Reconstructing Theology in practice: Aguron-guron as the renewal of Sulinggih Brahmana Wangsa leadership

Background: The aguron-guron system forms Sulinggih Brahmana Wangsa priests through a master–disciple relationship between a Guru Nabe and a candidate priest, culminating in initiation (diksa). Existing studies mostly treat it as pedagogical structure, genealogical practice, or aesthetic experience, and rarely ask whether the faith it transmits still functions as a living ethical foundation rather than inherited dogma. This study reads aguron-guron through Hasan Hanafi's theological reconstruction, understood as a critical stance toward heritage, modernity, and lived social reality. Methods: This qualitative field study with a theological approach was conducted in Denpasar between May and November 2025. Data came from in-depth interviews with five purposively selected key informants (four senior Sulinggih and one senior lay official of Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI) Denpasar), observation at four griya, and documentary study of the Silakramaning Aguron-guron and Siwa Sasana. Analysis combined Hanafi's framework as an initial lens with descriptive coding. Findings: Among these informants, reconstruction appears along three interlocking dimensions. Inherited teaching is re-actualized by each Guru Nabe's judgment, rather than mechanically repeated. Modern pressures are met selectively: digital media are made to serve dharma and formal religious education is recommended before diksa, while declining numbers of candidates remain unresolved. On institutional legitimacy, informants connected to PHDI favor its involvement in diksa pariksa, whereas one informant regards a nationwide association of Brahmana Wangsa descendants as equally legitimate. Conclusion: Within the limits of five informants from one lineage in one city, aguron-guron appears as an ongoing theological effort, more complete on some dimensions than others, rather than a static heritage under threat. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study offers an exploratory comparative-theological reading of aguron-guron using a framework drawn from Islamic thought, together with a field-based account of differing views on the griya–PHDI relationship over priestly legitimacy.