Image credit: Original art by Vishnu Mohan (Goobe Art) , above rendition by Chirag Hasyagar (Goobe Art), art concept by Vikram M R

Today is Aayudha Pooja and tomorrow is Vijayadashami. Aayudha Pooja is celebrated on the ninth day (Navami) of the Dasara festival and Vijayadashami on the tenth (Dashami – it is built into the name) and last day of Dasara. Dasara is pronounced Dussehra by many. I use “Dasara” instead of “Dussehra”, thanks to my heritage in Karnataka. In some parts of our country the festival of Dasara has a lot of association with the Ramayana, while in others it is associated with Mahishasura Mardhini. Culturally of course, it is simply awesome; with festive fervour, great food and school holidays. If one is an adult and not in school, at least one of the two days are off, if not both. Many people go on leave on the day that is not off.

Aayudha Pooja is the day when tools and implements that either allow us to earn a livelihood or allow us to lead a comfortable life are shown the gratitude and the respect they are due. Vijayadashami is simultaneously a celebration of the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana in Lanka and of Devi Durga over Mahishasura.

The Goddess Durga had access to the weapons of all the other Gods and Devatas. She used all of these in the fight against the Asura Mahisha. The weapons include the Trishoola of Lord Shiva, Sudarshana Chakra of Lord Vishnu, the Vajra of Indra and a whole host of others. It was these weapons that aided in Durga defeating Mahishasura. Hence, the occasion when Durga’s victory is celebrated is used as an opportunity to offer prayers, gratitude and respect to the “weapons” that we use in our daily lives, which are the tools of our trade. These include our vehicles, laptops, pumps, electrical equipment, the practice weapons we use as martial artists and just about anything we think are important to us. The choice of the “Aayudha” selected for Pooja is a personal one.

Aayuda is generally used to denote “weapon”. But it also refers to tools as mentioned above, which we might not consider weapons. A “Shastra” or an “Astra” specifically denotes a weapon, where a “Shastra is a handheld weapon and an “Astra” is a weapon that is discharged. With that said, as martial artists, everything we use to train becomes an aayudha, like the training mats, punching bags, weights, practice weapons, protective apparel, the very space we train in (dojo/Kalari/akhada/gym) is something that is deserving of obeisance on the day of Aayudha Pooja.

None of this of course, is special or specific to practitioners of the martial arts. A look at any plant in the manufacturing sector or anyone in the transportation sector shows how important a festival Aayudha Pooja is. The shop floor and all machines are cleaned. The same goes for vehicles and mechanic shops as well. The cleaning might happen a day or two before the Pooja itself. Vehicles of course are decked up in the day of Aayudha Pooja.

Aayudha Pooja as a whole is a very grounded and simple act. Use the opportunity provided by the victory of Goddess Durga to appreciate and offer gratitude and respect to the inanimate objects that make our lives and livelihoods possible. If one is a martial artist, the analogy is exponentially greater, for the closeness to weaponry and their knowledge are that much greater, and the opportunity to explicitly remember/observe this fact is what the festival is all about.

Vijayadashami is an out and out celebration of victory, whether it is of Devi Durga over Mahishasura or of Lord Rama over Ravana. However, there are other aspects associated with this festival that make it all the more important. In Karnataka, a concept called “Seemollanghana” is associated with Vijayadashami. And this concept is the reason everyone is always encouraged to start something new or anything that is long pending/challenging on the day of Vijayadashami. “Seemollanghana” means “violate the border”. “Seema” is “border” or “boundary” and “Ullanghana” means to “vilolate”. This is all in a very positive sense, and just because the word “violate” is used, it is not anything negative.

From what little I know, historically, the campaign season (war campaign that is) started after the Dasara festival. It is the time when the monsoon season is tapering off. So, movement of troops becomes easier, and the winter is not far away. In southern India, at least in most parts of it, the winter is not harsh, and the weather is better for a military campaign. Summers are scorching hot, and the monsoons are muddy and wet, both of which are less conducive for supply chain management and fighting. So, the post monsoon season and the winter are better suited to military action. I am not aware if the same pattern was followed in northern India, as the weather patterns there are a little different. Either way, as part of the campaign season, geographical and political borders were crossed or violated. So, there is a literal “Seemollanghana” taking place, after the festival of Vijayadashami.

But the historical precedent is not what any of us is raised with, when the word “Seemollanghana” is used. It refers to something far more personal, not necessarily just symbolic, and definitely relates to us violating our own boundaries. We were encouraged to start something new on the day of Vijayadashami. Even if it is something we have stopped for quite a while, it would be a good time to restart the same. If there is something that we have been putting off, due to uncertainty, lack of confidence or just due to procrastination, starting that activity, even if in a small way, on the occasion of Vijayadashami is the thing to do. The general belief is that a start on this special day leads to a favourable outcome. Again, the celebration of a victory against all odds from tradition, along with historical precedent, gives an opportunity to start something new, just as Aayudha Pooja created an opportunity to give a respectful thought towards all the tools we use.

Starting something new is the same as breaking a boundary. One has to go past the jitters or second thoughts or plain old nerves. Each of these qualifies as a boundary and violating them leads to a start, which will hopefully lead to a good outcome in the future. This is why the violation of a boundary is a positive thing when considered with the festival of Vijayadashami⁺.

In my opinion, Vijayadashami is a constant reminder of “Shin Ken Gata”. “Shin Ken Gata” is a test some Bujinkan dojos have their students go through. This test happens at any of the kyu levels as the dojos decide. In my dojo, it was at the 6^th kyu (kyu are levels before one achieves a black belt, and dan are levels after achieving the same). Shin Ken Gata in Japanese means, “form where your spirit/will is the only weapon”. This test involves performing various set techniques multiple times against multiple opponents. In all, this comes to about 15 minutes of moving, fighting and staying alive and pushing oneself, with no breaks, while incessant attacks come from multiple opponents who are all around the one taking the test. It is incredibly tiring and scary. Shin Ken Gata leaves an exhilarating feeling of having survived, after the test is done.

One great learning from the test is that, when one has to keep going continuously against multiple opponents, even if they attack one at a time, the chances of survival are zero, if it was a real situation. One realizes that one keeps going despite this becoming clear, hoping one comes out alive at the end of it. This is the will or spirit of the person driving her or him. This is why the spirit or the will to live is the only weapon; hence the name Shin Ken Gata.

When one takes the Shin Ken Gata test, one has to go past the fatigue, self-doubt, giddiness, exhilaration, rage, fear of the opponents, fear of failure and a whole host of limiting factors. Each of these is a boundary violated as the test progresses. And this is reason why “Shin Ken Gata” is a wonderful exhibition of “Seemollanghana” in real life.

I will make a pop culture reference here. I stated earlier that Shin Ken Gata makes one realize that in a real fight there is a good chance that one might not survive. Yet one strives to achieve that goal no matter what, until the very end. This is very close to the “Kobayashi Maru” test in the Star Trek franchise. The Kobayashi Maru is a test that cadets in the Star Fleet Academy have to go through. It is a test which has no success or passing. It is designed such that one will always fail. It is meant to teach cadets that despite the realization that there is no success or victory and the certainty of defeat, even death, one has to keep going and do one’s best as a leader and to save as many crew mates as possible. This objective and its realization make the Kobayashi Maru test almost identical to the experience of the Shin Ken Gata; only one of these if real though. 😊

The Shin Ken Gata test reveals two other concepts. One is Ganbatte and the other is Gaman; both are Japanese words. Ganbatte is used to mean “keep going”, “keep fighting”, “good luck”, “all the best” or “do your best”. It is used to cheer someone on in any activity of theirs. I have also heard the term “Ganbatte Kudasai”. My friend Santosh*, who knows Japanese, tells me that this is used while addressing someone senior (Senpai). So, it is a slightly more formal usage of the word. It is used to mean, “keep your spirits up”, again a form of cheering someone on.

Gaman, as I have heard it, means, “take the pain” or “endure the pain”. Santosh tell me this is used to mean “endure your suffering with patience”. Also, “gaman” is supposedly used more as a term with spiritual significance.

So, the two words signify endurance, or forging ahead however one can in the face of adversities, irrespective of whether they are internal or external. This, in my understanding, is very close to the third of the five gojo¹, “Shizen no niniku”, which is “forbearance of nature”. It suggests that one should forbear troubles like nature itself does, with no complaints. This in turn leads into the term “Ninjutsu” itself, where “nin” refers to perseverance (jutsu being “art of” leads to Ninjutsu to being the “art of perseverance” or “art of persevering”)**.

Back when I was a beginner, I was advised by my teacher to consider injuries as an opportunity to learn and hence try to attend classes while nursing or recovering from injuries, irrespective of whether they were sustained while training in the dojo or outside, while going about one’s daily life. This was because, being conscious of an injury forces the body to adapt; to protect the injured part of the body and to stay safe, to avoid further aggravation of the injury or the possibility of a new one. This also inspires the body to move more efficiently, which has many revelations that can hopefully be used when one returns to normalcy. This entire exercise is nothing but violating the boundaries set by worry, fear and pain, either due to our own preconceptions or those we have imbibed from others around us.

Enduring hardships and hindrances is nothing but breaking boundaries of concern and fear and moving ahead, both of which dissuade one from doing or starting something one either needs or wishes to. In this sense, the festival of Vijayadashami addresses the very heart of what the Bujinkan represents, to keep going, enduring and achieving flow in the face of adversity. This makes Vijayadashami perhaps the most important festival for practitioners of the martial arts, as it is a reminder of all things this art stands for.

Thus, Aayudha Pooja is a reminder to be grateful to our surroundings (dojo, implements) and Vijayadashami is a reminder to respect our own selves, by going past limitations and constantly expanding our abilities.

Notes:

*I would like to thank my buyu (martial sibling) and friend, Shihan Santosh Nagasamy, for sharing his knowledge of the Japanese language with me.

**My teacher and mentors used to change the forms we used often. My teacher said that this is to enable neuroplasticity. I am no expert on this topic and hence am adding this point in the notes. When one trains the same forms multiple times, changing it and exploring it differently after a duration of time leads to new learning and fine-tuning of the same forms, with each iteration of training the same. Also, moving differently in response to the same initial attack also leads to different outcomes and the form being practiced leads to interesting revelations. This continuous change helps overcome any reliance on form and technique, while also mitigating a worry of what could happen against an unfamiliar attack or in a real situation. In other words, it helps one accept that in the real world, one needs to adapt to what is faced and not believe in the techniques as a textbook. It is fine to rely on the basics and concepts, but not to trust the forms as a religion.

⁺The story of Durga defeating Mahishasura itself is seen in a symbolic manner by some. Mahishasura is seen as an embodiment of animalistic tendencies (Mahisha means buffalo) in humans, like ignorance, a focus on desire and the like. So, these are boundaries that are holding back the progress of individuals as humans. And the breaking of the barriers present due to these tendencies is seen as the victory of Durga (the divine mother) over Mahishasura.

¹https://mundanebudo.com/2023/03/16/the-gojo-a-personal-understanding/