & Thomson of the family Menispermaceae or is commonly known as heavenly elixir or divine nectar. It is a climbing vine found all over the Philippines. It is also known as a rasayana herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Alternative medicine used its stems and leaves for their antimalarial, parasiticidal and insecticidal properties. The author used its name as a symbol for bitterness for which the plant’s mucilage is famous. Then, bitterness is a symbol for suffering. Its given names, makabuhay, heavenly elixir, and rasayana, can also be attributed to the illustrations depicted in the poem.

The reader is the speaker of the poem found in the use of pronouns depicting a second-person point of view (POV) in the first lines of both first and second stanzas, Lubid kang luntiang sa gubat nanggaling and May dala kang ditang kapait-paitan. The speaker shares a synthesis of thanksgiving for the use of the makabuhay as an effective alternative medicine found at the first two lines of the third stanza, Sa maraming sakit, ikaw ay panlunas, At sa tagabukid ay gamot sa sugat. And, as a breastfeeding tip and a precaution for its bitter aftertaste found at the last two lines of the fourth stanza, Sa tamis, ang bata kapag namihasa, Munting kapaita’y mamalakhing dusa. The substantial use of literary devices is found in the four stanzas using irony between the bitterness of experience and the delight of restoration. Both the author and the speaker share the sentiment of appreciation and caution. The poem is about enduring and overcoming hardships in life. Bitterness plays as a connecting thread between alternative remedy and eternal remedy, between needs and wants, between the creation and the Creator, and between resistance and surrender. The last stanza is the core of the poem. It retells the story of Jesus Christ taking the suffering and humiliation of humankind at the cross at the Calvary. The last line of the poem, Ang taong masanay uminom ng luha, Sa sangmundong dusa’y hindi nalulula, is impactful yet saddening. According to the Bible, “In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace”. The words, makabuhay (and its mucilage), heavenly elixir, and rasayana attribute to the blood of Jesus Christ. The word makabuhay means to give life while elixir is an amalgamation of concepts found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, ancient China, and amrita of the Hindu traditions of the formula for immortality and cure of all diseases. Then, rasayana refers to the techniques for lengthening lifespans and invigorating the body. It is also worth noting that the author was living in a postwar period. According to Wuthnow and Andlinger, there was a growing awareness of seeking spirituality out of the confinement from religious establishments in America during the 1960s, 20 years after the end of the 2nd World War. This phenomenon trickled down in the Philippines through the immigration of missionaries thus might explain the religious connotation of the poem.

Overall, the author’s message to the readers is enduring and overcoming hardships in life like how Jesus Christ did it at the cross. While analyzing the poem in both cultural and historical lenses, the lesson instructs the readers to appreciate the gift of life and its chaotic tendencies. It is through sufferings that the human race are molded to excellence.

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Reference:

1 Antidiabetic Effect of Oral Borapetol B Compound, Isolated from the Plant Tinospora crispa, by Stimulating Insulin Release. / Lokman FE, Gu HF, Wan Mohamud WN, Yusoff MM, Chia KL, Ostenson CG. / Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:727602 / doi: 10.1155/2013/727602. Epub 2013 Nov 10.

2 New antimicrobial diterpenes from Tinospora rumphii. / Cruz, M. S. / Archives, Thesis Col. Graduate, 12F (Mezz.) Henry Sy Sr. Hall

3 Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles.

4 Elixir of Life. (2020, November 23). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elixir_of_life#Names

5 Rasayana. (2020, October 17). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasayana

6 Wuthnow, R. & Andlinger, G.R. (2000). After Heaven: Spirituality in America Since the 1950s. University of California Press. https://books.google.com.ph/books?hl=en&lr=&id=nNQ5Vh0RcPcC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=post+world+war+2+period+and+religious+seeking&ots=28kczgci6z&sig=uFse1QLObBrF-xke177CGSk_qeE&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false