<![CDATA[The Calonarang performance in Bali serves a dual function: as a sacred ritual medium (napak pretiwi) and as a vehicle for public education that responds to social phenomena. This study focuses on a textual analysis of the utterances (ucap-ucap) of the character Rangda in the “Kumala Sada” play, performed during the 2021 Nem Sasih tradition at Pura Dalem Puri, Peliatan, Ubud. This study aims to analyze the construction of moral discourse within the narrative delivered by Rangda. Employing a qualitative method within the theoretical framework of Teun A. van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study examines three dimensions of discourse: text, social cognition, and social context. The results indicate that at the macro level, the plague (gering) is constructed not as a medical phenomenon, but as a causality of human moral deviation. At the micro level, Rangda utilizes the Hindu theological lexicon of Sapta Timira to diagnose human “illness,” such as intoxication with power, lineage, and wealth. In the dimension of social cognition, Rangda perceives humans as experiencing “moral blindness” (awidya) and suffering from a superiority complex (arrogance). Regarding the social context, the text serves as a sharp critique of the dominance of materialism (“money becomes king”) that has infiltrated the ritual space. This study concludes that Rangda’s utterances function as a mechanism of social control to dismantle arrogance, raise human awareness, and restore ritual purity from material dominance.]]>
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