hinduism

The Bones of the Vajra

Vikram M R, , , , , , Leave a comment

The weapon wielded by Indra, the King of the Devas, is the Vajra, also referred to as the Vajrāyudha. The latter term is a combination of “Vajra” and “Āyudha”, where āyudha means “weapon”. Āyudha could also mean a tool, but in this case, it refers to a weapon. “Vayrāyudha” thus means, “the weapon Vajra”.

Indra is also the Guardian of the East and the God of Thunder and Lightning. In the latter form, Indra is similar to Thor, Zeus and Jupiter, from the Nordic, Hellenic and Roman pantheons respectively. Since Indra wields lightning, the Vajra is also analogous with lightning. The word vajra is also most commonly used to denote diamonds in some Indian languages. So, Vajra could mean both a diamond and lightning.

The diamond is the hardest substance in the world based on Scratch Hardness, which is measured on the Moh scale. Being the hardest substance, diamonds are very hard to abrade. Hence, diamond tips or diamond coating is used in machining of other hard materials. Lightning is a powerful natural force. High rise buildings have lightning conductors to protect themselves. These conductors take the electricity, or the power of lightning, away from the structure and into the ground (Earth).

Considering the act of conducting lightning away from the building, it can be said that the power of lightning is deflected more than resisted. In this way, lightning is an unstoppable force. At the same time, diamonds being the hardest substance, it is analogous to an immovable object. So, I have heard it said that the Vajra is, simultaneously, the unstoppable force and the immovable object! Thus, Indra, the King of the Devas, wields the greatest weapon!

The Vajra or Vajrāyudha was originally made from the energy of the Sun. But this Vajra is rendered incapable at times. Later, another Vajra is crafted from the backbone of the Rishi (Sage) Dadichi. Indra has to defeat an Asura called Vrtra (also spelled Vritra). But this Asura is invulnerable to all manner of weapons. At the same time, the Rishi Dadichi has bones that are invulnerable to all forces in the universe as well.

Cover image of “Indra and Vritra”, which shows Indra fighting Vritra. In this case, Vritra is not depicted as a large snake. Image credit – “Indra and Vritra”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

So, Dadichi offers up his bones as material from which weapons can be crafted to defeat Vrtra. Dadichi gives up his life for this cause as Vrtra has captured all waters and rain bearing clouds, causing a draught that is killing life on the planet. One weapon created from Dadichi’s bones is the Vajra. The Vajra was created using the backbone or vertebral or spinal column of Dadichi.

Vrtra is usually depicted as a large snake or Naga. There are people who suggest he is representative of a Dragon, and Indra is a dragon slaying God like in many other world religions. There are 2 stories that I have heard related to the battle between Indra and Vrtra. One is supposed to be from the Rig (Rg) Veda and the other, from the Puranas.

The story from the Veda is supposed to be a story denoting natural forces, where the Snake or Asura of draught is defeated by the God of Thunder and Lightning to release life sustaining waters as rain. The story from the Puranas shows Indra in a poorer light. He has to kill Vrtra who is created by Twastha, a great Rishi, whose son Indra has killed. But in both stories, Indra uses the Vajra to kill Vrtra. And the Vajra is a weapon of incredible power. In both cases, the Vajra is made from the backbone of Rishi Dadichi.

The most common visual depiction of the Vajra is common to both Hinduism and Buddhism. It is shown as a small weapon that resembles a dumbbell. It is like a short stick with symmetrical bulbous ends. The stick sits in the palm of a wielder while the bulbous ends stick out beyond the palm. By modern standards, we would call this a close quarter weapon.

Seen below is an example of a Vajra. This is more a representation of the Vajra in Buddhism than Hinduism. I personally see the former as a progression of the latter and do not care for the origin of the representation.

Representative images of a modern-day Vajra

Seen below is a depiction of Indra holding the Vajra. This depiction is one of the many wonderful carvings at the Rani Ki Vav in Patan, Gujarat. The carving is from the 11th century CE. The previous and next representations are similar, though not identical. They are both two headed symmetrical weapons that are small and are held in the palm of the hand.

Image of a carving depicting Indra from “Rani ki Vav”, at Patan, Gujrat. The Vajra is seen at the top left of the image. Image credit – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxT3VIH71dw – Day – 1/3 Devalaya Samskruti hagu Murthyshilpa – GIPA Live Events – 10th April 2024

Consider the human backbone. It is a series of vertebrae one on top of the other. Now look at the images above, and the tradition that the Vajra is made from a backbone. Based on these, the following statement holds true for me. I had always imagined that the Vajra was two Lumbar Vertebrae attached to each other with a short stick, which could be made of any material. Of course, the vertebrae would be “facing away from each other”, for lack of a better description.

Thanks to the magic of 3D printing, a friend of mine, Siddhant Raju was able to print a Vajra as I had imagined it. We used the L5 vertebra as the best option to make the Vajra, as we felt that seemed the most robust. Of course, Rishi Dadichi would have only one L5. We decided that if we had to be accurate, we would use one L2 and one L5 to make a Vajra. As we see it, the L5 seems most robust of all the Lumbar vertebrae while L2 gives the best point to strike with.

The images below show the options with the L2 and L5 vertebrae for 3D printing, and the final Vajra that was made. We felt that the Vajra seemed very similar to the one depicted in the carving at Rani ki Vav.

The above image shows the options for 3D printing, with the L2 and L5 vertebrae.

The final Vajra that was made using 3D printing

A short video showing the 3D printing of the Vajra.

This design of the Vajra to me implies that Indra would be a master of very close quarters combat. It is almost as if he would get inside the range of any weapon an opponent would wield, to effectively deploy the Vajra depicted by tradition. I am sharing a video below that hopefully elucidates this idea.

I had created a video a few years ago that depicted the potential use of the weapons of the Guardians of the 10 directions. Along with my friend Nirvigna, we had depicted the possible use of the Vajra as well, as part of this video. Watch between the 2:02 and 3:03 minute marks of the video shared below, to see possible uses of the Vajra. We had used the Vajra seen in the image earlier in this article for the demonstration. The same moves can definitely be replicated with the design seen in the 3D printed version seen above.

All this experience suggests to me that the Vajra could definitely have been a real weapon, and it could have indeed been made with a backbone, or at least the vertebrae that make up a backbone. Of course, I cannot comment on the mystical or divine prowess of the Vajra that Indra would wield, what with his being the King of the Devas.

Since I have touched upon the Vajra being a real and practical weapon, let me share some real-world weapons similar to the Vajra, and their applications.

The Vajra is quite similar to a Yawara or Yawara Stick. The Yawara Stick, an example of which is seen in the image below also resembles a small dumbbell. It is used to strike opponents at very close quarters.

An image of a yawara stick. Image credit – Wikipedia

A weapon similar to the Yawara Stick is the Kubotan. Examples of this are seen in the images below. This weapon is sold as part of a keychain on many commercial e-commerce sites.

An image of a kubotan. Image credit – Wikipedia

3D printed variants of the kubotan, that are only meant for training

A weapon called a Kobo Stick is also available online. An example of this is seen in the image below. From what I have heard the Yawara Stick, Kubotan and Kobo can be made of several different materials, ranging from bamboo, wood, metal and hard plastic. All of them can be used in a similar manner against opponents.

Images of a Kobo Stick

In the Bujinkan system of martial arts, we study a weapon called the tānbo (sometime pronounced tāmbo). This is nothing but a short stick. It can be used in a manner similar to the Vajra. The “tān” in the “tānbo” means “small”. “Bo” is a “staff”. So, a “tānbo” is a small stick/staff. This is not unlike a “tānto”, which refers to a knife. “To” is a bladed weapon, while “tān” is small. So, a small, bladed weapon signifies a knife.

Seen in the above image from top to bottom are, a Tānbo, the 3D printed Vajra, a traditional Vajra, a training Tānto and a training version of a Kubotan variant. The Tānbo is also a padded training version. The real weapon would be a lot leaner, the length can be variable, it is not standardized.

In India, there is a traditional martial art called “Vajra Mushti”. Here, “mushti” means “fist”. So, “Vajra Mushti” could mean “a fist like a vajra”, in other words, “a devastating fist”. Vajra Mushti is a close quarters martial art. The vajra in this case is closer to a knuckle duster than the traditional vajra. Vajra Mushti is demonstrated every year during the famous Dasara festival in the city of Mysore, in Karnataka.

A representative image of Vajra Mushti, from the late 18th century. Image credit – Wikipedia

The above image is from a traditional display of dolls during the Dasara festival. The two encircled individuals are the “Mallas” (roughly translated as wrestlers) who demonstrate Vajra Mushti in Mysore during the celebration of the Dasara festival.

Similar to Vajra Mushti is another martial art called “Loh Mutthi”. “Loh” means “iron” and “mutthi” means “fist”. So, “Loh Mutthi” means “iron fist”. Here again, the “iron” comes from a knuckle duster used by a practitioner. Sikh troops wore (and still do wear) a “kada”, which is a metal ring akin to a bracelet on their wrists. These kada vary in dimensions. Supposedly, if all else failed, a soldier slipped off the kada and held it in his fist like a knuckle duster and used it in much the same manner.

A Kada held in a manner that enable its use as a knuckle duster. The shape and size of the Kada can vary greatly.

Since the Vajra is equivalent to a Yawara stick, which is a weapon used for fighting in very close quarters, I will share a question. The Vajra is also considered a lightning bolt, which strikes from far away, across a large distance, electrocutes and fries the lifeform it strikes. How do these two attributes fit in together? How can there be a feeling like an electric shock while fighting in close quarters with a small weapon?

I do not have a clear answer to this question, but I will hazard a guess as to how this is feasible. Imagine the feeling one goes through when one gets hit on the funny bone at the elbow. It is a jolt, something that can be said to be similar to an electric shock. There are multiple points in the human body, the striking of which can result in debilitating pain, sufficient to cause an individual to stop fighting for short durations, as small as a few seconds in some cases.

These points can be called “pressure points”. They are referred to as “marma points” in some Indian martial arts and Kyusho points in the Bujinkan system of martial arts.  These points cannot always be targeted in a dynamic fight. But the knowledge of these points is important, for when an opportunity presents itself, these points should be struck to gain an advantage.

Further, the effort needed to cause pain while striking these points is not great, this could partially be the reason martial arts around the world identify these points as known weaknesses in a human body. If one is wielding a Vajra or a Yawara stick or a Tānbo, a strike in close quarters with just a little effort will be magnified to a certain extent by the weapon. And this strike is sufficient to cause pain in the opponent.

Perhaps this pain caused by the small weapon in close quarters was considered akin to the feeling of suffering due to an electric shock, an analogue of a lightning strike! This is, in my opinion, a possible cause for the smallish Vajra being considered the lightning bolt! But does this mean that there was, sometime in the deep past, a real Indra who was a master of close quarter fighting? And does it mean he used a small striking tool? I have no idea if these are true, but there is a chance they might, considering how long the tradition of Indra wielding the Vajra has endured.

The vajra or yawara stick is also depicted in fiction. The fictional character Modesty Blaise, created by Peter Odonnel uses a weapon she calls the “Kongo”. This is Modesty’s favourite weapon. The kongo is nothing but a fictionalized version of the yawara stick. Modesty Blaise appears in 13 novels and 96 stories that achieved fame as newspaper comic strips. Modesty uses the kongo as a non-lethal weapon in close quarters. Her kongo is hollow and can also be used to hide messages if need be.

Modesty Blaise wielding the Kongo, which is a fictionalized version of the Yawara stick. Image credit – “The Art of Modesty Blaise”, published by Book Palace as part of the “IllustrationArtGallery.com presents” series.

The Kongo is Modesty’s favourite weapon. This picture is an image of a clip in an old edition of the Kannada newspaper, “Prajaa Vaani”.

The Vajra, beyond being a weapon also has cultural significance in India and beyond. The significance of the Vajra in Hinduism is through Indra as discussed earlier. The Vajra is also a revered icon in Buddhism. But apart from these historical aspects, the Vajra also has great significance in modern India, specifically in a martial or military context.

The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is the highest gallantry award in wartime in modern India. The recipients of the PVC are held in high regard all over India. There are 21 recipients of the PVC in India. The award is a medal made of bronze. One face of the medal shows 2 Vajras which are perpendicular to one another. In this manner, the Vajra is a depiction of bravery to this day in India.

An image of the Param Vir Chakra. Image credit – Wikipedia

The Vajra is culturally significant in Japan as well. I am specifically referring to Japan because it is the country of origin of the Bujinkan system of martial arts, of which I am a practitioner. One of the deities in Japan is Fudo Myō. He is considered a very important deity for the martial arts according to the previous grandmaster of the Bujinkan, Soke Hatsumi Masaaki.

An image of Fudo Myō from an old training t-shirt we used back in the day. Observe the sword in the right hand and the noose in the left hand. Also observe the hilt of the sword, it is a Vajra.

From what I have heard, Fudo Myō can be called, in Sankskrit, Achala or Maha Achala. This can be roughly translated to “Immovable” (Achala) or “The Great Immovable One” (Maha Achala). Fudo Myō wields a noose and a sword in each of his hands. In my opinion, these two objects make him a personification of the first 2 lines of the Sanskrit shloka, “Asotōma Sadgamaya”.

The first line says, “Asotōma Sadgamaya” which translates to “move from untruth (ignorance) to truth (wisdom)”. The second line says, “Tamasōma Jyothirgamaya” which translates to “move from darkness to light”. Fudo Myō is supposed to use his sword to cut through the darkness of ignorance and use the noose to pull one into the light of wisdom. Thus, he is a personification of the two lines just mentioned!

The sword that is depicted in the hand of Fudo Myō is interesting by itself! The blade of the sword is broad at the tip and resembles what is called in India, a “Khanda”. A Khanda is a straight sword with a broad tip, which lends itself very well to cutting. The blade is double edged, though the back edge need not be sharp all the way through. It is sharp only for about the top half of the blade.

A representative image of a Khanda. Image credit – Wikipedia.

The hilt of the blade wielded by Fudo Myō is a Vajra. The blade is mounted on a Vajra. This makes Fudo Myō a “Vajra Hasta” or a “Vajra Paani”. “Hasta” and “Paani” refer to the palm. Thus, a “Vajra Hasta” or a “Vajra Paani” is someone who holds a Vajra in her or his palm. Indra is also a Vajra hasta as he wields the Vajra as well.

Fudo Myō and his significance was constantly discussed in 2013 when the theme of the year in the Bujinkan required us to study the Tsurugi or Ken. The Tsurugi or Ken is the straight Japanese sword which predated the famous Tachi and Katana, both of which are iconic curved swords emblematic of Japan in the modern day. In 2013, we trained with the Ken a lot.

This is a picture of the Hombu Dojo (headquarter dojo) of the Bujinkan. Observe the two Tsurugi (straight sword) on either side of the Kamidana. Also observe the hilt of the two swords, they are Vajras.

This concludes the main focus of this article, the potential of the Vajra being a weapon made of vertebrae, it being a real weapon, a demonstration of its use and its cultural significance in the martial arts. But there are additional points relating to its cultural significance outside India and its depiction in modern Indian pop culture that I would like to share. If the article is too long or boring, one can choose to ignore the rest of this post.

If one searches for “Zeus” on Wikipedia, as of now, the first image seen on the page is the one seen below. This is supposedly called “Jupiter de Smyrna”. It is supposed to represent Zeus or his rough Roman equivalent, Jupiter. This statue was supposedly discovered in Smyrna, in modern day Turkey, missing an arm. It was restored by the French sculptor Pierre Granier in 1680, to show Zeus holding the Thunderbolt.

Zeus/Jupiter of Smyrna. Image credit – Wikipedia.

The Thunderbolt seen in the statue, as far as I know, is similar to older representations of the same weapon. From what I know, the Thunderbolt is representative of the lightning bolt as well. Zeus and Jupiter are both roughly equivalent to Indra in this aspect, both being Gods of Thunder and Lightning.

I have seen the Thunderbolt being depicted as a spear in some representations. In this form, it supposedly follows a kind of logic with respect to the brothers, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The weapon wielded by Zeus has a single point, so it is a spear. The weapon wielded by Hades has 2 points, making it something like a tuning fork or man-catcher from later centuries. This is also supposed to have influenced the “Pitchfork” wielded by the Devil in Christian tales, as that has 2 points as well. Poseidon has a weapon that has 3 points; hence he wields a Trident, or Trishoola as we Hindus refer to it. In this representation of the weapons, all of them wield pole arms.

This is an image of Zeus from Pompeii. Here the Thunderbolt that is wielded by Zeus is depicted as a spear. Image credit – Wikipedia.

But the Thunderbolt seen in the statue above does not depict a spear. It supposedly depicts a clutch of lightning bolts that Zeus can hurl at whomever he chooses. So, it could be that Zeus is so large that a lightning bolt seems small in comparison. If a normal human was depicted wielding the same, it would perhaps be as long as a spear.

Either way, consider the depiction in the statue, a closeup of which is seen below. Does this not seem like a Vajra? The 2 ends are symmetric and wider than the centre, which is held in the palm of Zeus. Is the shape not similar to the one on the right? Does this not look like a large Yawara stick with slightly points ends? I opine that it does. With this observation, we can say that Zeus wields a Vajra as well!

That said, if the Thunderbolt was depicted as a spear, that would not, in my opinion, suggest that the Vajra could be depicted as a spear. This is because, by Hindu tradition, the weapon associated with Agni, the God of Fire and the Guardian of the Southeast, is the Shakti. The Shakti is always depicted as a spear.

I will conclude with another question to which I have no answer. I wonder why the depiction of the Vajra in modern pop culture in India is so very different from the traditional depiction. Sometimes, the Vajra is depicted like a “Z”, almost like the symbol of the DC comics superhero, The Flash. In come extreme cases, Indra is shown wielding the backbone with all the ribs still attached! I wonder how one would fight with that! 😀

The Vajra wielded by Indra being depicted as a “Z”. Image credit – “Garuda”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

The “Z” like depiction is seen in many Amar Chitra Katha publications. This publication has always drawn inspiration from historical depictions, and temple carvings. But I wonder why they chose a different one in the case of the Vajra, especially since there are so many depictions of the Vajra in temple carvings.

This holds true considering one of their early depictions of the Pushpaka Vimāna in the Ramayana (the aerial vehicle of Kubera stolen by Ravana and eventually passed on to Lord Rama) is remarkable similar to the depiction of the same in an approximately 1300-year-old carving in a Chalukya temple at Pattadakal in Karnataka.

In another depiction of the Vajra, they have depicted it as a mace or a gada made from bones. This seems a far better depiction, since there is some engineering of the bones of Rishi Dadichi to convert them into a weapon. Considering that Vishwakarma, the engineer of the Devas, crafted the Vajra, this “value addition” seems necessary, at least to a modern mind like mine, that is accustomed to engineering in every aspect of life.

The Vajra depicted as a Gada (mace) made from the backbone of Rishi Dadichi. Image credit – “Indra and Vritra”, Kindle edition, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

If I were to consider a very pop culture depiction of a primitive, barbarian like Vajra, since it is from a forgotten past, I would likely make it look like an axe, a two headed axe no less. 😛 Consider the human back bone. It includes the pelvic girdle. So, if one reversed the backbone to hold up the girdle, with the rest of backbone being the handle, we would have an axe. 😊And the axe handle would have a natural curvature and a pointy end at the tip (sacrum) as well! I will end here before I run away with my imagination. 😀

Seen above is an image of the human backbone. Observe the Dorsal and Ventral images. Do they not look like a stylized axe a barbarian would use??!! 😊 Image credit – https://spinehealth.org/article/spine-anatomy/

Kantāra and the Loris at war! 😊

Vikram M R, , , , , , , Leave a comment

Animals have always been used in war. Horses, elephants, dogs and pigeons come to mind readily as examples. Horses were used with chariots and cavalry, elephants were used for logistics and as weapons of war. Dogs were used for fighting, as sentries and as guides for scouts. Dogs are still used by several armed forces. They are a key component of counter insurgency operations in India to this day.

Pigeons were used as messengers. Mules were and still are used as pack animals. Camels were used as mounts for mobile light artillery in the past! They are still used as pack animals and as mounts for patrols in the desert regions of India. Raptors have also been used in war. Kites are still used in some instances to take down drones. If strange projects are to be considered, there were attempts to use dolphins as tools of the navy! And if we consider folklore, monitor lizards were also used in war, specifically as grappling hooks*!

Apart from pack animals and fighting animals, there are also animals that historically have provided chemical weaponry! Humans have used secretions from animals and plants for hunting and in warfare. Secretions from the skin of multiple species of Arrow Poison frogs have been used in South America for hunting. Snake venom has supposedly been used as poison on projectiles, though I cannot recall specific examples at this time. Venom from certain species of snails is also supposedly extremely potent and can be used as poison.

This brings me to a recent and interesting experience. I watched the movie “Kantāra: A Legend – Chapter 1” a few days ago. The rest of this article holds spoilers for the movie. So, if anyone reading has not watched the movie and plans to do so, please decide if spoilers are fine by you. The movie depicted the use of the Loris as a weapon of war! :-O 😊

A Slender Loris. Image credit – “The Book of Indian Animals”, by S H Prater, published by Bombay Natural History Society.

There is a tribe depicted in the movie that utilizes the loris as a weapon. This tribe also uses the blood of the loris in magic rituals, which they supposedly use to render the Gods revered by other tribes, powerless. This is absolutely the very first time that I have seen the loris have a starring role in any form of media or storytelling!

Granted, the loris depicted is not as accurate as it could have been. The movie is set in Tulu Nadu, a part of the coastal region of the state of Karnataka in India. The species of loris native to this region is the Gray Slender Loris. This animal is small, nocturnal, omnivorous, has large, beautiful eyes, and is not well known. It has rarely been seen by most people, and rarely, if ever, encountered in the wild+.

The loris seen in the movie appears more like a species of Slow Loris. A species of Slow Loris, called the Bengal Slow Loris is native to the Northeastern parts of India. This animal is larger and furrier than the Slender Loris, though both are arboreal creatures. The animal depicted in the movie hisses when threatened. This is correct, as I can attest from personal experience with a Gray Slender Loris.

But the greatest drawback with the depiction of the Loris in the movie is in relation to its locomotion. The lorises on screen move very fast, and at times seems like a lemur or a meerkat. Of course, this speed can be attributed to magic in the movie, but that is not specifically explained on screen. So, I find the speed of movement of the lorises in the movie unsettling.

A Slender Loris I had the privilege of observing at close quarters. Image credit – “Menagerie Memoirs” by Dr. M K Shashidhar, published by Notion Press.

In reality, the Slender Loris has a slow, deliberate, cautious way of locomotion. This is part of why it is incredibly hard to spot in its natural habitat. This protects it from predators in the wild. The movement of the loris could remind one of the movements of the sloth, which inhabits South America. I personally feel the sloth is more deliberate and slower than the loris, based on my experience with the loris and what I have seen of the sloth in documentaries.

The Slender Loris used to be hunted in the past. This is supposed to have reduced considerably since the 1990s. From the 1980s through to the early 2000s, I have had the good fortune of observing closely a few Gray Slender Loris specimen. These were all rescued from attempted poaching/hunting activity or from the exotic pet trade.

One story I had heard back in the day was that there was a superstitious belief in relation to the eyes of the loris. It was supposedly believed (wrongly) by some that if one added the eyes of a loris to a potion and consumed it, one would be reunited with one’s lost love! I have not been able to ascertain if this tale is just hearsay or if there is any evidence to this belief in any local folklore.

But this potential (and untrue) attribution of a mystical quality to a loris is tangential parallel to the movie. In the movie, the tribe mentioned earlier, uses the blood of the loris as part of their magic ritual, almost like a magic potion, to capture and subdue the deities of other tribes. So, a mystical quality is attributed to the loris, to its blood if not to its eyes.

The loris is called the “Kaadu Paapa” in Kannada. “Kaadu” means “forest” and “Paapa” means “baby”. The loris is literally called “the baby of the forest”, a name this is apt, considering the cuteness of the animal. The name also exacerbates the tragedy of poaching the animal, for it is akin to abusing a child, which is what the loris is called in Kannada.

This image of a Slender Loris shows its size, in relation to a human hand. The animal is really small, much smaller than how it is depicted in the movie. Image credit – “Menagerie Memoirs” by Dr. M K Shashidhar, published by Notion Press.

The fact that the loris, a small, slow species has survived on the planet gives it a tenuous connection to the martial arts. No, there is no “Loris Style” of fighting that I am aware of. Nor is there any modern military technology that is specifically inspired by the Loris, again, as far as I know. The connection is more in the form of a bit of advice we once received.

Sometime between 2017 and 2019, a few of my Buyu (fellow practitioners of the Bujinkan system of martial arts) were attending a class by Nagato Sensei in Japan. Nagato Sensei is among the most senior teachers of the Bujinkan system and the Soke** of the Shinden Fudo Ryu. During the class, Nagato Sensei spoke of how the loris can be an inspiration during training.

Sensei was speaking of how the urge to move fast during training is not always beneficial. Speed and strength are always important in the martial arts, at least in the sport versions of martial arts, where two individuals are fighting each other. But Sensei was suggesting that one only needs to move as fast as is necessary. If one is moving to avoid an attack, moving too fast might lead to overcompensation, which can then lead to a potential opening.

Also, when training, moving slowly enables one to study one’s own movements and improve or fine tune one’s form or technique. Taking the two aspects together, he said that one must move like a loris – I think he specifically said Slow Loris – though I am not sure if he used the word “slow” to refer to the type of loris or to just drive home the point that speed is not panacea.

Sensei was referring to how a loris moves slowly and deliberately and still survives successfully. It is able to hunt and stay protected from predators. In this same manner, one needs to move just as fast as is necessary to survive, which is not slow or fast, it is just deliberate. At the same time, moving slowly, except until the last instant of the attack prevents an opponent from being defensive and overly alert. This is what I understood from what I heard of the exchange between Sensei and those who attended that class. This in a way feeds into the saying, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast”. This then is the link between the loris and the martial arts. 😊

I will return to the reference about venom and the movie Kantāra to conclude. I recently learnt that Slow Lorises have venom glands, making them the only primates in the world to be venomous. The venom glands are on the insides of their elbows. The Lorises supposedly lick the glands to secrete the venom and mix it with their saliva. They then lick their hands and apply the now toxic saliva on their bodies. This protects them from potential predators. Also, the toxic saliva is transferred to a prey when the Loris bites it, as the saliva is transferred with the bite.

A Slow Loris. Image credit – “The Book of Indian Animals”, by S H Prater, published by Bombay Natural History Society.

Venom is a chemical weapon; there is no doubt about that. That is part of the reason why a lot of people fear snakes, and that is also why poison arrows have always existed. In the movie “Kantāra: A Legend – Chapter 1”, the lorises are controlled by the sorcerers of a tribe, and they direct the lorises to attack as a group. This more like a special forces raid than open warfare as the lorises simply do not have the strength or numbers to overwhelm large numbers of enemies.

As I mentioned earlier, the lorises depicted in the movie, due to their size, look like Slow Lorises. And if we assume that is the case, a new dimension comes into play. The sorcerers now have a number of animals that can deliver a toxic bite! They can direct the lorises to attack specific individuals to deliver a bite that will either kill or at least incapacitate high value targets, given a sufficient number of bites! This is not unlike people dying when they are subjected to a large enough number of bee stings. And this is exactly how the lorises are used in the movie!

Thus, the lorises are indeed weapons by themselves. And this is something I have never seen in any form of storytelling ever! And that made the movie experience simply fantastic. 😀

This remaining part is just an aside, not an essential part of the article. I am just sharing another observation relating to animals and warfare. We all know that horses were used in war over several centuries. In India, in the past, a yajna called the Ashwamedha Yajna used to be performed. This involved letting loose a horse which traversed many lands over the course of a year.

A representation of the horse from the Ashwamedha Yajna in the Ramayana. Image credit – “The Sons of Rama”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

If the horse passed through the lands of a neighbouring kingdom, the king or leader of that kingdom could either let the horse pass or stop it from going further through his lands. If he let it pass, he would have to accept the suzerainty of the king performing the Ashwamedha Yajna, or at least accept some form of treaty, likely an unequal one.

If however, he chose to stop the horse, he would have to fight the king performing the Yajna. An army followed the horse and would fight the army of the kingdom through which the horse was passing. The war would have a natural conclusion. If the army of the king performing the yajna won, the other kingdom would be annexed. If it lost, the yajna would be over, as a failure.

The horse from the Ashwamedha Yajna being stopped by a king whose lands it has wandered onto, triggering a war. Image credit – “Uloopi”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

A representation of the horse from the Ashwamedha Yajna in the Ramayana. Image credit – “The Sons of Rama”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

In popular depictions of the Ashwamedha Yajna, the horse that is let loose is always a WHITE HORSE. In the movie Kantāra – A Legend: Chapter 1, there are 2 sequences with white coloured horses. One on the port and another in the forest (the Kantāra).

On the port, a white Arab horse runs amok. This horse is subdued by the hero of the movie, a leader of the people of the forest. In this manner, the horse could be said to be his, as he is the one who restrained it. Later, the people of the forest, under the leadership of the hero capture the port. The horse is also slain by the villain of the movie. In this manner, the entire sequence is reminiscent of the Ashwamedha Yajna!

A white horse is let loose, it belongs to the leader of the people of the forest, the horse wanders to the port controlled by a different king, and the port is conquered. Add to this, the horse is killed, like in the sacrificial part of the Yajna. Thus, the Ashwamedha Yajna has been successfully completed by the hero, the leader of the people of the forest!

A representation of the horse from the Ashwamedha Yajna in the Mahabharata. Image credit – “The Ashwamedha Yajna – Mahabharata 41”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

The king from whom the port was conquered, later invades the forest. He causes a lot of carnage but is eventually defeated and killed. He also rides a white horse! Of course, the horse is not let loose, but the parallel is close. In this case, the Ashwamedha Yajna fails as the king is killed, and the invasion is defeated.

The White Horse that is let loose during an Ashwamedha Yajna is an instrument of war by itself, as it can cause kings to fight and lose or accept defeat without fighting. In that way, the horse is an incredible martial tool! One that can lead armies to their death or a people to increased prosperity. Of course, this aside could be just me overthinking things. The interpretation could be completely wrong and not what the filmmakers meant at all.

Notes:

* Swaraj and the Lizard (and Ninjas?!) – Mundane Budo

+ There was a time when group walks were allowed in protected areas. This provided an opportunity to encounter and observe smaller wildlife, like gerbils, lorises and invertebrates. But as far as I know, walks are no longer allowed in forests if elephants are known to inhabit the area. So, the opportunity to spot the smaller creatures has diminished greatly.

** Soke – Grandmaster is a good understanding of this word, though it is not a literal translation

Weapons of the Dikhpālakās (Guardians of the Directions)

Vikram M R, , , , , , Leave a comment

Tomorrow is Naraka Chaturdashi, the first day of Deepāvali (“the Festival of Lights”). Naraka Chaturdashi commemorates the victory of Lord Krishna over Narakāsura. Narakāsura was an incredibly powerful Asura, who was the son of Bhoomi Devi and Lord Varāha. He committed atrocities across all realms and was almost invincible. It took Lord Krishna carrying out an aerial assault on his palace at night to defeat and kill him. Lord Krishna flew on Garuda with his wife Satyabhāma to carry out a surprise attack on Naraka’s citadel in Pragjyotishpura to slay the Asura.

Narakāsura had defeated the Devas, including Indra and Varuna. He had imprisoned thousands of women and looted wealth from the Devas and many other regions. The Devas were never powerless. They are the Guardians of the 8 directions, with Brahma and Vishnu being the guardians of the Zenith and the Nadir respectively. Lord Shiva, called Eesha, is the guardian of the North East.

Being the Guardians and celestial beings, the Devas are very powerful and it takes an Asura of rare abilities who only seldom appears to defeat them. Just because the stories depict Lord Vishnu coming to their protection and rescue does not mean that they are always frail and in need of help.

All the Devas, in a show of strength, carry a specific weapon which is always depicted in iconography depicting them. I am sharing a video below that depicts these weapons and possible use of the same.

This is a video I made a few years ago as part of the Indian Independence Day celebration at work. But it fits into this post pretty well in my opinion. I am not editing out the Independence Day wishes at the end, because the occasion is not important, the depiction of the use of the weapons is.

Wish you all a blessed Deepāvali! 🙂

This video was made during a mild phase of the pandemic. Hence the masks on both demonstrators in the video.

Asura Planet

Vikram M R, , , , , , , Leave a comment

In Hindu culture, the Asuras are very often seen in a negative light. Asuras, sometimes conflated with Rakshasas are, from a modern perspective, the villains in most of the stories we hear. But as we know these days, they are not villains. Some of them might end up becoming villains. More often than not, they are in opposition to the Devas.

The Asuras usually include the Daityas and Dānavas. Daityas, Dānavas and Devas are cousins. They end up battling for control of various realms often. While the stories we hear and read eventually end with the destruction of one or a few specific Asuras, it does not mean that they always end up on the losing side. They end up being the victors quite often.

It must also be remembered that while the Asuras are seen conquering the realm of the Devas (Swarga and its capital Amarāvati), and the realms of humans or Mānavās, the Asura realm is shown as being attacked or conquered by the Devas (never the Mānavās) only a few times. The Asuras regroup time after time under different leaders and attempt a new conquest. They succeed in their conquests quite often and subdue the realms of Devas and Mānavās. This conquest leads to an avatāra of Vishnu or Devi or Shiva to be responsible for saving the Devas and Mānavās.

The Asura Shumbha conquers Swarga. Image credit – “Tales of Durga” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

This sequence of events leads to interesting observations. Firstly, if the Asuras were rarely invaded and only defended against, it seems that they were too powerful to face offensive action. Only one of the Trimurthy or Devi could attack them and succeed. The two instances that I am aware of when the Devas attacked and defeated the Asuras was when Vrtra was slain and then when Viprachitti was defeated.

Secondly, it seems that the Asuras were the definition of resilience, innovation and perseverance. Every time they were defeated, they held out to rise in strength again. This is resilience. The next Asura leader performed great meditative penance (tapasya) to achieve a great boon from Lord Brahma. This boon nullified the advantage provided by the Amrita in the possession of the Devas. This is innovation. This process took years on end. But after this gap, the Asuras invaded again with the new leader and his or her powers and generally succeeded in defeating the Devas. They ruled Swarga for a long time after the victory before a divinity defeated them. This is perseverance.

Mahishi taunts the Devas after acquiring her Boon. Image credit – “Ayyappan”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

I mentioned the Amrita in the possession of the Devas in the previous paragraph. Amrita gave the Devas great health and immortality. This was an unbeatable technological advantage. To overcome this advantage, the boons the Asuras acquired were vital. This mitigated the advantage provided to the Devas by the Amrita, at least to a certain extent.

An aside – I have heard that this is a likely origin of the word “Asura”. During the Vedic Age when Yajnas were widely prevalent, two sacred drinks are mentioned as being offered to the Gods, Soma and Sura. These were not offered to some Gods. These Gods came to be “Asura” as “Sura” was not offered to them, the “A” indicating the lack of the offering. I am not sure if this is accepted by everyone or if it is just another theory.

The martial art I practice is the Bujinkan system of martial arts. The Bujinkan is sometimes referred to as “Ninjutsu”. But Ninjutsu, or Ninpo, is one of the facets of the martial arts practiced as part of the Bujinkan system. The “Nin” in both Ninjutsu and Ninpo, refers to “Perseverance”. So, Ninjutsu is “The Art of Perseverance” and Ninpo is “The Way of Perseverance”. And if the Asuras are the exemplars of perseverance, they are the true practitioners of Ninjutsu!

Historically speaking, the Devas in their primary roles are representative of the natural elements. Indra, the king of the Devas, is the God of Thunder and Lightning and Storms. This means that he is a personification of these natural forces. Similarly, Agni represents Fire, Vayu represents the Wind and Varuna represents water and water-bodies. Surya represents the Sun, Chandra or Soma the moon and one of the Vasus represents the Sky.  The Ashvins represent healing properties, speed (horses) and safety during voyages. It seems to me like they represent the natural intelligence of humans to protect themselves.

Humans have striven from time immemorial to survive the elements. Over millennia they achieved mastery over the elements and learnt to thrive despite the elements. Now we have reached a stage where human actions are causing chaos in the elements in the form of climate change and devastating the natural world.

This flow of events over the last several thousand years suggests to me, that we are the Asuras. The Devas are nothing but the natural world as mentioned earlier. Humans initially cowered before the elements, but showed resilience to survive all ecosystems. This resilience and human expansion was facilitated by the continuous innovation demonstrated by humankind. The innovation took centuries in many instances, like the domestication of livestock, crops and most importantly, fire. The continuous flow of innovation is only possible through rugged survival. This is the perseverance of the human species as a whole.

So, humans have over several centuries demonstrated resilience, innovation and perseverance. With these traits, humankind has conquered the natural world, in other words, the Devas. This checks two boxes for humans to be the real Asuras. The third box relates to the Asura trait that led to their defeat time after time.

The Asuras after their successful conquests, gradually descend to being despots and cruel dictators. They end up throwing the natural order into chaos. It is at this stage that the avatāra appears to defeat the mighty Asura leader and drive the Asuras out of the realms of Devas and Mānavās. The Asuras go from being conquerors to destroyers, which leads to their downfall.

Mashisa goes full despot. Image credit – “Tales of Durga” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Humans, as mentioned earlier are supposedly throwing all ecosystems of the Earth out of whack. All species are suffering and even among humans, there are several that are living lives whose quality is far lower than those of the rest. All of this seems like humankind is the Asura nation that has gone full despot. This is the third box to check for humans to transcend into being Asuras. This is also the event that should trigger the arrival of an avatāra.

Mahisha imposes monotheism. Image credit – “Tales of Durga” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

But is the natural world itself going to be the avatāra aided by conflict within the human nations? I have no idea. But the fact that humans are the real Asuras seems clear. Perhaps humans are like Asuras on steroids. Humans strive to succeed, acquire knowledge and build technology. This is not unlike severe tapasya over a long time. This technology, which is the equivalent of the boons from the stories lets humans harness technology and change geographies, in the form of construction, mining and pollution. This is the equivalent of a conquest and its subsequent subjugation.

Let me elucidate with an example. Hiranyakashipu, when he became all powerful, imposed monotheism (or at least forced Viashnavās to give up their religion). He forbade the worship of Vishnu and forced people to worship him instead. This is the same as the powerful nations expecting everyone to conform to their own education, values and lifestyle. The most powerful nations can achieve this through the boons of wealth and technology. This leads me to this, we are on the cusp of becoming the Asura Planet.

Let me backtrack to the struggle between the Devas and the Asuras for a bit. I had mentioned that the Asuras were rarely invaded by the Devas and this was due to how powerful the Asuras were. Of course, it could be that the Devas did not attack the Asuras or eliminate them out of the goodness of their hearts. The Devas could have been satisfied with the life they had achieved through the use of Amrita. But then, they were all cousins and if the Devas had turned conquerors, especially after being in possession of Amrita the Asuras and Devas would simply be swapping roles, at least in the stories. That said, Devas were not entirely content with their lot and fought among themselves too.

Hiranyakashipu becomes a dictator. Credit for both images – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Some examples of the Devas being in conflict among themselves are the following.

  • Indra and Agni seem to have been in conflict multiple times. Agni took the help of Krishna and Arjuna to stop Indra from interfering when he consumed the Khāndava forest. Indra wanted to stop Agni as his Naga friend Takshaka lived in that forest.
  • The Asura Rambha was saved by Agni when Indra wanted to kill him as he was meditating. Indra had already killed Rambha’s brother Karambha through deceit. Thanks to Agni’s actions, Rambha eventually reincarnated as Raktabeeja to protect his son Mahishāsura.
  • The Asura Jalandhara was raised in the ocean, the abode of Varuna. Jalandhara attacked the Devas to retrieve the treasures of his adoptive father Varuna. In this manner, Varuna and Indra seemed adversarial even though they were not out to fight each other. Varuna had raised the Asura who would attack the Devas.
  • The Devas and Asuras fought a war call the Tārakāmaya War in the Puranas. This war occurred because the wife of Brihaspati, Tara was either abducted by Chandra (Soma) or she eloped with him. Brihaspati was the preceptor of the Devas. This incident led to a war where the Devas sided with their Guru while the Asuras sided with Chandra.

Based on these instances, it is quite likely that the Devas were not entirely peaceful or docile. It is therefore not necessary that they did not invade the Asuras out of the goodness of their hearts.

Since we spoke of Brihaspati, I must mention Shukrācharya. Shukra or Shukrācharya was the Guru or preceptor of the Asuras. He is the personification of perseverance and innovation, which could make him the ultimate expression of Ninjutsu!

Shukra found a way to defeat death itself! He performed tapasya with Lord Shiva as the focus. Once Lord Shiva was pleased, Shukrācharya learned the “Sanjeevini Vidya (Kriya)” from the Lord. This led to his being able to resurrect Asuras who were dead! This was essentially the same as being immortal. It seems to me that the Devas had no choice but to acquire Amrita to counter the Sanjeevini Vidya!1

In the Bujinkan, we learn of the 5 Gojo (roughly translatable as “pearls of wisdom”). These are five important concepts that, taken together, can be a guide to life. The 5 Gojo are,

  • Fumetsu no fusei – translatable as “give and give” or “endless giving”
  • Mamichi no jikai – translatable as “following/staying on the right path”
  • Shizen no niniku – translatable as “the perseverance of nature”
  • Shizen no choetsu – translatable as “the transcendence of nature”
  • Komyo no satori – translatable as “the light of wisdom”

I will not go into the detail about the Gojo here. I have written a separate article describing these as I understand them, the link to which is seen in the notes below*. I would however, draw an analogy between the Asura and modern human way with the Gojo.

The tapasya (meditation / penance / continuous effort) performed by the Asura and the human quest for knowledge is an outstanding example for “fumetsu no fusei”. One has to give oneself to the endeavour incessantly. This focus is the “right path”, which is tread over long periods of time. One needs perseverance to stay this path and continue the tapasya. When the tapasya reaches fructification, one transforms or transcends the current state. This could be as simple as being able to apply the newly acquired knowledge or technology as a consequence of the tapasya. These form the first four of the five Gojo.

Then comes the fifth, the one hardest to practice. At a high level, it could mean that the knowledge acquired or technology developed as a result of the tapasya is applied in the “correct” manner. Here, the term “correct” is incredibly hard to define in reality. Who can define, what is the correct way to do anything? I opine that it is nearly impossible, except at a personal level. This is why it takes “wisdom” to do the right thing with the new knowledge or technology. And if the application seems “correct” in a “given context”, one could have seen “the light of wisdom”.**

If one follows the right path with perseverance and is transformed after a long time on the path, wisdom could be the outcome of the experiences on the path. This could be another way to interpret “Komyo no satori” or “the light of wisdom”. But if the objective on the path was never “wise” or “correct”, both of which are subjective, could the outcome be any “good” of display “wisdom” in a positive manner? I have no idea. Similarly, we tend to assume “wisdom” to result in a positive outcome. But wisdom could also reveal ways and means to achieve negative outcomes.

Hiranyakashipu transforms with great abilities through perseverance and steadfast focus after overcoming great travails, but fails to gain wisdom. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

These conundrums are perhaps what led to the defeat of many famous Asuras. They are also what cause the problems we modern humans face. The Asuras practiced the first 4 of the Gojo and became great. They defeated the Devas and made the Asura realm great. This also made them responsible for the “natural order”, which they inherited when they defeated the Devas.

Perhaps some of them failed at this responsibility. Imposing monotheism, like Hiranyakshipu did, or turn a predator of women and molester of Rishis, like Ravana did are examples of failing to protect the natural order. This is also an example of failing the 5th Gojo after passing the first 4. These Asuras actually attempted to snuff out wisdom, let alone be guided by its light!

Ravana, despite great abilities, boons and knowledge, was a great tormentor of people and molester of women. Image credit – “The Ramayana”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Something similar is seen in the challenges we face in our lifetimes. Between 1900 and 2000, humans went from dreaming of flight to landing on the moon to exploring the solar system! Between 1950, when horse and bullock drawn carts were still prevalent in most parts of India, we have gone to having trouble with parking spaces for cars in most urban areas! This is a fantastic representation of a collective achievement of the first 4 Gojo.

That said, pollution and supply chain issues have come to haunt us all. Sustainable development is at loggerheads with the desire for great levels of comfort and convenience. Armed conflict is back in a big way, not that it ever went away completely. Inequality in wealth levels across the world are not diminishing as fast as citizens of the world would prefer.

But all points of view that cause these problems are correct and valid, at least to those who hold them. And this is another demonstration of how “wisdom” is hard to come by. And this is not unlike the problem with the Asuras, who failed to sustain the “natural order” (Rta). Natural Order is not too different from the climate, the change in which is yet another example of a failure of the practice “Komyo no satori”.

This again leads me to my opinion, we humans, or Mānavās, are the Asuras. This is not self-deprecation. It is just an identification of how we want to be the Devas or higher yet, the great Trinity that can fix everything. That is perhaps why we have so many stories of warning to the self, with Asuras as the antagonists!

Notes:

1 The Devas used Kacha, the son of Brihaspati, to obtain the Sanjeevini Kriya. The story of this event is incredible by itself. It has romance in a “honey pot” espionage operation. That also means, once technological parity had been achieved, the boons were the next technological disruptor.

* The Gojo – A personal understanding – https://mundanebudo.com/2023/03/16/the-gojo-a-personal-understanding/

Devi Durga and the Ishizuki

Vikram M R, , , , , , 1 Comment

Vijayadashami is the last day of the Dasara (Dussehra) festival. One story associated with Vijayadashami is the victory of Devi Durga over Mahishāsura. Vijayadashami is the 10th day of the Dasara festival. The 9th day is celebrated as “Āyudha Pooja”. Devi Durga could wield all weapons expertly and this is part of the reason for the festival of “Āyudha Pooja”. Āyudha can be translated as “weapon” and this festival is all about showing gratitude to the tools that enable us to live and prosper.

Mahisha was an Asura (more specifically a Dānava) who had shape shifting abilities. He had acquired a boon from Lord Brahma after a severe penance that ensured that he could only be killed by a woman. This meant that none of the Devas or Lord Vishnu or Lord Shiva could kill him. He believed no woman, including the female personifications and consorts of the Devas could ever defeat him, let alone kill him, and hence his choice of the boon.

Mahisha gains a boon, which allows only a woman to defeat and kill him. Image credit – “Tales of Durga” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Armed with his boon, Mahisha defeated the Devas, conquered Swarga (loosely translated as Heaven) and its capital Amaravati and enforced monotheism on all humans in the world. This caused chaos and threw the natural order (Rta) out of balance. The Devas are the guardians of the 8 directions and natural phenomenon and could no longer perform their duties. To remedy this situation, Devi Durga was born. She was granted the use of all the weapons of the Trimurthy and the Devas. This is why Devi Durga is associated with weapons as she is the only who possesses and expertly wields all of them.

Mahisha imposes monotheism. Image credit – “Tales of Durga” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Eventually Devi Durga fought Mahishāsura and killed him, restoring peace to the entire world. She used all the weapons she had access to while fighting Mahisha and his army. The actual act of Durga killing Mahisha is the subject of art and iconography in all parts of India. This has been the case for close to about 2 millennia or more now. The act of Durga killing Mahisha is called “Mahisāsura Mardhini”. The crux of this article relates to the depiction of how exactly Durga killed Mahishāsura as seen in different representations of the “Mashishāsura Mardhini”.

Durga beheads Mahisha. Observe the sword, it is not a typical talwar, it is a dedicated chopping sword. Image credit – “Tales of Durga” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

The depiction of Durga killing Mahisha that I came across as a child was in the Amar Chitra Katha comics. Here, she is depicted as killing Mahisha with a sword. She beheads with him with a sword. The sword shown in the comic was a chopping sword and not the typical talwar. The most interesting aspect of the artwork in Amar Chitra Katha is the depiction of Durga using a noose to subdue Mahishāsura! The noose, called a “Paasha”, is the weapon associated with Varuna, the Lord of the waters and oceans. He is also the Guardian of the West.

Devi Durga subdues Mahisha in the form of a buffalo, with a noose (Paasha). Image credit – “Tales of Durga” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

But in the past, Durga is seen subduing Mahisha with a Trishoola (trident). She is also depicted fighting the Dānava with archery. For the purposes of this article, I will specifically refer to the depictions of the Mahishāsura Mardhini in the architectural marvels of the Vatapi Chalukyas in Karnataka and those of the Pallavas in Tamil Nadu. The carvings of the Chalukyas I will refer to are those from Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal. The creations of the Pallavas referred to are in Mahabalipuram. The sculptures from both states are from roughly the 6th to the 8th centuries.

Durga fighting Mahisha, as depicted in the famous panel at Mahabalipuram. Image credit – Wikipedia.

The carving at Mahabalipuram depicts Durga seated on a lion and fighting with a bow. Here Mahishāsura is shown in an anthropomorphic form. He has the head of a buffalo (which is what Mahisha means) and the body of a man. He wields a large club. A version of this carving is also seen in Pattadakal. It is seen on a small panel in one of the temples at the Pattadakal temple complex.

A depiction in Pattadakal similar to the one in Mahabalipuram.

In Aihole, there is a cave temple called “Ravana Phadi” (in some sources it is referred to as “Ravala Phadi”). In this cave, there is a stunningly beautiful depiction of the Mahishāsura Mardhini. In this sculpture, Mahishāsura is depicted as a buffalo. Durga has subdued him with one knee and speared his body with a Trishoola. There are similar depictions in both Pattadakal and Badami. There is yet another depiction of the Mahishāsura Mardhini in Aihole, at the temple complex.

Mahishāsura Mardhini depicted at the Ravana Phadi cave temple in Aihole. Observe the area encircled in white. The spike at the rear end of the Trishoola is used to stab Mahisha.

This is a closeup of the area encircled in the previous image. The spike of the rear end of the Trishoola going through the buffalo is clearly visible.

In the depiction at Pattadakal Mahisha is depicted in an anthropomorphic form, but different from the one made popular by the depiction at Mahabalipuram. Here the sculpture is partially damaged, and Mahisha seems to me like a man with small horns. Here, Durga has run through the Asura not only with her Trishoola, but also with her sword.

Mahishāsura Mardhini depicted at Pattadakal. Mahisha has been stabbed with the sword and also the rear end of the Trishoola. The trident of the Trishoola is encircled in white; this shows that the rear end is doing the stabbing.

In the Badami museum, situated within the cave temple complex, there is a small panel, which shows Mahisha as a buffalo proper. Here again, the Asura is speared by Durga’s Trishoola. In the depiction at the Aihole temple complex as well, Mashisha is a buffalo and has been slain by Durga’s Trishoola.

Mahishāsura Mardhini in a carving at the Badami museum. This also shows the rear end of the Trishoola doing the damage. The trident and rear spike are seen in the highlighted boxes.

The most interesting part in the depictions at Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal is the part of the Trishoola with which Mahishāsura is speared! Devi Durga has thrust through Mahishāsura with the rear end or the butt of her Trishoola! As a martial artist, this is an incredibly interesting aspect!

Mahishāsura Mardhini as seen in the bas relief at Chabimura, Tripura. This also shows the rear end of the Trishoola being used. This carving is from the Northeastern part of India, while the others were from the South. This carving is supposedly from the 15th or 16th century. This shows that the rear end of the Trishoola being used was shown across a vast geography over at least a 1000 years!

The bas relief at Chabimura seen in its entirety. The carving itself is over 20 feet tall and is situated on a cliff face on the river Gomati. The carving is over 20 feet off the ground.

This depiction of course is not always used. There is a carving in the Aihole museum where Mahishāsura is being stabbed with the trident part of the Trishoola. But that seems to be exception at this time and in this part of the world, based on the depictions I have seen. And the fact that the rear end of the Trishoola is used as the part that is causing the damage is what inspired this article.

A carving at the Aihole museum of the Mahishāsura Mardhini depicts the use of the trident instead of the rear spike as seen in the encircled area above. The rear end of the Trishoola is damaged and not clearly visible.

The Trishoola is a pole arm. Pole arms are weapons that are mounted on a shaft or haft, usually made of wood. They are generally as tall as or taller than the individual wielding it. The length of the weapon gave a great range/reach advantage when the weapon was used, either for hunting or in war. Some well-known pole arms are, the spear in its various forms, the glaive, the poleaxe, the halberd in its various forms, the pike, and even the man-catchers!

In the Bujinkan system of martial arts which I practice, the commonly practiced pole arms are the Naginata and the Yari. The naginata is the Japanese equivalent of a glaive or a halberd. The yari is the term used for different forms of the spear in Japan. The man-catcher is called a “Sasumata” in Japanese. Another example of a Japanese pole arm is the “Sodegarami”, which was a pole arm used against Yoroi (Japanese armour).

Historically, many pole arms have used a butt cap at the end of the shaft or haft. This added a bit of weight at the rear end of the weapon. The two commonly used forms of the butt cap was a spike or a sheath, like a cladding. The main function of the spike or the cladding was to reinforce the wood that made up the shaft, to protect the end from splitting and other like damage. The weight that a spike or cap possessed could act as a counterweight. In this role it helps maintain the centre of gravity of the weapon and balance the weight of the blade, spearhead, hammer, billhook or anything else at the business end of the weapon.

Representative Naginata and Yari (spear). The Yari has a simulation of the Ishizuki, while the Naginata does not. This is seen within the boxes in red.

In the case of a Yari or a Naginata, the weight (likely metallic) at the end of a Yari or Naginata can be of two kinds. One is the “Ishizuki” and the other is the “Hirumaki”. The “Ishizuki” can be translated as a “weight with a point”. It is essentially a spike. “Hirumaki” can be translated as “Big Roll”. Here the “Roll” in “Big Roll” is something that is used as a wrapping. The “Hirumaki” is essentially a cladding or a sheath of metal which adds weight.

The above images show Lord Shiva slaying Andhaka with his Trishoola. In the image on the left, observe the rear end of the Trishoola, encircled in white. It is not a spike as seen in the earlier depictions of the Mahishāsura Mardhini. The rear end here is like a cladding or a pommel. This is a representation of the “Hirumaki”. The close up on the right shows that Andhaka has been stabbed with the trident (encircled in white). Could this indicate that of there was a spike or Ishizuki on the Trishoola, it was the offensive part, but if there was a Hirumaki or pommel on the Trishoola, the trident was the offensive part?

So, it is likely that the Trishoola too, being a pole arm, had a weight at the end of the shaft. This weight was quite likely a spike. The spike at the rear end of a pole arm was not the primary weapon. But it was definitely used in fighting, simply because the rear end of any pole arm can be used to strike an opponent or to block an attack. This happens when the attack from the spearhead or blade or trident is blocked and disengaging from the opponent’s weapon is not immediately possible.

A representation of a spike or Ishizuki on a Trishoola (inside the box in red).

A representation of a Hirumaki/cladding/pommel/wrap/sheath on a Trishoola (inside the box in red). Image credit – “Tales of Durga” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

In the Bujinkan system of martial arts, when we practice with either the yari or the naginata, it is fairly common to strike the opponent with the rear end of the weapon. In a European context, with a pole axe, which is generally shorter than spears and halberds, the spike at the rear end is used quite often. So, it would be no surprise if the spike at the end of a Trishoola was used in a fight.

A poleaxe with a cladding or sheath or pommel on the rear end, encircled in white. This would be a Hirumaki.

A closeup of the Hirumaki equivalent on the poleaxe from the previous image.

But in the examples I shared from Japanese and European history, the spike at the end of a pole arm is not, as far as I know, the part of the weapon executing a kill. In this sense, the depiction of the spike at the end of a Trishoola being used as the primary weapon is very interesting, if not unique, especially since there are so many of them!

A wonderful demonstration of the use of the poleaxe in a duel. The poleaxes used here have a spike (Ishuzuki) at the rear end, not a Hirumaki.

Could this mean that the Trishoola really had two primary weapons? Was there a spear head at the other end of a Trishoola? And if there was, how was it wielded? And how was the weapon managed and rested while on campaign? Was there a protective sheath/scabbard for either or both ends that was taken off only during fighting, to protect them from the rain, mud and other elements? I have no idea.

Beyond all this, how was a Trishoola used in a fight? Be it a duel or a battle? And was it used often? Or at all? I am not aware of any manuscripts or set of carvings that give us an idea about fighting with a Trishoola in a historical context. Could it be that the spike was the weapon and the trident the defensive part of the weapon? This seems counterintuitive to a modern Hindu mind but need not be ruled out entirely.

The depictions of the Trishoola in the Mahishāsura Mardhini I have referred to are from a period when urban life was prevalent in large parts of India and cultural expression was thriving. Wars were being fought in all parts of the country as well. The trident beyond being associated with Lord Shiva in India and Poseidon in Greek mythology, does see use as a weapon in history. In ancient Rome, the gladiator of the type Retiarius did use a trident as a weapon, even if this only shows that it was used in duels & games, and not in battles.

So, the Trishoola as depicted in the hands of Devi Durga slaying Mahishāsura is indeed a weapon and not just a hunting/fishing tool. This makes the Trishoola and its use in combat, because we know so little about it, simply fascinating! Wish you all a Blessed Vijayadashami!

Teachers are Weapons

Vikram M R, , , , , , , Leave a comment

In 1991, there was TV series telecast on Doordarshan called “Chanakya”. Doordarshan is the state broadcaster of India and back in 1991, there was no other TV channel in most of India. The 4 metro cities had one other channel. The serial “Chanakya” was incredibly popular when it was first broadcast. It is still very popular and has great recall. The series was based on the life of Vishnugupta Chanakya, also called Kautilya, who was among those responsible for the creation of the Mauryan Empire in India in the 4th century BCE, and also the author of the “Arthashāstra”.

The series was 47 episodes long. By episode 10, the ruler of Gandhāra, Āmbhi, has submitted to Alexander of Macedon and this is not acceptable to a lot of the ruling class and the general populace. Chanakya is a teacher at the University of Takshashila (capital of Gandhāra) at this time and is worried at the turn of events. The leader of the university mentions to him at this time that if the administration is incapable of leading the society, that job falls to the teachers. This conversation is fiction of course. But Chanakya was a teacher and he did go on to cause major political upheavals in Indian history.

Watch between the 16 and 17 minute marks to see the conversation I referenced earlier.

Chanakya causes major changes by creating a capable set of people who can administer. These are led by a student of his called Chandragupta. Chandragupta Maurya is mentored to be a good ruler. An army to support Chandragupta is created, as is a political alliance, who are willing to take on the ruler of Magadha. In summary, Chanakya, is a teacher and an extraordinary intellectual who could take on the mightiest empire of its time and reset the administrative system, which echoes in Indian society and politics to this day.

Fast forward some 2300 years and we see that universities are still at the centre of attention. In India, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is in the news often for espousing views that seem to be that of the Left. It is accused of being anti-India in some the thoughts it seems to express. These ideas seem to stem from both students and the teaching staff, particularly in the Social Sciences and Humanities areas like history, economics and political science.

In the USA, famous universities like Harvard and Columbia were in the limelight recently for causing disruptions in support of Gaza, against the actions of Israel. These universities, including both students and teaching staff were accused of being anti-Semitic. Professors from these universities and the JNU are popular in both social media and legacy media which are considered to be “Left leaning”. In the case of the JNU at least a few alumni of the JNU have tended to influence administrative policy both from within and without the Government.

So, a situation where professors are involved in politics and are shaping (or at least attempting to) national policies continues from the times of Chanakya through to contemporary times. These educators carry out their activities by shaping the minds of students over many years and decades. They can create a large section of the population that votes for governments that enact the policies vouched for by the university teachers. Barring this, they can influence a section of the population through intellectual output like papers, books, podcasts etc. to expect a government to enact policies the professors taught them to think are right.

In India, some intellectuals including professors have been branded “Urban Naxals” due to their perceived support for the Naxal movement. The Naxal movement is a violent Leftist movement that wanted to replace India’s government with a Socialist administration. The Naxal movement is currently almost over in India, having been defeated by India’s security apparatus. The “Urban” part of the pejorative comes because these intellectuals live in urban areas and sympathize with or support Naxals, who mainly operated out of rural areas.

I just mentioned that professors influence the populace through content that includes books. The main audience for teachers from primary education to universities are their students and the main tools used to influence students are textbooks. “Influencing” students can be called “Conditioning” (perhaps with a negative connotation). Students can be conditioned to think in a certain manner and accept certain events as true or concepts as correct if their textbooks say so. This is especially easy if knowledge is imbibed through rote learning.

This means that a textbook is weapon in the arsenal of teachers that can be applied against impressionable minds. It is not unlike drugs and gases than can make individuals susceptible to suggestions. But the textbooks act gradually over longer periods of time. And this has resulted in the strong opinions and heated discussions taking place in India currently, about the content in text books.

This is especially true of history textbooks. These days, people are questioning which administration is introducing what change in a history textbook for any given class. Questions are also raised about the motivations behind the changes introduced and the individuals nominated to the committees that propose or make the changes to the textbooks.

In this video, Michel Danino, the current head of the committee that is writing History textbooks for the NCERT, speaks about the process and controversy surrounding the same.

The entire conversation around history textbooks is because both the Right and the Left in our country are concerned about whose way of looking at history will be more influential with kids. In other words, the crux of the matter is, whose weapon (textbook) will be used in the conditioning of young minds?

In the Bujinkan system of martial arts, we lean of a concept, which in Japanese, is called “Jokin Hansha”. “Jokin Hansha” refers to “conditioned responses”, or the way we humans behave and react to situations as a result of the conditioning we experience in our lives. Consider a situation where someone looks at another and extends their right hand with the fingers outstretched, the other person will extend his or her own hand to shake the hand that was offered. This is not something that we think of too much. It is something that we are all conditioned to do. It has become a part of our natural behaviour. This is an example of “Jokin Hansha”.

Belief in a “certain narrative” or a specific “memory of history” is much the same. It is a “Jokin Hansha”. Every conditioned behaviour can be used to manipulate individuals and groups of individuals. Consider this, one person throws a punch at another, the person on the receiving end, will invariably move or throw up her or his own hands in defence. If the punch was a feint, the attacker can use the defensive movement of the defender to change the attack to a hand grab or move into the space vacated by the other individual in defending against the fake punch.

In this situation, the default defensive behaviour of one person was used by another person to her or his own advantage. A feint was used to capture space or an arm. This is an application of Jokin Hansha. This same situation can be replicated with textbooks.

Seen above are a series of rough sketches that depict how one individual’s movement is used to the benefit of the other. Sketches by Keane Amaral.

If a student has been conditioned to believe that members of one community are disadvantaged due to a lack of financial resources and education by the vagaries of history, any action by a member of that community which could be derogatory towards another community, might be forgiven as “they do not know better”, irrespective of what the motivations of the individual might have been.

If however, a student has been conditioned to believe that members of said community have historically been conquerors and plunderers, and a member of that community behaves in a manner derogatory to another, the situation could be different. Irrespective of the economic and financial condition of the community, the feeling will be, “this is how they have always been, and deserve to be retaliated against”. This difference in response is what scares people. It is the “Jokin Hansha” of a society that is at stake! Textbooks are the weapon in making or breaking the responses of a society to future scenarios!

That said, weapons are useless without the will of the one wielding the weapon. Teachers can mitigate the success or failure of any attempt at conditioning. Which way the teachers who impart the knowledge from the textbooks direct the mind-set of kids depends on the personal brand of politics they believe in. From this point of view, the teacher is the weapon, a living one, who in turn deploys a lifeless weapon in the form of a textbook.

The notion of conditioning can be considered at a more personal level. In Eastern cultures, the teacher is greatly respected and in some cases, considered a second parent. Many kids in India start school with a prayer that explicitly equates a teacher with the Gods*. All of this is conditioning.

This results in students putting a teacher on a pedestal. This is even more so in the physical arts, like sports, dance, martial arts, music, spirituality and the like. The sense of respect is so great that students never consider that a teacher might be wrong, or might not know everything! This means that there is no questioning of what a teacher mentions or asks of the students.

But in reality, teachers are just humans who are experts (hopefully) in the subject whose knowledge or experience they are sharing. Some teachers will have human frailties and weaknesses. Put together the conditioning which results in devotion towards the teachers and teachers who are not perfect, and the creation of a cult is possible.

Teachers can exploit students. Teachers can prevent students from moving on to study with other teachers or study subjects and art forms that they are not teaching. It is also likely that teachers might not identify cases where they are of no use to a student. A student might not really enjoy what the teacher is sharing or not have an aptitude for the same.

In cases of such a mismatch, a teacher should be able to let go of a student, and encourage a student to explore other options. Not doing any of these is a failure. Numbers of students could lead to a sense of importance for a teacher which could lead to exploitation and act as an incentive to hold on to them. In the same vein, more students could mean more wealth for teachers and that is an incentive to control students as well. And then there are the horrible cases of sexual exploitation and other forms of control that a cult could possibly lead to.

All of this means that a student must find the right teacher. This is especially true in a world where education is an expensive proposition and also a business, with a lot of challenges for those involved in it. The teacher-student match needs to work for both, at least for a short duration. Let me share a few statements I have heard while training at my dojo that emphasize the need for a productive teacher-student relationship.

  • I have heard from my teacher and mentors that Hatsumi Sensei, the Soke (Grandmaster) of the Bujinkan, said that one should find the RIGHT teacher. He is supposed to have mentioned this in the context of there being a lot of teachers and not all of them are a right fit for all students.
  • I have heard it said that, just as teacher is present when the student is ready to learn, a student is present when the teacher is ready to teach.
  • It is supposedly said that, a teacher appears when a student is ready, and when a student is really ready, the teacher disappears.

All of the above statements mean that a teacher has a huge responsibility. He or she should be able to impart knowledge and share experience, but not PRESUME responsibility for the journey that is a student’s life.

Now that I have outlined how teachers can be instrumental in making, rewiring and possibly wrecking individual lives and also affect the fate of societies and nations, I will share a story where teachers played a pivotal role in directing the fate of entire societies. The story of the Narasimha avatāra, in its nuances, explains beautifully, how teachers work in the background to affect events that change the world forever.

While Lord Narasimha and Hiranyakashipu are the main characters in the story of the Narasimha avatāra, I opine that Maharishi Nārada and Shukrachārya (the Guru of the Asuras) are the two individuals who shape the story to be what it ended up being. Both of them were teachers of Prahlad at different times and hence shaped events as they unfolded.

When Hiranyakashipu was meditating upon Lord Brahma to attain a boon that would make him an equal of Lord Vishnu, or the Devas at least, his kingdom was attacked. The Devas saw an opportunity to destroy Hiranyakashipu’s kingdom while he was away. Without Hiranyakashipu to lead them, the Asura kingdom was defeated. Indra, king of the Devas, took Hiranyakashipu’s wife Khayadu hostage. Khayadu, the queen, was pregnant with Prahlad at that time. Indra even entertained thoughts of killing Hiranyakashipu’s son as soon as he was born.

Indra decides to abduct Prahlad’s mother Khayadu, but is dissuaded by Maharishi Nārada. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

But Maharishi Nārada intervened and prevented Khayadu from being taken hostage. He also saved Prahlad’s life by this action. Khayadu lived at the āshrama of Sage Nārada until Hiranyakashipu returned after successfully attaining the boons. Prahlad was born after his father had returned from his venture. But according to the story, while at the ashram, Sage Nārada explained the virtues and greatness of Lord Vishnu to Khayadu. Prahlad is supposed to have imbibed this knowledge while still in his mother’s womb. In this manner Maharishi Nārada was Prahlad’s first teacher.

Khayadu at the āshrama of Maharishi Nārada. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

This knowledge gained from the Sage stayed with Prahlad after he was born, during his childhood years and even as an adult. Prahlad was a devotee of Lord Vishnu even after he became the king of the Asuras. Hiranyakashipu was outraged that his son was a devotee of someone he considered his greatest enemy, and whose worship he wanted to stamp out.

Prahlad being sent to Shukrachārya as a student. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Prahlad was put under the tutelage of Shukrachārya as he was the Guru of the Asuras. But Shukrachārya was unable to diminish in any manner Prahlad’s devotion towards Lord Vishnu. In fact he was concerned as Prahlad was sharing with his other pupils the knowledge received from Nārada. Since Shukrachārya failed, Hiranyakashipu attempted to kill Prahlad through various means, all of which failed. These attempts led to the arrival of Lord Narasimha to protect his devotee, Prahlad, and to the death of Hiranyakashipu.

Shukrachārya fails to diminish Prahlad’s Bhakti for Lord Vishnu. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Since it was Prahlad’s devotion to Vishnu that led to the arrival of Narasimha, I suggest that Nārada was the cause for the avatāra. Nārada was the one who inculcated devotion** towards Vishnu in Prahlad and hence set up the events that culminated in Narasimha killing Hiranyakashipu. At the same time, is it possible that if Prahlad had been weaned away from Bhakti towards Vishnu by Shukrachārya, the Narasimha avatāra would have been different, or been postponed, or not occurred at all? It seems possible, but the story would certainly have been different.

Prahlad sharing his thoughts about Vishnu with other Asura students. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Thus, it was Narada’s actions and Shukrachārya’s failure that led to the Narasimha avatāra occurring as it did. It was a contest between two teachers. On this occasion, Narada’s action were the ones that led to the story we know. Shukrachārya had many other successes, they are just not relevant to this article. In this manner, the actions of two teachers determined the events that led to one of the most important stories in Hindu culture.

Prahlad confirms that Nārada is his  teacher. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Before I conclude, I must add another point. Maharishi Nārada ensured that Indra released Khayadu. In doing so, he ensured that Indra would not be committing the same crime that Kamsa, Lord Krishna’s uncle would commit much later. Kamsa killed all of Vasudeva’s children with his sister Devaki as soon as they were born. Also, by ensuring that Prahlad was not killed before he was born, he ensured that Indra did not commit the same crime that Ashwatthāma would commit in the future, at the end of the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata. Both Kamsa and Ashwatthāma suffered severe consequences for their actions. Indra would be eligible for the same fate had he carried through with his impulsive plans.

If Indra had been deserving of divine retribution, would the Devas be eligible for Vishnu’s protection, in the form of Narasimha? Perhaps not. Thus, by ensuring Indra did not commit actions worthy of punishment, and Prahlad was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, Maharishi Nārada literally laid the groundwork for the coming of Narasimha.

Maharishi Nārada prevents Indra from committing a grave crime. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Based on the above points, teachers shaped the future of empires and ensured the Gods could protect the world in the past. In current day, teachers can shape the future of individuals AND societies for better or worse as we saw in the case of university professors, creators of textbooks and martial arts instructors. Conditioning, which is one of the outcomes that actions of teachers eventually lead to, is thus a weapon. And that makes me suggest, TEACHERS ARE WEAPONS.

As some of you might have guessed, the idea for this post comes from tomorrow, September 5th, being celebrated as “Teacher’s Day” in India. September 5th is the birthday of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India. He was a preeminent intellectual, author and educator, whose life is celebrated by recognizing the contribution of teachers to the country.

Notes:

* The shloka (loosely translated as prayer) where teachers are equated with Gods, is seen below.

Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnuhuh

Gurur Devo Meshwarahah

Guruhuh Sākshāt Parabrahma

Tasmai Shree Guruve Namahah

It translates to,

Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu

Guru is Maheshwara (Shiva)

Guru is literally the Supreme Being

I bow/salute that Guru

** I use the words Bhakti and devotion interchangeably, though “devotion” is not a perfect translation for the word “Bhakti”.

Martial Arts & Life – A podcast

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I recently participated in a podcast on the YouTube channel, “Boom Booth Studios”. In this podcast I discuss various aspects related to martial arts and its benefits in modern day living, with the host Sameeksha P N. I am sharing the podcast for the current post. The video explains it all, I do not need to write more here.

Thoughts from Op Sindoor, Part 5 – The enormity of all that happens in the background

Vikram M R, , , , , , , 1 Comment

Some 25 years ago, I read the book “Every Man a Tiger” by Tom Clancy and General Chuck Horner. This was a non-fiction book published in 1999. It was about the air operation during the First Gulf War, also called the Kuwait Liberation War. General Chuck Horner was the commander of the Allied air forces during that war.

I had read very few books about military history at that time and most of those were about the Second World War. The interest in modern warfare had been kindled in many of my generation in the aftermath of the Kargil War in 1999. It was also in the latter half of the 90s that satellite television had fully taken off and there were several series related to military technology and spy craft on the Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel.

At that time, I had only read one book, “Despatches from Kargil” by Srinjoy Choudhary, about Indian military history and that was related to the Kargil War. This book had been published in late 2000. “Every Man a Tiger” was more of a history book than the other because it had been written some 8 years after the conclusion of the First Gulf War. If I recall right, about a quarter or a third of the book deals with the transformation of the United States Airforce (USAF) after the Vietnam War.

This part of the book details how the USAF improved its quality management, adopted new technologies and improved its focus on logistics. This part of the book is dull compared to the parts describing the action and management of the war. But in hindsight, it shows a remarkable level of foresight in the leaders of the USAF in the years between the Vietnam War and the First Gulf War. And this part of the book is what inspired me to write this article.

I had not and still have not read many books about Indian military history. This includes military history post 1947. This is partially because not many military history books were popular in the social circles I grew up in. This in turn could be because this genre was not stocked in the libraries that were frequented back then. It could just be that the genre was not very popular in general.

I always thought that not much had been written about recent Indian military history*. Perhaps this is true in comparison the number of books written about Western military history in the same period. But it turns out that quite a few books were indeed written, and I was not aware of those until they were mentioned on YouTube videos discussing Indian military history. That being said, I have also heard from retired Indian military leaders and thinkers that there are not enough books about contemporary India military history, thinking and strategy. I am sharing a link to a video that specifically discusses this issue.

This video elucidates how Indian military history is not well documented.

But, irrespective of the lack of books for Indian citizens to read about the evolution and improvement of the Indian armed forces, the forces are clearly doing a great job despite all the constraints they face. The evidence of this is in the actions taken during Op Sindoor, which occurred between 7th May and 10th May of 2025. The actions reveal that the armed forces are continuously learning and adding to their repertoire of abilities, processes and technologies.

I am guessing it is extremely difficult to make a movie about the awesomeness of military planning. It is a continuous activity and incremental in nature. It might not make for great viewing in terms of the action and drama of actual fighting involving humans. This challenge is likely to increase going further. This is because war will be taken over to a significant extent by technology, from drones to stand off weapons to beyond visual range missiles to using AI in target acquisition. Pilots will likely be on the ground or far behind drone swarms and the target will never be seen by any operator, except through sensor packages.

During the years since the pandemic, we civilians have seen news about war all the time. It started with the Armenia-Azerbaijan war which introduced us all to drones taking centre stage and legacy systems like tanks and artillery guns being vulnerable. This was followed by the India-China stand-off in the Himalayas, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war (with Operation Spider’s Web being the latest news-maker from this war), the war in Gaza, the Israeli actions against Hezbollah, the clash between Pakistan and Iran, the fight against the Houthis in Yemen, Op Sindoor and most recently, the war between Israel and Iran (Op Rising Lion).

In India’s case the face off with China was more about maneuvering and not about technological superiority. The one deadly clash that occurred did not involve firearms! But the conflict prior to this, involving Pakistan, did.

Post the Pulwama terrorist attack where 40 CRPF personnel were murdered by a suicide bomber, India carried out an air strike using Mirage 2000 aircraft against a terrorist training centre on Jabbar Top in Balakot in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Pakistan retaliated the next day with Operation Swift Retort. In this operation, India lost a Mig-21 Bison aircraft while Pakistan lost an F-16. India also lost a helicopter to friendly fire. The pilot of the Mig-21 was taken prisoner and released a short while later. 200 or more terrorists are supposed to have been killed in the first Indian strike.

This short skirmish did not see the use of drones. At this time, India still did not possess the Rafale fighters which carry the long-range Meteor air to air missile. The S400 Triumf was not available for long range air defence either. Both of these were on order but had not been delivered yet. At the same time, Pakistan did not have the J10C Chinese fighter carrying the PL15E missiles. It did not have the Chinese air-defence and cruise missiles either. So, this skirmish was similar to what had been seen in the previous decades.

And then the Armenia-Azerbaijan war happened in 2020, over the Artsak or Nagorno-Karabakh region, which changed everything. This was followed by the Ukrainian defence against Russia with drones and Russia’s adaptation to this new kind of war. This started in early 2022 and is still going on. The defence forces of the whole world learned from these 2 conflicts and air defence became a facet of great importance. The defence was vital against low-cost drones and rockets and also against man-portable guided missiles that target attack aircraft and helicopters.

The Israeli layered defence system, comprising the Arrow AD system, the David’s Sling system and the Iron Dome emerged as an example to learn from. These proved their abilities in the Israeli war against Hamas & Hezbollah starting in late 2023. But the Israeli system was recognized to be very expensive for all countries to emulate. The cost of the interceptors far exceeded that of the drone swarms and cheap rockets and artillery shells they defended against.

Fast forward a year and a half to Op Sindoor and this changed. A new Indian example that could be emulated had been battle tested. I have heard it said that for the first time, the cost of the interceptors that took down drones launched by Pakistan was lower than the cost of the drones themselves. Indian Air Defence systems took down missiles fired by Pakistan and military aircraft as well. I have also heard it said that the layered air defence system India demonstrated between May 7th and 10th came as a surprise both within India and without.

This video is an example of everyone’s surprise at the effectiveness of Indian air defence.

India’s air defence system, based on my limited knowledge, consists of the AAD (Advanced Air Defence – it is an anti-ballistic missile Air Defence system), the S400 Truimf, the MRSAM, the Akash missiles and the Zu-73 and L-70 guns. There are also snipers, shoulder fired missiles and “non-kinetic” systems like lasers and jammers to take down drones.

In this video, between the 28 and 35 minute marks, the speakers discuss “Grene Robotics”, one of the organizations whose equipment was used in Indian air defence during Op Sindoor. Grene Robotics has developed a system called “Indrajaal” (Indra’s Net) for air defence.

The AAD used to intercept ballistic missiles was likely not used during Op Sindoor. The S400 was supposedly used to take down Pakistani aircraft, including one Swedish Saab Erieye 2000 AWACS at a distance of 313 km! This system also prevented the PAF from rising to take on the IAF on the 9th and 10th when Pakistani bases and command centres were destroyed. The MRSAM or Akash is supposed to have intercepted Pakistani Ballistic missiles. The intercepted missile is supposedly the Fatah-2 or the Shaheen. Chinese CM400AKG missiles were also supposedly used against the S-400 but were intercepted as well.

This video explain the events surrounding the CM400 missile.

Large numbers of drones, including those of Turkish and Chinese origin were deployed by Pakistan. Many of these were supposedly taken down by the Bofors L-70 and Soviet origin Zu-73 guns. Both of these are guns that first came on the scene in the fifties and sixties! India also operates other old air defence guns & systems like the Tunguska and Osa, the Pechora and Igla. All of these are very old weapons!

But the game changer as a whole was the Akashteer system. This is a network that connects the IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control Centre) of the Air Force and the air defence systems of the Army and Navy. This networking ability apparently identifies an aerial threat and designates the correct system to neutralize it. So, expensive systems are not utilized for smaller threats. This system supposedly uses AI to report all threats also ignore ones that can cause no real harm (missiles that might fall in fields are simply ignored and not intercepted).

In this video, the speakers describe at a high level, the “Akashteer” system used by India for air defence.

The major threat that assets like fighter aircraft face as seen in modern warfare are surface to air missiles (SAM) and shoulder fired missiles manned by small groups of soldiers, as seen during the Russia-Ukraine war. The response to this has been “Stand Off” range weapons. These are weapons that have a greater range. These can be deployed from within safe airspaces and stay outside the range of the defensive munitions.

This lesson was clearly learnt by the IAF. None of the Indian aircraft supposedly left Indian air space during Operation Sindoor. Long range missiles like the air launched Brahmos, Rampage, Scalp and SAAW were deployed. So were kamikaze drones like the Skystriker and Harpy (both of Israeli origin, but manufactured in India). This learning prevented a repeat of a post Balakot-like situation. Even though a few fighter aircraft were lost (before SEAD and DEAD operations, one must add), no pilots were lost, and most importantly, all mission objectives were met.

The most incredible observation that comes up from all of the action during Op Sindoor is that the defence planners and strategists in India have done a fantastic job! They have clearly always known the capabilities of the enemy and the evolution of modern warfare. Every evolution and adaptation has been tracked and responded to! The end result is a mission that produced results, that for a civilian layman seem like clockwork! Of course, there must have been several adjustments over the course of the 4 days, but those are data for further learning by the defence forces.

The reason I mentioned the books about military history at the beginning of this article is because I hope there are some great ones about Op Sindoor in the near future. Not just a blow-by-blow account of how the events progressed, but books that detail how Indian defence preparedness evolved in the 5 or 10 years prior to the conflict. It would also be amazing to understand how the surgical strike in 2016 and Balakot related actions in 2019 affected planning and evolution of military actions.

It seems India has always learnt lessons after every conflict, be they a war with neighbours or an insurgency within the country. I am sharing a link to a video that details the same. This is a video by Shekhar Gupta, the Editor-in-chief of “The Print”. But there is also a feeling among us Indians that we do not document our military history and also that we learn lessons only after a crisis.

This video charts the evolution of India’s security architecture over the decades after independence.

Perhaps there is truth to both. But from the number of books I had not heard of and how much detail is coming out on the internet in recent times, both are not entirely true. We citizens I think, are just frustrated that we did not know more. The actions and successes of Op Sindoor certainly indicate that India has been learning continuously. The volume of data about Indian strategic evolution and military advancement in the last few years also indicates that the other lacuna (aircraft number, engine development, submarine numbers etc.) are being addressed.

I have been following content creators on YouTube who track advancements in Indian defence preparedness regularly. They track the technology, the planning, the strategy and the supply chain for these as well. Following them, I have realized that despite feeling the progress is agonizingly slow, forward movement is happening every day! For they simply would not have content to produce otherwise. Three channels I follow on YouTube, all of which produce content in Hindi, are,

There are others like Bharat Shakti and Strat News Global, which focus more on strategic and tactical issues, and less on technical aspects. There are many other content creators who focus on developments in the Indian defence space. Add to this the several retired defence personnel, who have started writing books and creating their own content on YouTube and we are beginning to move towards a resource rich phase for civilians interested in India’s military evolution.

To be more specific about the points in the previous paragraph, the 3 defence YouTube channels I mentioned, were instrumental in me knowing a lot of the systems used by India during Operation Sindoor. These channels might not know and sometimes do not reveal if they know, what is not explicit in the public domain. So, the actual status of the induction or deployment of a weapon system or network would not always be available on these channels, nor would exact technical details and numbers deployed. But the general capability and the progress of development of various systems will be known if one follows these and other such channels regularly.

For example, these channels have always spoken about the progress of the AAD ballistic missile defence. They have also spoken of the MRSAM and the multiple variants of the Akash missile system. I only knew that the MRSAM (Medium Range Surface to Air Missile) was based on the Israeli Barak-2 missile, and was jointly developed by DRDO with Israeli industry because of these channels.

I also knew that that the Indian Nagastra was used in Op. Sindoor and that the Israeli Harpy/Harop and Skystriker drones were produced locally due to these channels. Further, I know the difference between the “Sudarshan Chakra” and “Sudarshan CIWS”! 😊The former is the name for the S-400 Triumf in India and the latter is the “Close in Weapon System” (air defence gun system) being developed by L&T. I also knew the difference between the Akash missile and the Akashteer networking solution. 😊

Further, as we realize more about the development and planning of weapons based on evolving threat perceptions, what is clear is that these days war is almost as much a matching between adversaries, of R&D, Supply Chains, engineering abilities, defence budgets, communication and the actual people on the frontlines, who operate various weapon systems. It almost seems like a never-ending exercise in management, finance and technology even though they are not visible. Only the final operators of the tools of war are visible and the outcome of the deployment of weapons are known.

Of course, none of this is new. All of this has been going on for centuries, all over the world. One can only imagine the efforts needed in managing the men and animals in an Akshauhini mentioned in the Mahabharata. How did one feed and clear the dung of over 21000 elephants! How did one breed, train and manage hundreds of thousands of horses used in the Kurukshetra war!

In the historical era, Alexander’s campaigns are considered a success of his supply chain. In Roman history, we hear of the “Marian reforms”. These refer to the reforms carried out by Gaius Marius around 100 BCE, in the army of the Roman Republic. They are supposed to include changes to the composition of the army and its training. There were also supposedly changes to equipment design and how these were procured. All of this is supposed to have resulted in a more effective Roman army**. This process of evolution is heard of from every culture in all parts of the world.

The outcomes of Op Sindoor have brought to the fore the efforts that go into the procurement, maintenance and equipping of fighter aircraft and drones, beyond just the actual combat in the air. These days, aircraft supposedly never see their opponents, they are only aware of their presence and actions due to electronic sensor packages. These sensor systems can deploy defensive weapons when needed!

This means there needs to be an R&D and manufacturing ecosystem in a country if it has to even survive going up in the air. If the ecosystem is absent or nascent, money has to be found to procure the abilities from other nations, which means a focus on geopolitics! All this means the focus is on integration and that mystical word, “synergy”.

The achievement of objectives is more about the integration of all systems to work together than just having numbers or courage. Numbers and courage matter a lot, but do not guarantee success. I had read a sentence in a “Modesty Blaise” story, “The Warlords of Phoenix”. It goes something like, “guns make a weak man strong, but make a strong a man a giant”. In a contemporary context, this could be “numbers and courage make a weak nation strong, but integration makes the strong nation untouchable”.

Let me use an analogy from the martial arts to elucidate further. Consider training with a spear. The spear is a stick with a pointed metal tip at one end. The stick is called the shaft or haft of the spear. Remove the shaft and the spear is a dagger at worst or a short sword at best. The advantage of range that made the spear vital in the past is nullified. The shaft is also how a wielder interacts with the weapon.

So, the shaft is what makes a spear, not the spear head! But the tip or spear head is what everyone looks at, respects, appreciates and most importantly, fears. Remove the shaft and the fear diminishes greatly.

This is exactly like modern warfare. The drones, fighter aircraft and the missiles are the tip of the spear. But the planning, management, technology, study, and finances are the shaft of the spear. Without these, the tip diminishes greatly in its ability.

Taking this analogy further, the air defence system is like the shield or armour to the missiles and aircraft that are the spear. Historically, the shield and armour have been as important as the spear or the sword. These were used by all cultures and were always a part of a soldier’s kit for most of history. A soldier with a spear and a shield is more devastating as against one with just a spear. And a soldier with just a shield and no spear is even less so.

The Shield and Armour are vitally important to a soldier. Image credit – “Mahabharata 33 – Drona’s Vow”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

So, the defence system and the offensive weapon package together make for a combination that affords a greater probability of mission success. This is the integration that we discussed earlier. A lack of integration, while still capable, is not as effective as the other.

So, one of the things that Op Sindoor has done spectacularly, is to bring the focus onto the parts of conflict management that are not glamourous and are less well known. The management, planning and continuous learning that enable the successful execution of a military operation have been highlighted like never before. And we as a nation can breathe easy as the planners seem to have been doing a great job behind the scenes.

As a last analogy, martial arts training is all about drudgery. One trains for long hours for years on end, despite knowing that the need to apply the learning might never occur. This is also the most preferred situation; one never wants to fight, for the variables in any conflict are numerous. The learning from training in the martial arts are likely applied in walks of like beyond physical combat.

Similarly, the machinery that defends our nation has clearly been going full steam! One can only imagine and marvel at the innumerable hours spent over years, putting together and training with the various aspects that resulted in the success of Op Sindoor! We owe a debt of gratitude to all the individuals who played their parts in this mammoth exercise.

Lastly, just as the martial arts are likely to lead to benefits beyond physical combat, our nation’s defence preparedness will lead to greater economic development due to increased spending on R&D and manufacturing and the many export opportunities that are likely to materialize.

Notes:

* Some other books I have read and heard of about Indian military history are mentioned below. These are beyond the ones mentioned in the article proper.

** I have heard a statement about Roman military training that goes something like, “the training is like bloodless fighting, while fighting is like bloody training”. I had heard this statement in an old series called “War & Civilization” on Discovery Channel in the late 90s. The series was based on the work of John Keegan.

Similarly, it seems that India’s success in Op Sindoor was as much about the study, planning, research, management and training when there was no fighting, as about the actual fighting during the operation.

Thoughts from Op Sindoor, Part 4 – Celebrate War!?

Vikram M R, , , , , , Leave a comment

Wendy Doniger has said that the “Arthashāstra”, written by Kautilya (Chanakya) is a “wicked” book. She means this with a negative connotation, as the book recommends violence. She refers to the Arthashāstra’s recommendation to wage war with neighbours and maintain friendly relations with states that are not immediate neighbours.

I agree with Wendy Doniger. The Arthashāstra is a “wicked” book. But I mean it with a positive connation. The book is “Wicked Good”! And for the same reason that Doniger gives. It does not shy away from military conflict. It advocates readiness to participate in violent conflict, if the situation so demands.

Watch between the 48 and 52 minute marks. Between the 40 and 48 minute marks Ms. Doniger expresses her opinion on how Hinduism is a violent religion.

India is a secular nation. But it has a strong Hindu civilizational character that pervades a very large part of its population. Hindu culture is NOT inherently NON-VIOLENT. The worldwide popularity of Mahatma Gandhi* and his pervasive impact on our national consciousness might make some think that Hindu culture is “non-violent”. But it definitely is not, and it most certainly is not a believer in pacifism!

Hindu culture emphasizes “ahimsa”, but that is not the same as non-violence. I have written previously about “ahimsa” from a martial perspective. I will not repeat that here but will leave links to the earlier articles*. Simply put, ahimsa is about not having malice towards anyone or any nation. But that only means that one should not go looking for a fight. If someone brings a fight to you, the threat must be nullified, there can be no doubts there.

Jainism is closer to non-violence, since it tries to avoid harming any creature. But there were kings who practiced Jainism who did participate in wars. So, even Jainism is not entirely free from practitioners who had to commit violence. The other socio-religious systems in India, including Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and tribal belief systems (these are Hindu adjacent), did not actively impose pacifism on their adherents. So, there is no historical precedent for active avoidance of military conflict in the Indian cultural sphere.

Historically speaking, from the time of Bimbisara, around the lifetime of the Buddha, in the 6th century BCE till Operation Sindoor, two months ago, there has never been a time when there was no military conflict in some part of India.

Now consider the stories from Hindu tradition. Avatāras, or incarnations of divinities are integral to several of these stories. The avatāra cycle is all about war, or violent conflict to say the least. And I am not referring to just the avatāras of Lord Vishnu. Many forms taken by the Devi Shakti also involve war. A few examples of this are seen below.

  • Lord Varāha defeated Hiranyāksha
  • Lord Narasimha defeated Hiranyakashipu
  • Lord Vāmana defeated Bali Chakravarthy to stop the war between the Devas and Asuras
  • Lord Prashurama defeated Kārtaveerya Arjuna
  • Lord Rama defeated Ravana
  • Devi Durga defeated Mahishāsura
  • Devi Kali defeated Raktabeeja
  • Devi Chāmundi defeated Chanda and Munda

In each of the example cases the defeating was at the end of a war. A war that had caused severe hardship for multitudes and brought the natural order itself to the brink of destruction. Here, “natural order” includes the way people lived (society) and the forces of nature. Also, the avatāra does not appear until all options for fighting back are exhausted.

From L to R – Durga, Kali, Chamundi. Image credits – “Tales of Durga” published by Amar Chitra Katha

People, including the Rishis and the Devatās attempt to defeat the Asuras or any other adharmic or harassing entity/group by themselves. They succeed quite often. Examples of the Devas and Rishis defeating threats without an avatāra’s support are seen below

  • The fight against Vrtra
  • The fight against Viprachitti
  • The Tārakāmaya war

Only when it is clear that they cannot survive the fight does an avatāra appear. The avatāra fighting on the side of the people, Rishis and Devatas is what turns the fight in their favour.

Varāha (L) & Narasimha (R). Image credits – “Dasha Avatar” published by Amar Chitra Katha

In this same vein, the Asuras are not always the ones with the upper hand. They often end up on the losing side. They have great Asura leaders who rise up, perform severe meditation/penance to achieve boons that grant them the ability to defeat all their adversaries. In all the examples above where an avatāra was needed, an Asura had acquired invincibility due to a boon, which rendered the Devas and humans powerless. If the Asura had not chosen to upend the natural order, there would have been no need for a war.

Vāmana (L), Parashurāma (R). Image credits – “Dasha Avatar” published by Amar Chitra Katha

So, it is an incessant cycle of conflict. The war that liberates the Devas and people is always celebrated. It does not mean that war is something people looked forward to. It is just that they knew that someone would want to consolidate power. This consolidation led to a reduction in the quality of life for most people. This hardship is not something that should be meekly accepted and hence a fightback is a must. This awareness that one needs to fight against unjust powers is what leads to the celebration of war, for the war destroys the injustice. Such a war can be termed a Dharma Yuddha, as against a general Yuddha (war) which is a resolution of a conflict through the use of violence. But that does not take away from the fact that even a Dharma Yuddha is a war with all the hardships accompanying one. Only when the war and hardship end is there joy, not during one.

Let’s now return to the Arthashastra by Chanakya. As a document, it had been lost for several centuries, before being rediscovered in the 20th century. But its influence over Indian political and administrative thinking has endured. I am sharing a video from the YouTube channel of the media organization “The Print”. In this video, the editor-in-chief of The Print, Shekhar Gupta, discusses a Chinese report about Indian strategic thinking.

In the report, the Chinese say that Indian actions are strongly influenced by the Arthashastra! This is some 2,300 years after the document was composed! It reinforces the influence of the Arthashastra enduring despite the original document being lost. This means that if the Arthashastra advocated constant defence preparedness, war and violent conflict were never eschewed in India at any time in her past. War was constant and preparation for it was of paramount importance as part of the duties of a king.

Watch between the 18 and 20 minute marks.

It is only in post-independence India that a collation has occurred between Gandhian Ahimsa and Pacifism. In my opinion, the Ahimsa practiced by Gandhiji was not “non-violence” and definitely not pacifism. I think Gandhiji fought a war to defeat the British belief in their civilizational superiority. This was one part of the fight for Indian independence. The other part was a violent conflict, fought by the revolutionary movement. I have written two posts in the past describing these 2 parts, where the freedom struggle is looked at through the lens of martial arts. These 2 parts together succeeded in forcing a British withdrawal, immediately after the second world war. The links to these 2 articles is seen in the notes below**.

Last, as we consider the Arthashastra, we must remember that it was NOT written by a soldier/warrior. Chanakya was a political visionary and teacher, but not a man of war. He would likely be called an “academic” if he were alive today. This shows that it is not just fighting men and women who are dangerous. Academics and people who can motivate and shape societies can be equally dangerous. These people are knowledge workers, who are dangerous because of their knowledge.

Knowledge is used in two ways. One is through the creation of technology, tactics and strategies that contribute to any war effort directly. The other is in the narrative warfare that takes places constantly and away from the fields of battle. Narrative warfare to affect the populace as a whole is a lot more important in modern times with the reach of both legacy media and social media. We all see examples of this all the time.

The use of narratives through academics and other knowledge workers, “intelligentsia” as a whole, can have a positive or a negative effect. If the communication that happens is supportive of the administration and society, the people behind it (including podcasters, influencers, journalists, reporters etc.) would be hailed as patriots. If they are conceived to be detrimental to society, these same individuals would be branded “anti-national” and that very uniquely Indian adjective, “Urban Naxals”.

The idea of both the narrative and weaponry being instrumental in a conflict, even violent ones, has always been known. This is why Turkic rulers built pyramids of severed heads and Mongols destroyed civilian populations, as a form of psychological warfare. The tales of savagery captured in documents and passed on by word of mouth induced a fear that was advantageous to the invaders.

This is also why the proverb, “The Pen is mightier than the Sword” exists. In Japanese, the pen and sword are expressed as “Bun and Bu”. “Bun” refers to knowledge and “Bu” refers to violent conflict. In modern times, we have a new term to refer to individuals who play a part in conflicts far away from any frontline. We call them “keyboard warriors”.

Notes:

* https://mundanebudo.com/2022/10/13/ahimsa-and-the-martial-arts-part-1/

** https://mundanebudo.com/2022/10/27/ahimsa-and-the-martial-arts-part-2/

** https://mundanebudo.com/2022/11/10/ahimsa-and-the-martial-arts-part-3/

I came across a clip on Instagram around the time that Operation Sindoor was going on. In the clip one individual was critiquing the video of another. The original video clip has a woman claiming that “we do not celebrate war”. This statement was being critiqued in the video, where an individual clearly stated that “we do celebrate war”. This person went to explain how in Hindu culture war is indeed celebrated, with examples. This video was the inspiration for this article of mine. The link to the video is seen below.

Guru Poornima – The many “Sensei” in Hindu culture

Vikram M R, , , , , , 1 Comment

Today is Guru Poornima. And I guess some of you will have received a post on WhatsApp that says there are 6 or more words for “teacher” in Sanskrit*. Some of these words are “Achārya”, “Shikshaka”, “Adhyāpaka” and of course, “Guru”. But in common parlance, the word “Guru” is perhaps the most commonly used word to denote a teacher in many parts of India.

Karate featured on the cover of Tinkle No. 220. This cover was published in March 1991.

A zoomed in part of the cover from the earlier image. Tinkle comics is published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Another word that many of us in India have heard and also denotes a teacher is the Japanese word “Sensei”**. Anyone who had watched the original “The Karate Kid” (1984) surely knew the word. So did anyone who either trained karate as a kid or had a friend who trained the same. There was even an issue of the popular comic “Tinkle”, published by Amar Chitra Katha, which discussed Karate and how it used physics to perform great physical feats (this was a tale featuring the “Anu Club”).

Like most people, I too knew that the word “Sensei” can definitely be used to denote a teacher. This is not wrong. But very early during my years as a student of the Bujinkan system of martial arts, I learned that the word had a slightly different meaning, which did lead to its meaning a “teacher”.

The term “Sensei” as used in Tinkle comics. Image credit – Tinkle No. 220, published by Amar Chitra Katha (India Book House – IBH).

The word “Sensei” as I understand it, literally means “someone who was there earlier”. This is why elders and people with great expertise arising out of experience are also referred to as “Sensei”. I have also heard that “Sensei” means “someone who has gone earlier”. This phrase, as I understand it, could mean “pioneer”.

In a martial arts context, a teacher is one who has more experience than the student. The experience is because that individual walked the path of learning that the student is just starting on. In this sense, the teacher was a pioneer on this path, as far as the student is concerned. This does not mean that the teacher is a pioneer who created a new martial art system, it just means that the teacher has traversed the path before the student and hence can guide the student on the same.

This leads to an interesting outcome. Since students walk the same “path” as a teacher, or learn in a manner similar to their Sensei, they become “similar to” their teacher in the way they move. This is a common occurrence. If a martial artist who knew the teacher saw just the student move, he or she would be able to tell who the student’s Sensei was.

This is how lineages get created in the martial arts. A lineage could lead to the development of a style or school (Ryu or Ryuha (plural)) or system of martial arts. The lineage could be specific to an extended family or to a region. An example of this is the “Togakure Ryu”, one of the 9 schools studied as part of the Bujinkan. The “Togakure” in the name is supposed to be in reference to a village in the Iga province of Japan.

The concept of a lineage extends beyond the martial arts, into other art forms and sports as well. Cricket is the most popular modern sport in India. There are 3 “schools” of batting recognized in India. These are the Bombay school, the Deccan school and the Delhi school. Each of these has produced great batters.

Similarly, in Hindustani music, in north India, we hear the term “Gharana”. A Gharana refers to a lineage. The word “Ghar” in modern day Hindi also means “home”. So, a Gharana could refer to a lineage literally, as it comes from a family in a home. But then, the Gharanas are associated with regions. Some examples are the Delhi Gharana, the Lucknow Gharana and the Benaras Gharana. As the names suggest, each of these is named after a region. This concept of lineage extends to architecture, painting, weaving, pottery and any number of other arts.

The festival of Guru Poornima is observed on the first full moon day (Poornima) of the month of Āshāda (coincides with a part of July). It is observed to mark the birth anniversary of Maharishi Veda Vyasa. Veda Vyasa is also called Krishna Dwaipāyana and Bādarāyana. He is truly the ultimate Guru! This is obvious once the corpus of knowledge that is attributed to him is recognized.

Veda Vyasa is most well known as the composer of the Mahabharata (or at least the Jaya, which is the core of the 3 nested dialogues which form the Mahabharata). He is also credited with compiling the Vedas into the form we know today (hence the word “Veda” in his name). The 18 Mahapuranas are also attributed to Veda Vyasa’s authorship or compilation. In other words, according to tradition, a large volume of texts from Hindu culture owes its existence to this greatest of Gurus!

That said, it is not just teachers of knowledge that are revered in Hindu culture. There are great Gurus for the martial arts as well. I will mention just four that are top of mind for me. There are several other great Gurus, from history and culture, all of whose stories I would strongly recommend everyone to visit.

The 4 Gurus who are top of mind for me, from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, are,

  • Parashurāma
  • Vishwāmitra
  • Drona
  • Balarama

The first 3 of the 4 mentioned above form a lineage of sorts. Let’s look at a few points about these great Gurus.

Brahmarishi Vishwāmitra imparts knowledge of celestial weaponry to Rama and Lakshmana. Image credit – “The Ramayana” published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Vishwāmitra was the Guru who was a martial arts instructor of Lord Rama. It was from Vishwāmitra that Lord Rama received a lot of the celestial weapons that he would use later. Vishwāmitra, before he became a Brahmarishi, was an egotistical king named Kaushika. Kaushika obtained powerful celestial weapons to use against Vasishta, who was Rama’s first Guru at Ayodhya! Of course, the weapons were of no use against Vasishta, but they were successfully used by Lord Rama, who was a student of both Vishwāmitra and Vasishta. Vishwāmitra of course had long overcome his rivalry with Vasishta by this time.

Brahmarishi Vishwāmitra guiding Rama & Lakshmana in their fight against Tataka. Image credit – “The Ramayana” published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Parashurāma was Vishwāmitra’s grandnephew (the story of their birth is fantastic!). He was one of the greatest warriors of his time, of any time. He is also one of the 7 Chiranjeevis (immortals) who are supposedly still around during modern times, but not accessible to normal humans. Lord Parashurāma is the sixth avatāra of Lord Vishnu and the future Guru of Kalki, the tenth avatāra of Lord Vishnu expected to manifest in the future.

My favourite depiction of Lord Parashurāma. Image credit – “The Bhagavat for Children”, published by Anada Prakashan.

While Lord Parashurāma is best known for his mastery of the Parashu (axe), he was also a wielder of all celestial weapons. Parashurāma was the teacher of both Bheeshma and Karna, two of the greatest warriors who fought on the side of the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra War (the climactic war in the Mahabharata). He was also the Guru through whom Drona achieved his mastery of all weapons. Lord Parashurāma is someone whose legacy extends to modern India as well. He is considered the origin of the martial art of Kalari Payatt, which is famously practiced in the southern Indian state of Kerala!

Lord Parashurāma confronting Lord Rama early in the Ramayana. Image credit – “The Ramayana” published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Drona, also called Dronācharya was the teacher of most of the main characters who fought in the Kurukshetra War. The “Acharya” in his name is because he was a Guru to all the Kuru princes. Drona was also one of the warriors who was invincible. He was eventually killed by a trick, which forced him to drop his weapons and give up fighting. In this sense, he is the same as Bheeshma and Karna. Both of them were also warriors of such incredible prowess that the only way to defeat them was when they either chose to or could not fight!

Drona receiving knowledge of weaponry from Lord Parashurāma. Image credit – “The Mahabharata 05 – Enter Drona”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Based on the described prowess of Lord Rama, Vishwāmitra was a great Guru! His grandnephew Parashurāma was a God, whose students were among the greatest warriors ever, some being invincible. One of Parashurāma’s students, Drona, became a great Guru in his own right. So Parashurāma’s school was a dream for any martial artist! Considering he and Vishwāmitra are from the same family, they could be considered to be from the same lineage.

Drona being terror incarnate towards the Pandava army. Image credit – “The Mahabharata 36 – The Battle at Midnight”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

The last of the great martial Gurus I mentioned above is Balarama. He is the older brother of Lord Krishna. Balarama is considered an avatāra of Ādishesha, the serpent on whom Lord Vishnu rests. He was the greatest gada (mace) fighter ever. This was despite the weapon he is most associated with being the plough! He was the teacher to both Bheema and Duryodhana. Bheema and Duryodhana fought on opposite sides in the Kurukshetra War. Both Bheema and Duryodhana were disciples of Drona as well. They went to Balarama for specialized training in the mace (gada).

Balarama wielding the plough! Image credit – “The Mahabharata 39 – After the War”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Considering that all these Gurus were teachers of the martial arts, I suppose they could be considered Sensei as we understand the word today, specifically considering the lineage they were from and the one they perpetrated.

Balarama was the Guru for the Gada, for both Bheema and Duryodhana. Image credit – “The Mahabharta 38 – The Kurus Routed”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

We in India have a culture where a Guru, or a teacher is deeply respected and that comes from listening to stories passed down in our traditions. But the fact that some of these Gurus were martial arts teachers is not specifically recognized, even though it is well known. The word Sensei, in modern times is one that inspires great respect too, thanks to Japanese culture, where expertise, experience and teachers are deeply respected as well.

Looking at the two cultures, it should be possible to recognize that we always had many Sensei in India, who were Gurus of the martial arts. And they were as respected as a Guru from any other field of knowledge or expertise. The identification of this aspect was the purpose of this article. I hope I have been successful in highlighting the martial aspect of our culture and its extension to our respect for Gurus.

Notes:

* The many words for “teacher” according to the much forwarded WhatsApp message.

The teacher who gives you information is called Adhyapak.

The one who imparts knowledge combined with information is called: Upadhyaya.

The one who imparts skills is called Acharya.

The one who is able to give a deep insight into a subject is called Pandit.

The one who has a visionary view on a subject and teaches you to think in that manner is called Dhrishta.

The one who is able to awaken wisdom in you, leading you from darkness to light, is called Guru.

** Another word for teacher that many Indians know these days is “Sifu”, thanks to movie, “Kung Fu Panda” (2008).