Chandra Wijaya was composed when Anna, Catur’s wife, was pregnant. Anna’s pregnancy and birth were a sacred and spiritual journey for both parents. This was a journey which they took very intuitively and that helped them to reconnect with their innate wisdom.
The journey of pregnancy follows the same spirals of contraction and expansion as any spiritual journey, with moments of darkness and stress that are essential to achieve the light of peace and happiness. The teachings that Anna and Catur received during that time prepared them to witness the presence of a powerful little being soon to be born in the Wijaya family.
When Anna entered her third trimester, Catur channeled these deep feelings into a melody. First it was a wordless lullaby played on the barbat and accompanied by the mesmerising sound of a cello. But soon Catur added an old saying taken from a Javanese philosophy, a prayer whispered to his child.
The title “Chandra Wijaya” literally means “the moon of the victory.” It is composed of two sanskrit words Candra (that is translated to “shining” or “moon”) and vijaya (which means “victory”.) Chandra Wijaya are the middle and last name of Anna and Catur’s son: Arkan Chandra Wijaya.
In some parts of Indonesia, a name is considered to be a prayer which is given to the baby. Therefore, Anna and Catur waited until the baby was born to chose the right first name for their child. However, they had already agreed that Chandra would be the middle name. In many spiritual traditions, the lunar energy is considered to be soothing, calming and nurturing. The universe approved this choice with many synchronicities related with Arkan’s birth. He was born between two special new moons when Muslims celebrate Ramadan which is the “month of forgiveness”.

For the piece “Chandra Wijaya”, Catur was inspired by Hindustani classical music and he used the scale or raga called Kāfi. In the Hindustani tradition, each raga is considered to have the ability to "colour the mind" and affect the emotions of the audience. This “aesthetic flavour” that evokes an emotion or feeling is called a rasa. The main rasa evoked by Kāfi raga is Sringara. It principally evokes the feeling of love. This refers to love as is experienced in its myriad of forms and manifestations: From romantic love, to the love of a mother, and ultimately the love for divinity. Love is the pristine nature of human existence.Love also opens the scope for a multitude of other emotions including jealousy, fear, anger, or compassion. With such a vast scope of emotions, Sringara rasa is known as Rasa Raja or the “King of all Rasas.”
Sringara, through its aesthetic experience, reflects the spiritual experience of pregnancy, birth and parenting: An experience that elevates the human soul.