The previous two articles I posted were related to the festival of Deepāvali and the stories of the Dashāvatāra respectively. The article related to Deepavali was related to the stories about Naraka Chaturdashi and Bali Pādyami. In both the articles I identified concepts from the martial arts in the stories related to the festivals and the Dashāvatāra, and expanded on those. This article is an addition to those two and perhaps the last in the series, where I will try and delve into the last few concepts originating from the first article. A link is seen in the notes below to the two previous articles*.

In the previous article the main concept that I explored was “Issho Khemi”. “Issho Khemi”, based on my experience, was translated as either, “do whatever is necessary” or “do just enough”. Further, I referred to the biography of sword master Yamaoka Tesshu and his way of training the sword, to understand this concept. The biography of Yamaoka Tesshu referred to was ““The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu”. I remember the book saying that Tesshu encouraged his students to train hard but did not focus on specific techniques or forms. In other words, in my opinion, he preferred that his students train the sword to use “Issho Khemi”.

Considering that we are referring to swords and doing whatever needs to be done, we need to consider another concept that I have learnt as part of the Bujinkan system of martial arts. This is the concept of “Katsujiken and Satsujiken”. Katsujikan means “the life-taking sword” and Satsujiken means “the life-saving sword”. Simply put, if the sword can be used to do whatever is necessary, the necessity could be, as the situation calls for, to save a life or take a life – Issho Khemi.

There are many ways of understanding “Katsujiken and Satsujiken”. The context in which it is used in reference to a real fight is “if you are not ready to kill, do not draw the sword”. This notion is not unique to Japanese martial arts. I have heard it said with respect to guns as well, where it is said that one should not draw the gun if one is not willing (or ready) to pull the trigger. There is a similar saying with Kalari Payattu as well. Kalari Payattu is the martial art form originating in the state of Kerala.

In Kalari Payattu, there is a saying which goes, “Thodaade Thodaade, thottaal vidaade”. It translates to “do not touch, do not touch; if someone else touches, do not spare that person”. Of course, what is being said is, avoid physical contact in a conflict, but if it is initiated by someone else and there is no choice but to fight, do not spare the other person (opponent). I am sharing a link in the notes below where a Gurukkal (teacher), Dr. S Mahesh, teacher and practitioner of Kalari Payattu makes this statement and explains the same**.

In this context, avoiding the drawing of the blade is one saving the life of the opponent. The objective is to avoid any injury to anyone. So, the sword is not drawn, hoping the situation can be deescalated. To this end, there are forms and techniques that are trained in the Bujinkan system of martial arts where one defends oneself with the sheathed sword. This sometimes looks like forms trained with the hanbo (3 foot staff). This then goes on to forms where the opponent is controlled without drawing the blade completely. The blade is partially unsheathed when necessary to ensure that the opponent realizes that pressing the attack further is detrimental to her or his health and the defender is offering an opportunity to disengage and end the attack. The blade is also sheathed as soon as this message is complete to avoid any escalation. Thus, without drawing the blade (completely), the lives of the attacker(s) and defender are saved. Thus, Satsujiken, the life-saving sword, is achieved.

In case the situation is too far gone and there is no hope of surviving a physical conflict without incapacitating the opponent(s), Katsujiken has to be adhered to. Of course, it does not mean that anyone needs to lose their life. It means causing injury to the attacker(s) is acceptable to survive the physical conflict. Here, to save one’s own life, the life of another might have to be taken; at least physical harm may be caused to someone else. The imperative to cause injury to others might be more urgent when the safety or others is involved. If someone or something being attacked is dear to someone, that person might have to resort to the life-taking sword to save the others, especially if the individuals being attacked cannot escape or do not know how to survive without help.

When a situation calls for Katsujiken, one really needs to let go of thoughts of consequences of causing harm to others and focus on survival. This means being in the moment and doing whatever it takes to survive, with no motivations regarding the future. If one is lucky, this attitude might deescalate a situation and mitigate the need for Katsujiken (if the opponent is wise enough to sense the same).

Of course, it is never really clear when Katsujiken or Satsujiken have to be used. The choice might move from one to the other and depends entirely on the gut feel of the individual(s) involved in the situation at a given time and space. A change in the time, space or people will alter the consequences. Apart from this, hindsight might show what was possibly a better choice, but that is not much use except as experience for a future conflict.

Everyone hopes that Katsujiken is never needed. Satsujiken itself should be a last resort. This is possible with external factors like societal norms and behaviour. Another important aspect that prevents anyone from even considering Katsujiken is the efficiency and effectiveness of the legal and justice system of a place. The effort and negative consequences of having to deal with the legal system itself is huge motivator for people to avoid escalating a conflict to physical levels and then to a case where bodily harm is caused. The punishments one faces for physical harm to others are a deterrent to any life-taking of even injurious actions. This of course, is only possible if the individuals involved in the conflict cannot act with impunity, which means they are not afraid of the legal or other consequences of their violent actions.

Even though Katsujiken and Satsujiken have “ken” at the end which represents a sword, the concept is not restricted to swords. The life-saving and life-taking aspect is with relation to any weapon or even unarmed conflicts. It could perhaps even be expanded to violence which is emotional or intellectual (consider gaslighting, ragging/hazing, demeaning narratives, and the like).

In a previous article where I discussed the festival of Āyudha Pooja, I had mentioned that the word “Āyudha” means weapon. But based on the manner in which the festival is celebrated, “Āyudha” can be any tool. A link to the article where this is discussed in detail is seen in the notes below.⁺ Based on the previous paragraph and the Āyudha Pooja festival, where any tool can be considered a weapon and vice versa, the life-taking and life-saving nature can be attributed to any concept (idea or theory included) or tool applied as a solution in a conflict.

An example of this was seen in my previous article relating to the festival of Deepavali (link to the article in the notes below)*. In that article I had discussed how stealth and deception were the real weapons applied against both Narakāsura and Bali. In the case of Narakāsura the deception was to carry out an unexpected aerial attack against him at night and catching him by surprise. In the case of Bali, the deception was to get him to make a promise that he would not be able to keep and hence be defeated. Both actions were driven by knowledge of the opponents. Bali was honourable and righteous and would never break a promise, guaranteeing his defeat. Narakāsura would never back down from a fight and hence would be slain.

The outcome of the application of deception, however, was completely different in two cases. Bali was defeated without any violence while Narakāsura was killed and many of his troops lost their lives as well. Bali was defeated by the Vāmana avatāra of Vishnu and Narakāsura was killed by the Krishna avatāra. Further, Bali was rewarded by being named the next Indra while Naraka’s name is forever remembered as that of a tyrant. Based on this, the application of deception against Narakāsura is “Katsujiken” or life-taking sword, while it is “Satsujiken” or life-saving sword in the case of Bali. The “ken” or sword in both cases is the concept of deception.

Before the segue into the use of deception against Bali and Narakāsura, I had mentioned how only those involved in a conflict can identify when Katsujiken or Satsujiken is applicable in a given situation. Perhaps even they do not actively think of it in these terms. They “feel” the situation and while going with the flow of the conflict determine the necessary actions. In hindsight the action taken can be classified as either life-taking or life-saving.

So, how do those participating in the conflict identify what the preferred course of action or response is? I opine that the answer is to “listen” to the opponent and therefore the situation. This is not unlike being a good listener in daily life. We all try to be good listeners at work, with friends and with family. The idea is that this will help us identify the actual problem a client is facing and if the people near and dear to us are saying anything that is not explicit in the words being used. In the case of a conflict, specifically a physical one, even if it is a sport, the word “listen” means one should “feel” the fight.

“Feel the fight” or “feel the situation” does not mean just the tactile aspects. It means one should be aware of the opponent(s) and the time and space where the fight is taking place. The word “mindful” can be used instead of “aware” in the previous sentence. One needs “awareness” of a situation, or an individual needs to be “mindful” of a situation. The awareness here includes not only what is happening, but also the intent of the opponent(s) and even the abilities of the same.

In order to be mindful of a situation, during training sessions, it is suggested that one let go of all motivations except to survive. It is suggested that one not try to win, see if a technique works, focus on a given form, try to make the opponent feel bad or anything else. One should focus on Issho Khemi. I discussed this concept in my previous article*. Issho Khmei is to do whatever is necessary to survive.

An example of this, based on my personal understanding, is the is the use of the tachi. The tachi is the curved Japanese sword that was a precursor of the katana. It was worn differently and used very often by cavalry. The tachi also tended to be a bit longer and more curved compared to the later katana, though this is not a hard and fast rule. Also, it was a weapon that came up against Japanese armour (yoroi) often. I was taught by my mentor that since any sword, including the tachi cannot cut through armour, the tachi was not used as a sword.

The yoroi forced the tachi to be used as a hammer or an axe and also as a knife. Additionally, the tachi was used as a lever and a shield as well. The hammer or axe aspect comes as one strikes the opponent with the sword with no guarantee of achieving a cut. This strike allows the sword to be placed somewhere on the armour. Once this positioning is done, one tries to maneuver the tip of the blade into a gap in the armour where a stab can be achieved, fatal or at least debilitating to the opponent. I have been told by some folk with a lot of experience that the initial strike sometimes happened with the back (mune – blunt edge) of the tachi. Also, only the last few inches of this weapon was sharpened to aid in effective stabbing. The rest of it was not necessarily very sharp as it was more for striking and could not cut through armour anyway.

When two opponents in armour and swords go up against one another, they tend to end up grappling. This is because a cut is not possible and a stab in the gaps of the armour is the objective. One of the ways of getting a stab is to get the opponent down and then stab from a dominant position. Also, when the tachi is more a metal rod and less a sword against armour, it is effective as a lever to grapple with and take down an opponent. This is not unlike the way we are taught to use a hanbo in the Bujinkan. Of course, if the sword is a metal rod that can hit, it can also act as a shield to block the same. Thus, the tachi is a staff, axe, hammer and a knife, disguised as a sword.

This same way of using swords is also seen in European martial arts. When armour development improved greatly and full plate harness was used in Europe during the 14^th, 15^th and 16^th centuries, swords also evolved to the new reality where a cut was useless against armour. Swords became more pointed to enable stabbing. A highly specialized stabbing sword called an “Estoc” was developed which had a square or rhomboid cross section, but a very sharp point. This meant that it was a metal rod with a point, so, no cutting at all, but great thrusting. This also enabled half-swording where one could hold the blade at any position with no risk of being cut.

Of course, even when swords were sharp half-swording is possible. The same is true with a tachi. It just depends on learning how to handle a sharp edge. Based on what I have seen of half-swording, they do seem similar to the ways of using a hanbo as well, just like a tachi. All of this can be simplified and explained by considering how we would use an unsheathed sword. In both European and Japanese martial arts, individuals carried a dagger or a tanto for stabbing once both opponents were down. This was more efficient as it was easier to control on the ground, unlike a longer sword. I am personally not aware of any manuals or specific forms from Indian martial arts where armour was considered and grappling was resorted to, to overcome the same. Please do let me know if anyone knows of the same.

The morphing of a sword into a hammer, knife and shield is an example of being aware of the opponent (wearing armour as a simplistic example in this case) and using a tool, sword in this case, however possible, to achieve survival. So, when the tachi is a shield, it is Satsujiken and when it is a hammer or a dagger, it is Katsujiken.

I started off with this example to show how one must be mindful of the situation in a conflict. But when we consider the development of arms and armour over centuries to counter one another, we realize that the duration of a conflict need not be a short one. It could short for individuals, based on how long they are a part of the same. But the conflict itself might go on for durations which last the lifetimes of multiple generations. In this situation, being aware of opponent(s) is something like the Government of a nation always needing to be aware of the threats to its citizens. Here the intelligence gathering arms of the state are the main enablers of being mindful of the world, beyond just the known enemies of state or opponents of government. This is “listening” or “being aware” in perpetuity.

Tales from Hindu culture are replete with the need to be mindful of the opponent(s) abilities. Several avatāras and forms of our Gods and Goddesses were specifically born in that form to counter the ability of a given threat to the world, the threat in most cases being an asura. In my previous article, I have described the purpose of each of the 10 avatāras of Lord Vishnu. The link to this article is seen in the notes below*. I will share specific examples here to elucidate how awareness of the opponent led to the form of God. I am leaving out Narakāsura and Bali as they have already been discussed in great detail above and in an earlier article^* (link in the notes).

Lord Narsimha

The Asura Hiranyakashipu had a boon (vara) due to which he could not be killed by any man or animal, inside or outside, during the day or during the night. Lord Vishnu took the form of Narasimha to specifically exploit the loopholes in the boon. The boon is the armour/ability in this case and the loophole in the boon is the gap in the armour that can be exploited. Narasimha was neither man not animal, he was both. He killed Hiranyakashipu on the threshold, which is neither inside nor outside, at twilight, which is neither day nor night.

Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Devi Durga

The Asura Mahishāsura had a boon which specifically protected him from all living beings except women. He believed no woman could harm him and hence did not ask for protection from them at the time of requesting the boon. Devi Durga is a form of Devi Parvati or Shakti who came into being to eliminate Mahishāsura. Durga received the weapons of all the Gods which made her the greatest warrior. Mashisha had no protection against Durga as she was a woman and with her martial abilities, she destroyed Mahishāsura.

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

Lord Karttikeya

The Asura Tāraka had a boon due to which only a son of Lord Shiva could defeat him. Lord Shiva was in deep meditation and had no wife at the time the boon was granted. Hence, there was no one who could threaten Tāraka. Eventually Devi Parvati married Lord Shiva and Lord Karttikeya was born of them. He eliminated Tārakāsura. I am cutting the story really short here!

Image credit – “Karttikeya” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha

The above just a very small set of the examples from Hindu culture of being aware of the abilities of the opponent to be able to overcome the threat. I would strongly encourage everyone to read the stories in full. They are a very enriching experience. Hindu tradition is literally chock full of examples that are constant reminders of the need to be mindful of any given situation.

Since we are speaking of identifying a gap or an opening in the armour or ability of an opponent, and the notion in this article is originating from the Bujinkan, which is Japanese in origin, I must share the beautifully poetic words to express this concept. Tsuki, in Japanese, is to punch. Suki is the hole or opening that can be punched. So, many stories from Hindu tradition are all about “Suki to Tsuki”. Identify a Suki or opening to Tsuki, or punch. In other words, find an opening and attack it, exactly like the avatāras did.

Staying with Japanese culture, there are legends of the Muramasa and Masamune blades from medieval Japan. I am not aware of all the stories associated with these swords, but I am sharing a gist of what I know. Blades made by the swordsmith Masamune were supposed to be blades that saved lives. Swords made by the swordsmith Muramasa were supposed to be cursed. They always took lives and brought misfortune to the owners of the same. I have heard some opinions that Muramasa was an apprentice of Masamune’s.

One interesting story about these is about the comparison of which sword was sharper. A sword by both Masamune and Muramasa were left suspended in a stream to check which was a sharper blade. The Masamune blade did not harm any fish swimming past. The fish avoided the sword and never swam into the dangling blade. Vegetation that floated past was cut effortlessly. However, with the Muramasa blade, fish swam into the blade were cleaved effortlessly. But vegetation got tangled on the blade and was not cut. I could be wrong about the details of the story, but I hope the essence that one was a life-saving blade while the other was a life-taking blade is clear. Muramasa is Katsujiken, Masamune is Satsujiken.

There is a manga (Japanese comics) called “Crying Freeman”. In one volume of this manga, the protagonist gets possession of a Muramasa sword and is subject to misfortune⁺⁺. His wife believes that the Muramasa sword brings misfortune because people try to get rid of it and not learn to use it. She feels that the blade needs its owner to learn to use it in the best manner possible. So, she takes up this responsibility and trains with the Muramasa blade. Send turns out to be right and the string of bad luck ceases. I think this is a wonderful take on learning to be mindful, even of inanimate objects!

Since we are referring to pop culture by discussing manga, I will share one beautiful description of the concept of “do not draw if you are not ready to kill”. In the second novel of the acclaimed science fiction series “The Expanse”, titled “Caliban’s War”, there is face off followed by a shoot-out. Two groups, one of the protagonists who are heavily armed with guns and another of a group of security personnel who are similarly armed are facing off against each other.

Neither wants to start shooting but both are extremely suspicious of the other and on a hair trigger response. One of the protagonists, who has no combat experience, based on his viewing of movies, thinks he can threaten the other group into withdrawal and cocks his gun. This immediately triggers a shoot out and all the security personnel have to be killed. Later one of the protagonists relieves the non-combatant of his weapon and explains that any one with real combat experience assumes that a cocked gun is a prelude to a definite firing of the same and will not wait to see what happens next, they will simply shoot. The person who did it had no idea of this and cost several lives in a tragic and inadvertent situation. I believe the character in the novel who starts the shoot out accidentally is Praxidike Meng.

One last point before we conclude this post. I mentioned earlier in this article that societal norms and a robust legal and justice system can be a deterrent to violence. In other words, there is a systemic incentivizing of Satsujiken over Katsujiken. There is a Sanskrit phase that says “Dharmo Rakshatih Rakshitaha”. It means “Dharma protects those that protect it”. Dharma can be “the right thing to do”. It can also be “that which sustains”^&.

If there is a set of rules and practices put in place by a system and this system by efficient and effective performance mitigates violence in society, then that system could be a Dharma. Individuals who follow the system by not violating the rules are upholding the Dharma. In turn, the Dharma or system protects those that follow the rules, or laws. Individuals are protected as those that might consider violence against others are discouraged by the knowledge that they have to bear the brunt of the system if they violate the law (rules). This makes the violators ones that do not protect Dharma. Thus it is a symbiotic relationship; follow the rules to protect the Dharma, and the system, Dharma, protects you because when everyone follows the same, there can be no violation, and hence no violence.

Here, both definitions of Dharma hold good. If one considers Dharma to be “the right thing to do”, following the system/Dharma is the right thing for people to do. Similarly, the right thing for the Dharma/system to do is protect those that practice it. If one considers Dharma as “that which sustains”, the system/Dharma can only be sustained if people practice it. By practicing it, practitioners are letting the Dharma/system sustain them as it protects them from violence and hence get on with lives with less fear.

With that observation, I conclude this series of 3 articles starting with the one about Deepavali. The festival of Deepavali and the Dashāvatāra are indeed a treasure trove of concepts that lead to a plethora of learning from the martial arts.

Notes:

* Deepavali – Light on the Martial Arts

* Dashāvatāra & Budo, Part 1 – Issho Khemi

** Link to the video where the statement is made by Gurukkal, Dr. S Mahesh – watch between the 22^nd and 25^th minute mark

⁺ https://mundanebudo.com/2023/10/23/aayudha-pooja-vijayadashami-the-most-important-festivals-for-the-martial-arts/

^& I am taking this definition of “Dharma” from the book “Mahabharata Unravelled” by Ami Ganatra. The link to the book is seen below

⁺⁺ Link to “Crying Freeman Volume 3”

https://www.amazon.in/Crying-Freeman-3-Kazuo-Koike/dp/1593074891/ref=sr_1_1?crid=311ADMT6QJ85G&keywords=crying+freeman+vol+3&qid=1701959502&sprefix=crying+freeman+vol+3%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-1

The Dashāvatāra – Balarāma is included instead of Buddha in the above image

In my previous article I attempted to explore martial art concepts that can be gleaned from the festival of Deepavali. This is a continuation of the same. Here, I will delve into the concepts that I could not consider in the earlier article as it was already very long. It might be useful to read the earlier article before getting into this one. But in case one does not, this article can be read as a standalone. The link to the previous article is seen in the notes below*.

A good starting point to delve into these concepts is the Dashāvatāra. The Dashāvatāra are the 10 incarnations (Dasha – 10, Avatāra – incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. This is not to say that there were only 10 avatāras of Lord Vishnu. The most popular list of incarnations of Vishnu is of 10 and this has been so for a few centuries based on the little that I know. If I am not wrong, there are also lists of avatāras that have 23 incarnations. The avatāras that are a part of the Dashāvatāra are not always the same.

Based on my understanding, the first 7 incarnations are the same in most lists. These are,

• Matsya (1^st), Kurma (2^nd), Varāha (3^rd), Narasimha (4^th), Vāmana (5^th), Parashurāma (6^th) and Rāma (7^th)

Of the remaining three, there are differences of who are considered the avatāras. I am sharing below a couple of the variations that I am aware of.

• Balarāma (8^th), Krishna (9^th), Kalki (10^th)
• Krishna (8^th), Buddha (9^th), Kalki (10^th)

The list with Buddha is the most common one that I am aware of. There are opinions where Lord Panduranga and Lord Jagannath are a part of the Dashāvatāra and not Buddha.

For the purposes of this article am going with the 10 incarnations where the Buddha is included and not Balarāma, simply because that is the one I was taught as a child and not because I am sure that that is the correct list. Also, I am sticking to only 10 avatāras and not considering the lists which have more than 10. Again, this is only because I do not have extensive knowledge about these.

Each incarnation had a specific purpose. I am adding a sentence or two about each avatāra and the purpose of the same in the notes below**. I am also adding a couple of examples from beyond the 10 incarnations where an incarnation or form of a God or Goddess eliminated a specific problem. I am going to be referring to these to make the points in the article, but the little detail is in the notes to try and keep the article to a “reasonable” length. 😊

The exact purpose of each of these avatāras is mentioned in the notes. But in general they fall into one of two categories, as far as I can tell.

• Protect and save people from a tyrant.
• Preserve the ecosystem, which includes the guardians of the same, which is why the Devas, who are the Lokapālas or guardians (of natural phenomena), are saved every time. If the Lokapālas are affected, the ecosystem is affected, and hence the people.

Considering the above, the objective of every avatāra has very high stakes. If the stakes are very high, how are the problems resolved? Yes, violence is one solution. But violence is neither the only solution nor the preferred one. Let us consider the other solutions that were employed by the avatāras.

• The solution by the Matsya and Kurma incarnations were two-fold. One involved identifying leaders who could bring people together for specific enterprising activities. The second was providing support to an engineering project of epic scale against enormous environmental adversities. So, they were perhaps Management solutions in modern day terms.

Matsya (L), Kurma (R)
Credit for the images – “Dasha Avatar”, published by Amar Chitra Katha, Kindle edition

• The Varāha, Narasimha and Parashurāma avatāras were warriors who used violence to solve problems. Varāha & Narasimha were protective warriors. Lord Parashurāma went on to spread the knowledge of the martial arts after his task as an avatar was complete.

Narasimha (L), Varāha (Top R), Parashurāma (Bottom R)
Credit for the images – “Dasha Avatar”, published by Amar Chitra Katha, Kindle edition

• The Vāmana incarnation was about deception and negotiation. It specifically abhorred violence. It was, by modern day standards, the signing of an inter state agreement (peace treaty in other words).

Vāmana
Credit for the images – “Dasha Avatar”, published by Amar Chitra Katha, Kindle edition

• The Rāma, Krishna and Buddha incarnations of Lord Vishnu lived a life that could serve as a case study. These incarnations served many purposes and hence used many solutions. During their lifetimes, they used administration, violence and negotiation to solve problems. It is almost like these incarnations combined all that was used by earlier avatāras. Their lives served as examples when they were no longer present in their mortal form. So, storytelling, entertainment and case studies were also a part of the plethora of solution types that they used. Considering that these options need documentation, add that to the list as well, as these are potential solutions that can be used by populations for centuries to come. The documents include, the Ramayana, Mahabharata (including the Bhagavad Gita) and the teachings of the Buddha.

Rama (L), Krishna (Top R), Buddha (Bottom R)
Credit for the images – “Dasha Avatar”, published by Amar Chitra Katha, Kindle edition

The above also apply to the other examples I have mentioned in the notes, which are not incarnations of Lord Vishnu. That said, the information regarding all the avatāras have also reached us through stories. And we can identify that the solution used in the stories fits into any of the categories mentioned because we still use the same in daily life. Of course, the violence in daily life refers to displays of anger and disappointment, which could constitute emotion or intellectual violence. This is a lot more common in our lives, compared to the use of physical violence.

So, if we say we use management and administrative solutions (processes), violence (non-physical), engineering and storytelling (documentation, presentations and meetings) on a daily basis, another aspect becomes clear. We use all of these without specifically thinking of the same. We use them in any combination as required, according to the situation. We do not actively classify what we do into the silos I mentioned. The classification is only in hindsight. This means that we do “whatever we need to”, “however we can” as the situation demands.

“Whatever we need to” and “However we can” are key aspects of the martial arts. This means exactly what it sounds like in the context of a physical conflict, with or without weapons being involved. One does whatever one has to, to survive however one can. All the training and experience comes down to be being able to use all the learning, intuition, learning, techniques and forms in a short duration to come out of the situation alive and with as little physical injury as possible.

There is no conception of what technique is being used in a real situation. The body reacts thanks to all the training, and does whatever it can instinctively, even if it means to escape from the place. Escaping only means that all the experience paid off in being able to identify that a fight was simply not worth it. This is especially true if one has around, people or things very dear to oneself when the fight begins. Seldom can one protect oneself and others, especially if weapons or multiple opponents, or both(!) are involved. Before the escape happens, what is done instinctively based on one’s training is never a specific technique or form, it is a variation or combination of what was learnt over the years of training.

This is true even in the case of combat sports, just that one does not need to escape. There are rules, weight categories and time limits to prevent life threatening injuries. The competitors still use variations of what they have trained. They “feel” the fight and flow with whatever can be done to win the fight.

Most martial art practitioners realize this pretty early on, if they are training regularly. My teacher and couple of my mentors repeat this incessantly in class, in case one does forget. One hears, “do whatever is necessary” and “however you can” time and time again. They in turn heard this from their teacher, all the way back to Soke Hatsumi Masaaki, who drilled in this idea for most practitioners in the Bujinkan system of martial arts.

This notion can be expanded further. I have heard this said from the same people mentioned above, “Don’t depend on the waza in a real situation. Kata will get you killed.” A simple way to put it, in my opinion, would be, “Learn the form to gain the concept. Use the concept to adapt. Adapt to do whatever is necessary. Do whatever is necessary, however it can be done. Do it however you can, to survive.”

Another statement with a similar meaning is “Don’t depend on the book. The book will not fight for you (or the book will not save you)”. The book being referred to here is the book with the details of all the waza (technique) or kata (form/set of forms) and how to perform the same. “The books” might protect you, like how Shaastra or Bun (knowledge) might protect you. It is more like saying “The library of knowledge” will save you. But one book of techniques will not! So, don’t fall in love with waza or kata, because they can’t save you. Fall in love with waza and kata as doorways or pathways to experience, awareness, knowledge; all of which enhance the probability of survival in a physically threatening situation. An extension of this is to not think any martial art or style is “the best” or to think one must support it no matter what, simply because it is the style one trains.

One Japanese phrase that I have heard from my teacher and some senpai during training is “Issho Khemi”. I have heard two translations for this phrase. The first is “do just enough” and the second is “do whatever is necessary”. The second translation is literally what we discussed earlier. When the first translation is implied, in my experience, it is used in the context of reminding one to not get bogged down in trying to use a fixed technique or movement.

In any conflict, whether physical or otherwise, the opposing sides do various things. It is extremely rare for any one side to be able to predict, read and plan for all the actions of the other side. And if this is possible by some extraordinary fluke, executing the “perfect plan” exactly as intended is as difficult and rare as the making of the same is. This is easy to see in a one-on-one fight. A given technique might work on an individual. But the same might not work on another person and the same might not work on the same individual at another time, maybe not even in the very next instant. This is true even while training that specific form, let alone in sparring or a real situation.

So, a given technique needs to be modified (applied as required) from person to person and every time it is executed. This means that if a given technique does not work, one should move on to something else and keep repeating this iterative process until something works. This means two things. First, identify when something is not working. This in turn means not expending too much effort on trying a single way of doing a specific technique. Secondly, it means that when a technique works, it usually does not require too much effort. The identification of the effective technique might be harder than getting said technique to work.

These two notions mean that one should do just enough to verify if a given technique will work, and if that is not sufficient maybe it is time to try something else that might require just sufficient effort. In either case, it is not useful to develop tunnel vision in making the execution of a technique the objective. The real motive is always to survive by doing what is necessary, however that can be done, not to determine the effectiveness of a given technique.

I remember that a few years ago Soke Masaaki Hatsumi had displayed in the dojo, calligraphy by Yamaoka Tesshu. These were acquisitions of his and he had used the writings as an inspiration for that particular class. Yamaoka Tesshu lived in the second half of the 19^th century and was an advisor and teacher to the then Japanese emperor (I think it was the Meiji emperor). He was also a sword master who taught at his own dojo.

There is a book by author John Stevens, which is a biography of Yamaoka Tesshu. The book is titled “The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu” (link to this book is seen in the notes below)***. In this book, as I recall, there is a very interesting observation made by the author. He says that when Tesshu was teaching his students, he always exhorted them to train harder. But he never taught or focused too much on specific techniques and forms. In other words, Tesshu wanted his students to focus on training as a whole, not consider mastering individual forms or techniques one after the other and use them as stepping stones. This idea along with the tile of the book makes me think that the focus was on the situation and what one could do in that time and space. This is the same as “Issho Khemi” and doing “whatever is necessary”, “however one can”.

So, we see that the Dashāvatāra from Hindu tradition and the martial arts have concepts that are the same. The concepts relate to problem solving and surviving a situation. Is this seen in modern life as well? I would say yes. I will share an example and my observation regarding international diplomacy and then get back to life in general.

In modern day diplomacy we hear the words, “based on shared values”. Considering that all nations only work in self-interest, the words should ideally be “based on shared interests”. But there are constituents and groups, especially in democracies, that put a great premium on “values” and expect that the leaders of their nations keep these at the forefront even when they are working towards national (self) interest, while working with other nations. If these nations do not share the value, like when democracies deal with dictators, these constituents are upset. So, realpolitik requires that the words be “values” instead of “interests”, even if it is a lie or a half-truth at best. The deal will be the same, irrespective of the words, but choosing specific words pacifies some sections of the society. So, why not use a lie to get the job done in the self-interest of a nation? After all, that is the purpose of a government, not the “promotion of values”. Has anyone ever seen the manifesto of any political party anywhere in the word state that they will work towards and allocate national resources to ensure that institutional democracy takes root successfully in a country not their own? I think not. If anyone knows otherwise, do let me know. This play of words is a case of “Issho Khemi” in statecraft.

Similarly, all of us do this in life and at work as well. How often do we vaguely agree with a client just to end a call, so that you can get back later with objections after further analysis? How often do we give a non-committal smile and a nod with close relatives when our minds are preoccupied, to get them to let us off at that moment? I would say often enough for us all to recall the last time we did it. Is this any different from the example of diplomacy, where sugar coated words that are not really meant are used to get on with real business? And is this any different from training forms only to do whatever is necessary, however one can? I would say they are the same. We are all getting on with our mundane lives, in the best way that we can. If this is something we can deduce starting with the Dashāvatāra, it adds to the notion that martial concepts are embedded in the cases studies that are the stores from Hindu tradition, apart from the life lessons that are expounded upon in many books.

Notes:

*Link to Deepavali article –

***Link to the biography of Yamaoka Tesshu –

https://www.amazon.in/Sword-No-Sword-Master-Warrior-Tesshu-ebook/dp/B00GXE93CS?ref_=ast_author_dp

**The Dashāvatāra

Mohini (L), Kalki (R)
Credit for the images – “Dasha Avatar”, published by Amar Chitra Katha, Kindle edition

A few other cases where specific solutions were achieved through divine births and incarnations are mentioned below.

• Lord Ayyappa – He was the son of Shiva and Vishnu (in his form as Mohini), born to end the terror of Mahishi, the sister of Mashishāsura.
• Lord Karttikeya – He was the son of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati, who was born to end the terror of Tarakāsura.
• Devi Durga – She was a form of Devi Parvati (Shakti) who was created and armed specifically to defeat Mahishāsura
• Devi Kāli – She was a form of Devi Parvati (Shakti) who was created specifically to defeat Raktabeeja

The Goddesses mentioned above killed Asuras other the ones I have mentioned, as did Lord Karttikeya. I would highly recommend everyone to go and read the original stories. They are wonderful; not just entertaining, but also have a lot of symbolic value if one goes into the detail and serve as case studies as well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notes:

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

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

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

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

Anyone who has read stories from Hindu culture or watched TV series based on the same, would have heard of the ability called “Shabdavedi”. This is the ability of an archer (either a hunter or a warrior) to accurately strike a target purely based on the sound it makes, with no visual input at all. It is a highly revered skill and individuals who could accomplish this were considered great archers. I am not aware of how rare this skill was. It essentially means that an archer, even when blindfolded, hears a sound made by a target and shoots an arrow, which unfailingly strikes the target. This is something archers with this ability can always do, and it is not a fluke or a one off.

I am aware of three examples from stories which demonstrate this ability. Two of them are from the Epic Itihasa poems of India, one each from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The third is from the historical Epic poem, “Prithviraj Raso”. Interestingly, the use of Shabdavedi in all three examples is related to tragedy; in two of the examples, success with Shabdavedi leads to great tragedy in the future and in the third, it is used in an extremely tragic situation.

In the Ramayana, King Dasharatha (father of Lord Rama) is out hunting at night. He hears a sound that seems like an animal is drinking at a waterhole. As it is dark, he cannot see the animal. So, he shoots an arrow at the animal using his Shabdavedi ability. He successfully strikes the target, but then, tragedy strikes. The target he has hit is a boy named Shravana Kumara. Both of his parents are blind, and in their old age cannot move about on their own. So, being a dutiful son, he carries his parents from one place to another, like a water-carrier, where his parents are seated in two baskets tied to the ends of a pole, which Shravana Kumara carries on his shoulders.

On that day, the parents are thirsty, and the son is filling a vessel at the waterhole to quench the same. Dasharatha’s arrow kills the boy. He begs the distraught parents for forgiveness. But they curse him, stating that just as they would die pining for their son, so would Dasharatha; he would die wishing his son was with him. This curse sets up the events of the Ramayana, where Rama is exiled to the forest and Dasharataha dies unable to bear the separation and his role in all the hardships his two sons and daughter-in-law have to endure for years in the forest. The exile in the forest also leads to the several tragedies that occur in the Ramayana.

In the Mahabharatha, King Pandu is out hunting. He hears what sounds like a deer. He cannot see the animal though. But he uses his Shabdavedi skill and shoots an arrow at his target. The arrow strikes its mark, but then, so does tragedy. Pandu realizes that he has struck not one, but two deer which were in the act of mating. But it turns out that it was a sage and his wife who were being physically intimate in the form of deer. So, Pandu has mortally wounded the sage and his wife. Pandu begs for forgiveness, but the sage curses him. The curse is that if Pandu ever tries to be physically intimate with either of his wives or if he even has thoughts of the same, he will immediately lose his life.

Image credit – “Mahabharata 3 – Advent of the Kuru Princes”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

In repentance of his act, Pandu relinquishes his throne in favour of his blind older brother Dritharashtra and retires to the forest with his wives. Later, he succumbs to the curse in a moment of weakness. This act of Pandu’s sets in motion a whole chain of events, which along with the actions of his grandfather Shantanu lead to the great war of Kurukshetra which resulted in the loss of life and suffering on an unimaginable scale.

In the Prithviraj Raso, after Prithviraj has been defeated at the battle of Tarain, he is imprisoned, blinded, and taken as a prisoner to Ghazni, by Mohammad of Ghor. Prithviraj is humiliated, his armies destroyed and his kingdom is reduced to being a vassal state and has suffered great losses. While in prison in Ghazni, Prithviraj’s close friend, court poet and minister, Chand Baradai, finds him and they hatch a plot to avenge their defeat by killing Mohammad Ghori. Chand Bardai extolls Prithviraj’s ability with Shabdavedi. So, Ghori wants to see a demonstration of the same. An arena is set up and a goat is let into the arena. Prithviraj is also brought in and handed a bow and arrow. The goat is made to bleat, thus providing a target for the arrow. Prithviraj says he will only shoot the arrow on a command from Ghori. Ghori does so and this allows Prithviraj to shoot Ghori instead of the goat as his location is now revealed. Then Chand Bardai and Prithivraj both commit suicide. Thus, they have avenged their defeat despite being severely weakened by circumstances. Of course, this story is not actual history, but epic poetry.

The circumstances of all three examples above might be tragic, but the ability of Shabdavedi was coveted and deeply respected. This is obvious, because any ability to shoot targets without the use of sight is indeed extraordinary and takes a lot of practice to achieve. It is mastery despite the absence of the most vital of human senses, sight, required for archery.

In the Bujinkan system of martial arts, there is a concept called “Sakkijutsu”. This refers to “intuitive ability”. This is among the most important precepts of the Bujinkan. It is referred to most often when practitioners of the art with a lot of experience practice or teach. Sakkijutsu relates to responding to the intention of the opponent(s) and not the action of the opponent(s). Intention occurs before action and hence, responding to the intention gives an extra fraction of time to the defender, which might be vital in saving oneself (or anyone else).

There is no scientific measure that I am aware of to measure the “Sakki” or intuition. The use of intuition is also not something that is taught. It is described and demonstrated, and this allows the ability to be learnt. The ability is learnt and refined over years of training. It is purely experiential learning and requires training physically with fellow practitioners, mentors, teachers and students. But the centrality of this concept in the Bujinkan never changes, even when one is not yet able to express Sakkijutsu.

Since Sakkijutsu relates to intuition, the experience of getting a feel of the situation where the conflict (physical or otherwise) is occurring in, is very important. This includes, the context, individuals, groups of individuals and the overall atmosphere of the place (time & space). All of this adds to the abilities, past experiences, life experiences beyond the martial arts and general wisdom of the individual. These aspects inform one’s intuition, which could also be referred to as “gut feel”. This is very important as one should also realize what cannot be done in managing a conflict and should avoid acts that lead to injury (including psychological, emotional and spiritual ones) and death.

I have referred to intuitive ability and Sakkijutsu in multiple other articles as well. The test to achieve the 5^th Dan in the Bujinkan is called the “Sakki test”. It involves one demonstrating intuitive ability and at the same time realizing for oneself that he or she has the ability, and it should be applied in all situations in life. I have described this test in the article related to “Boons, Blessings and Curses” *. The link to this article is seen in the notes below.

The concept of Shabdavedi is offensive in nature, as it is used by the attacker to target a hidden opponent (or quarry). I suggest that the counter to this ability is Sakkijutsu. Sakkijutsu is protective in nature, as it allows the target of the person using Shabdavedi to survive the attack, irrespective of whether it is a human or an animal. If the target can sense the malicious intent of the person shooting the arrow, at the moment when the person decides to shoot as he or she has got a target lock due to Shabdavedi, the target can move in that small instant of time. As the time between the decision to shoot and the release of the arrow is small, if the target is no longer in the same space which is targeted, it is almost impossible for the archer to track and change the targeted space, thus allowing the quarry to survive. Of course, for this to work, the target should also move only when the decision to shoot is made. If it is too early, the archer can sense the movement through Shabdavedi and change his or her target. If the movement is late, well, it doesn’t matter anymore. So, Sakkijutsu is no magic survival card. It is just one extra opportunity to survive, which can hopefully be exploited successfully.

I am not aware of the right word to use in either Sanskrit or other Indian vernacular languages (mainly Kannada in my case) for Sakkijutsu. Antahprajne, Saakshaatkaara (could also mean epiphany), Aparokshajnana, Asaamanya Prajne, Ola Arivu and one I like best, Antarbhoda are the words I found online as a translation for “intuition” in Kannada. The word I found online most often, from Sanskrit, as a translation for intuition, is “Pratibha” (apparently according to the 5^th century Sanskrit scholar Bhartrihari). But this also means ability or skill in some cases. So, I will say “Antarbodha” is a counter for “Shabdavedi”, just to square off words from the same language. 😛 But I will use the word Sakkijutsu itself in the rest of the article simple because I am neither satisfied nor convinced with the other words I have found.

A couple of additional points about Sakkijutsu here. Firstly, Sakkijutsu is NOT magic. It is a natural ability which we all possess. The key in its practice is to build trust in one’s own intuition and not second guess its drive. Imagine walking alone in a dark place with no people around. We feel our senses are heightened and are very aware of our surroundings, as threat perception is high and we are in self-protection mode. Similarly, when we are driving through heavy traffic, we get the feel that we need to change speed, change gears, or avoid moving into an empty space on the road. We involuntarily slow down more at some blind turns than at others. Similarly, if there are two roads that can be taken to the same destination, we take one without analysis based on the “gut feel” in that moment. All of these are examples of us using our Sakkijutsu, even if our life is not on the line in many of these cases. There are also cases when we know of a call coming through just before the phone rings. This also happens at work when we realize that someone is looking for us or looking at us just before the person arrives. It is this ability that we apply, train, and refine. I have described this in slightly greater detail in a previous article of mine**, the link to which is seen in the notes below.

The examples of Shabdavedi with which I am juxtaposing Sakkijutsu are from the past. But the practice of Sakkijutsu and instances to elucidate the same I am using are from the present. The second point is relating to this discrepancy. In current times, while Shabdavedi still exists, the levels of technology and the availability of the same make the need for the Shabdavedi fairly unnecessary. So, if we consider an exact situation from the modern day, snipers and their modern rifles can target individuals at ranges greater than ever before. Add to this the use of drones and this range increases even further⁺. The drone operators need not even be on the same continent. Does Sakkijutsu work in such cases? I do not know. I have heard it said by some practitioners of the Bujinkan who are also veterans of the armed forces that in the case involving snipers, it might. This is because the weapon and its human operator are just like an archer. But I cannot vouch for this information as I have no experience regarding this.

When it comes to drones, the person with the intent to kill is nowhere near the drone. So, is there an opportunity for the quarry to sense the intention of the attacker/hunter? Again, I have no idea. Since there are so many layers of technology, is it the drone or any other form of technology doing the targeting? If yes, as it is not sentient in the same way as a human or any other animal, can it have the same intention? If not, how can Sakkijutsu work, as there is no malicious intent to sense? After all, Sakkijutsu is our ability from when we were prey animals and it is just like a herbivore at a watering hole which is skittish and ready to bolt based on Sakkijutsu, when it gets a sense of danger based on the intentions it feels, and not just based on any of the other senses. If Sakkijutsu is not of much use against drones, is the next step to train and heighten the five conventional senses? Or just start applying other principles of the Bujinkan and other martial arts with drones as the weapons (drones vs drones with martial concepts as the differentiator)? I do not have answers to these questions and would be grateful for any light thrown on the same.

But then, there are a couple of examples that come to mind from ancient times, of Sakkijutsu being applied. These again are from the Mahabharata, and both involve Krishna when he was the charioteer for Arjuna during the Kurukshetra war. Krishna had agreed to be Arjuna’s charioteer and a guide to the Pandava side. But he had sworn that he would not raise any weapon or get involved in the fighting himself.

On the 12^th day of the war, the king Bhagadatta, mounted on his elephant (the most fearsome beast in the war) fought Arjuna, who was on his chariot, with Lord Krishna as his charioteer. During the fight, Bhagadatta invoked the Vaishnavaastra. This was a celestial weapon originating from Lord Vishnu. There was no way Arjuna, despite all his abilities and the assortment of astras at his disposal, could counter this weapon, let alone survive its onslaught. But Krishna realized this when the astra was released by Bhagadatta and instinctively stood up in the chariot, letting the astra strike him, thus protecting Arjuna. Of course, Krishna, being an incarnation (avatar/avataara) of Vishnu, could bear the attack of the Vaishnavaastra unlike other mortals. Thus, Krishna, while not breaking his vow of not being involved in the fighting, still saved Arjuna while not raising a weapon. He did this by putting himself in harm’s way.

Image credit – “Mahabharata 33 – Dorna’s Vow”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

I opine that this is an example of applying Sakkijutsu. Sakkijutsu is intuitively doing what needs to be done in a given situation to prevent injury or harm to oneself or anyone else. In this example, in the very short time between the astra being discharged and it striking Arjuna, Krishna intuitively realized a lot of this and acted on the same. He realized that it was the Vaishnavaastra that was invoked, and that Arjuna was helpless against the same. He also instinctively knew what he needed to do as a charioteer, to protect his warrior. He stood up and put himself in harm’s way. It would all have happened in the blink of an eye, and so, it is an instance of Sakkijutsu.

On the 17^th day of the war, Karna used the Nagaastra against Arjuna. This astra was infallible and would always strike its intended target, no matter how it was countered. So, Arjuna was in great danger. In this instance, Krishna maneuvered the chariot such that the horses buckled, and the chariot was pushed down by a few finger-widths/inches. This was done at the very last instant. The astra was discharged with Arjuna’s neck as the target. When the chariot was lowered, the astra struck the base of Arjuna’s crown/helmet and knocked it off. The astra did not miss, it struck the space where it was supposed to, only that the space which was occupied by Arjuna’s neck was now replaced by his crown. Thanks to Krishna’s action, Arjuna was saved again.

Image credit – “Mahabharata 37 – Karna in Command”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Here also, Krishna knew intuitively that he needed to intervene to save Arjuna, and the action that needed to be taken, in a an extremely small duration of time, thus making it a demonstration of Sakkijutsu. Of course, it can be said that Krishna is a God and hence his divine abilities allowed him to do what he did. Add to this, the magical aspects of the weapons involved, and the examples can be considered fantasy. But then, the nature of the actions taken by Krishna in the spur of the moment was instinctive. Plus, the same could be done with none of the magical aspects of the astra by any charioteer to protect the warrior for any number of reasons, thus making them intuitive and not divine intervention. The explanation for the actions were also given after the act, and it was not planned. These aspects make the actions of Krishna in both cases, examples of Sakkijutsu.

Speaking of Lord Krishna as a charioteer and his actions while being one, is a good segue to have a look at charioteers and their abilities during the days of the Mahabharata and maybe in general in India during ancient times. We know the names of famous charioteers and some famous individuals who excelled at charioteering, other than Krishna himself. Some famous charioteers we know of are, Sanjaya, charioteer of Dritarashtra, Daruka, charioteer of Krishna and Maatali, Indra’s charioteer. Other than Krishna, Yudishtira was a great charioteer and so was King Shalya. Shalya was the king of Madra and an uncle of the Pandavas (specifically only Nakula and Sahadeva) as he was the brother of Maadri, wife of Pandu. He was one of the greatest mace fighters of his time, on par with Bhima, Duryodhana, Jarasandha and Keechaka. His excellence as a charioteer is attested by the fact that he was requested to be Karna’s charioteer on the 17^th day of the Kurukshetra war. This was when Karna was commander-in-chief of the Kaurava armies and needed a charioteer who could match the abilities of Krishna when Arjuna and Karna faced off. This shows how incredibly important charioteers were and the great regard in which they were held.

Image credit (L) – “Mahabharata 37 – Karna in Command”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Image credit (R)- “Mahabharata 35 – Arjuna fulfils his Vow”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

When Arjuna fought against the Nivaatakavachas and Kaalakeyas, as repayment for receiving celestial weaponry (and the knowledge for their use) from the Devas, much before the Kurukshetra war, he was granted use of Indra’s chariot, with Maatali as the charioteer. Maatali served as both guide and friend to Arjuna during this time. Daruka, Krishna’s charioteer was tasked with keeping his chariot ready for war in case Arjuna failed to fulfil his vow on the 15^th day of the war. And lastly, Sanjaya, apart from being Dritarashtra’s charioteer, was a trusted confidante and advisor to the king. This is why he, of all people, was granted divine vision by Maharishi Veda Vyasa, so that Sanjaya could narrate the events of the war to the blind Dritharashtra. All of these extend the idea that charioteers were respected individuals and important members of the social circles of famous individuals.

Image credit – “Mahabharata 22 – The Reunion”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Image credit – “Mahabharata 30 – The War Begins”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

I suggest that the reason for this deep respect that charioteers commanded in the society of the Mahabharata was their importance in warfare. I also opine that Sakkijutsu was vitally important for charioteers, or as they are called in the vernacular, Sarathis (Sarathi for singular)⁺⁺.

A Charioteer and the warrior in the chariot would have been a team, not unlike a doubles team in badminton, tennis, table tennis or any other similar sport. They would need to understand each other and act in tandem, backing each other in case of a mistake by the other and allowing the other to express what he or she is best at. In a war, one of the chariot’s important advantages is its mobility. And when a chariot faces other chariots or cavalry (either horses or elephants) it faces off against other mobile enemies. Therefore, the warrior in the chariot has to strike opponents that are mobile and continuously moving. This is why the wheels of chariots, the horses and indeed the charioteers themselves were always valid targets.

While the warrior focuses on finding, tracking and attacking enemies with arrows, javelins or spears, it would fall to the charioteer to do everything else. In this sense, the warrior is like the weapons officer in a two-seater fighter aircraft. But the charioteer is more than a passive pilot or worse, a driver. He or she (Kaikeyi, Lord Rama’s step-mother, was a famous Sarathi and played the role when Dasharatha fought in battles) did not just take a chariot to a given place as commanded and park the vehicle while the warriors engaged in fighting.

Image credit – “Ramayana”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Charioteers would need to have a sense of all the following.

• the surroundings on the battlefield
• the enemies targeting the chariot or the warrior in it or both
• the condition of the structure of the chariot
• the condition of the horses drawing the chariot
• the targets that are feasible and the total set of available targets (like a radar on a fighter aircraft)
• the targets the warrior is focusing on and the weapons he is using to carry out the attack

With all the above in mind, he or she has to pilot the chariot in a way that allows the most efficient attack against a specific opponent, while the risk to the warrior and the chariot itself is minimised. It is an act of continuous and dynamic optimization, while one’s own life is on the line. The charioteer needs to move the chariot to avoid an arrow or javelin from striking the warrior if he or she is targeted while the same individual is busy attacking another target on an ever-changing battlefield.

The charioteer also needs to put the chariot in the best place possible, from where a specific opponent can be targeted and attacked. This has to happen while being aware of the ground and if it is conducive to take the weight of the chariot and horses, for they should not get stuck or mired in the mud. The charioteer must also be aware of possible paths to take to either advance or retreat on the battlefield. He or she must also communicate effectively to the warrior all necessary information so he or she can do the job as effectively as possible. The charioteer must also know which targets the warrior can take out while the chariot is moving and when the chariot needs to be stopped to allow for the same. And then there will be idiosyncrasies and pride of the warrior to take into account, the communication of which cannot be allowed to impact their working together in the best possible way.

So, in a way, a charioteer of old is not unlike the smart mission system and electronics of modern-day weapon system (of course, it is OBVIOUSLY NOT an exact comparison). They have great battlefield awareness, inform about radar locks, approach of missiles and dispense flares or chaff or other defensive weapons. They allow electronic counter measures, electronic counter-counter measures and communicate when the firing solution is ready so that the weapons officer can choose to discharge the same. No wonder, a charioteer was revered in the ancient world, they were as important as, if not more important than, the warriors themselves. Imagine an adrenaline pumping chase and fight sequence in a Mission Impossible movie action sequence in the ancient world with chariots facing off to get a sense of the awe the situation can inspire.

In ancient India, there was a community called “Suta”. These days it might be considered an occupation-based caste. Sutas are born of Brahmin mothers and Kshatriya fathers. Several individuals of the Suta community excelled as charioteers. So much so that sometimes it is said that a Suta is a charioteer, even though that is not correct. Some famous Sutas include Keechaka, the great commander of the armies of King Virata of the Matsya kingdom, where the Pandavas hid during their 13^th year in exile. He was a warrior on par with Bhima and others as already mentioned. His sister Sudeshna was the queen. This makes her the maternal grandmother of the future king of Hastinapura, Pareekshit, who is also a grandson of Arjuna on the paternal side.

Another revered Suta is Ugrashrava Lomarshana Sauti. He is a deeply respected bard/storyteller. His recitation of the story of Pandavas and Kauravas to Rishi Shaunaka and his students in the Naimishaaranya forest is what is today considered the Mahabharata⁰⁰. Sutas also excelled as story tellers/bards and warriors as seen from the above examples.

Thus, a Suta (which can also be written Soota to be closer to the vernacular pronunciation) was a very respected and multi-skilled community of the past. But most of us associate the word with the word Sutaputra used in the televised versions of the Mahabharata. Karna, is adopted by the charioteer named Adiratha, who is a Suta. So, Karna is called a Sutaputra as he is the son of a Suta. This term is used by the Pandavas in a derogatory manner towards Karna a lot of the time in the Mahabharata TV series. I am not sure if this is a correct reflection of the original written by Veda Vyasa, in the number of times this term is used in a derogatory manner towards Karna. Considering that Karna is also made a more sympathetic character on TV than he was in the original epic, it is a possibility. This in turn makes one wonder if the Sutas not being as respected on the TV series as they were in the past, is more a result of virtue signalling in the modern-day.

It is indeed a joy to be able to move from Shabdavedi to Sakkijutsu to realizing how important this skill might have been to charioteers and to realize how virtue signalling might keep us from discovering the same.

Notes:

* https://mundanebudo.com/2023/07/20/connect-control-part-2-boons-blessings-curses-the-sakki-test/

** https://mundanebudo.com/2023/06/22/when-there-are-no-solutions/

⁺There are missiles today that have no explosive warheads, but blades that open out, making mincemeat of the target. This is essentially a very high-tech arrow!

⁺⁺One of the many names of Lord Krishna is “Parthasarathi”. Here “Partha” is Arjuna as he is the son of Kunti, whose birth name was Pritha (son of Pritha is Partha – pronounced Paartha). “Sarathi” means charioteer. So, as Krishna is a charioteer of Arjuna’s, he is “Parthasarathi”. Also, Sarathi is pronounced “Saarathi”.

⁰⁰The Mahabharata is three narrations nested one inside the other. The “Jaya” was composed by Maharishi Veda Vyasa and this contained a conversation between Dritharashtra and Sanjaya about all the events that led upto the war, while the latter is narrating the happenings on the field of battle, thanks to his divine vision, which was also granted by Veda Vyasa. The “Jaya” was narrated in a conversation, by Vaishampayana, a disciple of Vyasa’s to King Janamejaya, during the Sarpa Satra conducted by the latter. Janamejaya is the grandson of Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna. Ugrashrava Lomarshana Sauti was present at the Sarpa Satra and witness to this narration. He in turn narrated the narration that he had heard, to Rishi Shaunaka and his pupils at their ashrama in the forest, Naimishaaranya. This is what has come down to us as the Mahabharata.

The test for the fifth dan in the Bujinkan is also called the “Sakki” test. Sakki here generally refers to “intuitive ability”. For those that are not a part of the Bujinkan, I am describing the test. The test involves two people, one administering the test and another who is being tested. There are other people around who determine if the person passed the test or not. The person administering the test and those determining if the test was a pass or not are all holders of the 15^th dan, which is the highest rank in the Bujinkan system (there are a couple of other higher administrative ranks).

The person taking the test sits in an approximation of the Vajrasana and the person administering the test stands behind her or him. Both the individuals have their eyes closed for the duration of the test. The person in Vajrasana is hopefully in a meditative state. The person standing behind her or him cuts down at her or his head with a padded/training sword. The expectation is that the person in Vajrasana should sense the attack based on the intent of the person cutting and move out of the way just in time (not too early either). If he or she moves in time and does not get hit, the test is a pass, else it is a fail, and the person has to try again. When it is said “move”, it could be a roll, break fall, getting up in time, or anything else. The “pass or failure” in the test is determined by the other 15h Dans who are observing the test or by the Soke, Hatsumi Sensei himself.

The key for this test is to “sense the intent of the cut”. The intent is present before the action of cut and hence the person will always survive being hit if he or she moves in response to the intent and not in response to any other of the five senses. The stimulus from these five might not allow time enough to get out of the way of the sword.

From my teacher and all my seniors and mentors, who have greater experience with the Sakki test, I am given to understand that the test is for both the person cutting and the one evading the cut. While the person who passes the test is the one who evades the cut, the true challenge apparently is for the one cutting. It is the responsibility of the person cutting to establish a connection with the one taking the test. If they can establish the connection, they are also successful in transferring the intent to the person, which triggers the movement. So, the test is more to allow the person being tested to realize that he or she has the intuitive ability and can trust the same, it is not to test the extent or timing of the same. This in turn puts the responsibility of the passing or failing on the person delivering the cut. So, if the person fails, it could mean that the person cutting did not have the connection with the person taking the cut. And this is perhaps why many people who have given many cuts to different people think it is a responsibility to “give a good cut”. I have seen people tell each other that they are sorry that they could not give a good cut as well. There are a lot of videos of the Sakki Test on YouTube, which one can look for to get a sense of the same. I am not going to link any as it is impossible to decide which one is the best representation of the same. 😊

The challenge in the test is that all external disturbances which could distract one from the task at hand, the test, is removed, as are all other stimuli like sound, sight, smell and touch. Pure instinct might be triggered if one is not thinking of the same, but just thinking about it makes it very hard and the removal of the five conventional senses acts in the same way.

Thus, the key to the entire 5^th dan test is the “connection” between the tester and the tested. And this important aspect of the test led to this article. I will hopefully elucidate this key concept with what has been normal behaviour in Hindu culture over a very long period of time.

Anyone who has watched even a few episodes of the many “Mythological” serials on the various TV channels would have seen one character or the other seeking the Aashirwada (or Aashirwad) of many others. An Aashirwada can be considered a “Blessing”. The act as seen on TV would generally involve one character who is either younger by age or achievements or abilities, touch the feet of another character or perform a prostrated namaskaara at the feet of the other, either in greeting, farewell or to specifically seek the blessing of the other person. The other person obviously has greater experience or wisdom in any of the attributes just mentioned and offers blessings.

Credit for the images (left to right) – From “Enter Drona”, Mahabharata – 5 & “Hanuman to the rescue”, both published by Amar Chitra Katha

Some of the oft uttered blessings we see are (this is a very small sample set) –

• Aayushmaan / Aayushmati Bhava – Have a long life
• Vijayee Bhava – Be victorious
• Yashaswi Bhava – Be successful
• Keertiman / Keertimati Bhava – Be well known / achieve fame

These examples are from Hindi. But the same can uttered in any of the many languages in India. Most importantly, this is not an act just seen on TV or web series. Seeking the blessings/aashirwaada is an ancient practice that all of us continue with to this day. We specifically seek the blessings of elders and gurus. As we get on in our years, we might have to bless the youngsters in the family, and this need to be ready to pass on the blessings is what prompted this article.

Are the blessings just words that are uttered? Like wishing someone well? Or can they genuinely have a beneficial impact on the person who has received the blessings? And if the effect has to manifest in reality, what are the requirements on the part of the one giving the blessing and the one receiving the blessings? These are questions I do not have answers to, and any answers for the same would be welcome. But I do have some thoughts on the matter which I shall share. These are purely opinions based on personal experience, observation, and martial training.

Blessings are important to different people to varying degrees, depending on their upbringing, life experiences, association with specific individuals, association with places and objects linked to individuals and associations of many other types that people can think of. Places are considered sacred or blessed based on their association with Divinities or events that are associated with the same. Sites of old family homes are also considered blessed due to association with one’s own grandparents and ancestors. In these cases, the effort put into the journey to get to these places itself becomes achievement of an “experiential blessing”, where the experience of the journey is part of the blessing.

Either way, whether the blessing is from a person or due to a journey or a location, the connection is key. Belief is a connection, or at least the “option of giving a connection a chance”. Based on this observation, in my opinion, the blessing is no different than the ability to transmit intent in the sakki test, with the “connect” being the key aspect in both. In a conventional setting, the “intent” is the good will or desire for success of the one seeking the blessing. I opine that just as one can transmit intent in the Sakki test, the good will can be transmitted if the “connection” between the one blessing and the one seeking the same is strong. And just as the intent in the test can move a person, the will of the person blessing, can positively impact the one being blessed. This will be explored further below, with boons and curses.

Blessings of a more specific nature and perhaps of a more powerful variety can be called “Boons” and the opposite of “Boons” are “Curses”. Blessings are much simpler and seen in all human interactions where elders and teachers “wish for” or “bless” their wards, students and juniors, a favourable outcome in life. Let us consider “Boons” and “Curses” for a further exploration of connection and control.

Once again, anyone who has read stories from Hindu culture will surely have noticed the following two things. People meditate and perform penance(s) to earn “Boons” that grant them abilities beyond those of normal humans, and make the ones earning the boons almost equivalent to Gods. On the other side of the same, great Sages “Curse” people and even the Devas and Gandharvas for their indiscretions and mistakes, the consequences of which are dire and painful, and have to be endured for long periods of time.

A Boon is called a Vara in Kannada or maybe Var (if the language is closer to Hindi than to South Indian languages). Varadaana or Vardaan is the granting of a boon. A Vara is more than a Blessing in the stories. It grants the one receiving the same special abilities. These could include very long life spans, protection from harm from all but a few forms of attack, great knowledge or wisdom, incredible strength beyond that imaginable by any mortal human, or the ability to possess, use and retrieve weapons of unimaginably destructive potential.

Obtaining a Vara is no easy task. Firstly, one needs to demonstrate the eligibility to request a Vara and then also demonstrate the traits needed to wield the ability granted by the Vara. One requests the granting of a Vara by great beings that are not human or are superhuman; Varas are granted by the Devas or Lord Brahma or Lord Shiva. Even earning their presence requires expending great effort over long periods of time. Getting these divine beings to appear before one where the request for the Vara can be made is the demonstration of eligibility to ask for a Boon.

A common feature we see in many stories is that the means to request the presence of a divine being is meditation, also referred to as penance. This is shown as meditating on the God whose presence is being requested with singular focus for long durations of time, with no breaks. In the case of Arjuna when he was on a quest to acquire the Paashupataastra, Lord Shiva tested him by appearing in human form and forcing him to fight, and thus reveal his abilities, apart from just the meditation. Based on my understanding, the qualities that are demonstrated while performing Tapas (meditation) are, perseverance, dedication, focus, drive, resistance to pain, self-control and most importantly, letting go of the self **.

If the God whose presence is desired is impressed or convinced by the qualities seen, she or he appears to the person performing the meditation and grants them the opportunity to request a Vara of their choice. The letting go of the self is shown in some stories to be so complete that anthills or trees grow on the person, as if they were just a rock and not a sentient being anymore. There are also cases where there are multiple tests like with Arjuna that have to be overcome, apart from the meditation; these could be as diversions or disturbances to the meditation or something that needs to be endured in one’s life (the duration may vary).¹

Image credit – “Dashaavatara”, published by Amar Chitra Katha (Kindle edition)

Many individuals request immortality and are denied the same as it goes against the natural order of things, and are told to request something else that will aid in the ambitions of their lives. A miniscule sample of Varas requested by individuals are mentioned below. Observe that these Boons could be granted to extraordinary individuals who went on to become “villains” in their lifetimes due to tremendous ego post the acquisition of the Vara.

• Taarakaasura requesting Lord Brahma to be unkillable by anything other than a son of Lord Shiva (when Lord Shiva a widower and in deep meditation for ages).
• Arjuna requesting Lord Shiva to grant him the ability to use the Paashupataastra.
• Hiranyakashipu requesting Lord Brahma to be unkillable by any human, animal, weapon, during the day, at night, inside or outside any structure.
• Mahishaasura requesting Lord Brahma to be unkillable by any male.

Credit for the images (left to right) – “Prahlada” and “Arjuna’s quest for weapons”, “Mahabharatha – 20”, both published by Amar Chitra Katha

A Curse is the opposite of a Boon. A Curse is a called a “Shaapa” in Kannada and Shraap or Shaap in Hindi. While a Vara bestows a specific ability or protection to an individual, a Shaapa or Curse causes a specific & severe problem to the individual who has been cursed. Many a time, once the curse is uttered, the person who is cursed is penitent and begs for forgiveness. When this happens, the person who has uttered the curse also states a remedy to the same. But there is definitely a long period of suffering involved before the curse is lifted.

Credit for the images – “Yayati” published by Amar Chitra Katha

In this last aspect a Shaapa is like a Vara; in one case it takes a long time of repentance with inconvenience to serve out the time of the curse and in the other, one needs to endure a long time of inconvenience to be eligible to ask for a Boon. So, in either case the qualities one must acquire and demonstrate are the same, even if the origin of the demonstration is opposite in nature. Surviving a curse has a root cause beyond oneself while the effort to gain a boon lies within oneself. In a way a curse is surviving an uke’s (opponent’s) attack while a boon is being a tori (defender), voluntarily against an uke. Striving for a boon also has an aspect of the Musha Shyugyo (warrior’s journey) in that the journey begins voluntarily and the person who ends the journey is much changed from the one who started the same, due to the trials and hardships endured during the same.

From my recollection of stories from Hindu culture, curses are uttered by great Sages or Maharishis who have several years’ worth of Saadhana (practice in the right rituals, meditation and scripture) and knowledge. They utter the curse due to a grave indiscretion or blunder on the part of the person who is being cursed. These mistakes generally stem from an inflated ego after great achievement and this mistake then messes with the natural order, or rhythm of goings on in the universe. A tiny sample set of curses are mentioned below.

• Durvasa cursing Indra to lose his strength, ability and “Tejas” (radiance or vitality)
• Agastya cursing Nahusha to live on Earth as a snake until he is relived of the same
• Shukracharya cursing Yayati to perpetual old age unless one of his sons is willing to exchange his youth with him
• Apsaras and Gandharvas are cursed on many occasions for losing a sense of space and propriety while performing the arts in the presence of others
• Ahalya & Indra being cursed by Rishi Gautama for their infidelity

Credit for the images (left to right) – “Nahusha”, “Hanuman to the rescue”, both published by Amar Chitra Katha

A curse has consequences for both the person who utters the same and the one who is cursed. Perhaps this is true in the case of a boon as well, but may not be apparent in the stories as the entities bestowing the Vara are divine and there is no comparing such a being to a human, and so consequences are hard to identify. However, a curse, even when uttered by a Maharishi, is still by a human being acting against another human, even though the one uttering the curse is a highly evolved and accomplished human.

A case of the person cursing another and paying for the same is seen in the story of Rishi Brighu cursing Lord Vishnu for not receiving him as a good host should, when he visited Vaikunta (Lord Vishnu’s abode). Rishi Brighu, in his arrogance cursed a God! One of the Trimurthy no less! Lord Vishnu accepted the curse and touched the feet of the Rishi, but while doing so, he blinded the eye that existed in the foot of Brighu. This eye had allowed the Rishi to walk fast and almost float on the ground while not having to use his two normal eyes while moving about. But after this incident, he was forever slowed down and a great deal of his arrogance went with his extra eye.

Image credit – “Venkateshwara Taanada Chitragalu”, published by Pioneer Publications – above image depicts Lord Vishnu accepting the curse by Rishi Brighu as described earlier

I have not heard of any stories other than this one that explicitly mention the consequences of uttering a curse or bestowing a boon on anyone, for the person who delivers either the boon or the curse. When I mean consequence in this case, I refer to the ability or skill or strength that is expended in making the boon or a curse a reality. But this can be inferred from the story of the great sage Vishwamitra.

Before he became the Brahmarishi Vishwamitra, he was the king Kaushika. The king Kaushika wanted to become a Brahmarishi who would be considered an equal to the Brahmarishi Vasistha. So, he performed severe penance and meditated for years to achieve the abilities of a Brahmarishi, one of which was a complete control of one’s senses and desires. On three occasions, after developing great abilities on the path to becoming a Brahmarishi, he had to expend the gained abilities to succeed in activities he indulged in.

Once, his meditative focus was broken by the extremely beautiful Apsara, Menaka, which whom he later had a daughter. This was a case of not having mastered his senses and desires. Next, after achieving great prowess through meditation, he expended the same in creating a second Swarga (roughly translated as Heaven or the abode of Lord Indra) for the King Trishanku who wanted to enter Swarga without first dying. On the third occasion, he expended the abilities developed through austere meditative penance in trying to show low, the King Harishchandra, whose values he wanted to see broken (Vishwamitra failed and Harishchandra never strayed from his values).

In all three situations, Vishwamitra lost the abilities already developed and had to start with a great deficit on the path to becoming a Brahmarishi. He eventually did succeed, but the concept is quite clear. Acting on a boon or a curse, if we can consider the creation of a second Swarga as a boon and causing hardships to Harishchandra as a curse, results in the great Sage expending abilities developed over many years. It takes equally long to develop the same abilities again. I personally think a good analogy here could be an accident endured by a sportsperson or a martial artist. A lot of time is spent in recovering from the injury first and then even more time is spent is training the body and mind back to the peak they had once scaled, if this is at all possible.

Alternatively, it can be considered as the effort one has to spend in achieving a successful attack, like a flurry of punches and kicks at great speed or relentless grappling, both of which require a vast investment in money, time and effort to execute in the first place, and then to survive with successful execution; then there is the risk of injury and failure, which require more time and energy to overcome and try again later, if necessary. In a modern context, it is like investing in an expensive weapons platform like a drone swarm; losing it in a failed mission and then having to invest in a better platform and further resource expenditure in creating or refining doctrines for the usage of the new platform.

So, the boon or the curse, requires the person who bestows either to have already achieved complete control over the self and several other aspects of the universe. An extraordinary example of this would be the boon given by Maharishi Durvasa to Kunti. He was pleased with her attention to duty when she was in charge of his hospitality when he visited her father Kunti Bhoja. So, he granted her a boon which allowed her to summon the Deva of her choice to bestow a child on her, and she could do this 5 times! So, Maharishi Durvasa could grant the ability to summon a Deva to a human being! This means that we cannot even begin to comprehend the abilities that Durvasa possessed!

Image credit – “Bheeshma’s vow”, “Mahabharata – 2”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

This example brings into focus another aspect of a boon or a curse. The person bestowing either, on another individual, can actually control multiple aspects of the universe and get them to behave differently for specific individuals for several years at a time. This of course is impossible for mortals and the examples from the stories are all of extraordinary humans who are on par with the Gods or the Gods themselves, when they are uttering the boon or the curse.

But let us look at this from a more mundane everyday aspect. But before we consider examples from our everyday life, I share an opinion of mine. Boons, curses and blessings are transactional in nature. These are received in response to specific actions. The person receiving any of these will have performed a series of actions for a duration of time, which results in the person towards whom these actions were directed, bestowing the boon, curse or blessing. But there is a difference between blessings (aashirwaada) and boons (vara). The shaapa is not something one works towards but is the result of an indiscretion and perhaps a result of not letting go of one’s ego and NOT working correctly towards whatever the objective was.

A Vara is something specific that a person wants and can be granted by a superior or divine entity. In order to gain an audience and demonstrate eligibility for the vara, she or he performs the requisite actions, which can be physical or meditative in nature. But a blessing need not be something that is specifically worked towards. One performs one’s duties or responsibilities with complete focus and attention to detail. This is a demonstration of great self-control and management of one’s reaction to given surroundings. The individual(s) who are on the receiving end of this diligent activity are greatly pleased by the same. This results in the impressed person offering a blessing as a reward in return for the services or whatever else was received.

So, an aashirwaada need not be sought after, but is received as a reaction to a job or an activity well done, where as a vara is something that is sought after and activities are performed towards that objective. Consider this, the boon bestowed on Kunti was actually a blessing. Her hospitality towards Maharishi Durvasa was not with the objective of a boon, but just a job well done. In response to this, she was blessed by Durvasa with the boon. Now consider the Tapasya performed by any great Asura, say Hiranyakashipu, this was with the specific objective of achieving a boon which bestowed great abilities on him, which would in turn allow him to defeat the Devas.

A simpler example of a blessing would be an elder blessing someone younger with a long life, when the younger person touches her or his feet. The blessing in this case is a reward for remembering that this is the right way for a youngster to greet an elder. This system is also a good positive reinforcement in preserving one’s culture and way of life.

With the above observation, we can consider a few situations from daily life, which could represent boons, blessings and curses. We have all experienced appreciations and rewards at work. These range from appreciative emails to merchandise to pictures on a “wall of fame”. These are more common compared to promotions and pay hikes. They are handed out more often as they are less expensive to organizations and also reinforce (hopefully) behaviour that is preferred. We also tip generously depending on the quality of service we receive at hotels and restaurants. These, in my opinion, are analogous to blessings as they are in response to an impressive activity.

Now consider promotions and pay hikes. These are much harder to come by and are objectives which require a plan and set activities that demonstrate eligibility. An individual spends a few years understanding what the parameters needed for either of these are, and working towards the same. It requires networking, measurable achievements and the sheer effort to achieve visible experience. So, the pay hike or promotion here is a vara/boon and the activities are the tapasya or saadhana that goes into achieving the same. This is because it is a specific objective that is worked towards.

What about shaapa and curses? The explicit situations that define these are cases where one has to leave a job or bear the cost of activity or behaviour that lead to integrity issues. These can be one misusing client data or accepting bribes at work to alter expected decisions. It is a negative consequence of errors at work. When these are inadvertent, the curse could be very minor, like a mail with an apology which smooths things over.

But a curse could also be invisible and long term, which is also realized much later. These could be situations where one’s relationships are broken due to too much self-indulgence in career related objectives, or a sportsperson suffering debilitating injury due to not enough breaks or insufficient detraining time. This is akin to the statement “the path to hell is paved with good intentions”.

A last point regarding blessings here. Many of us would have experienced situations where we receive appreciation mails or certificates and don’t really care for them and are definitely not motivated to either repeat the same kind of hard work or keep up the level of effort that resulted in the appreciation in the first place. This happens for many reasons, especially if there is a statement like “we need to do even better the next time”, which makes the appreciation more of an expectation setting. This could also be as there are blessings given when one is working towards a boon (appreciation instead of a pay hike). Why would this kind of mismatch occur? I opine that this is due to what we discussed initially about blessings, boons and curses. A distinct lack of “Connect”. Individuals know when the appreciations are just a matter of course after some time and also when they come from senior leadership who have no visible impact on their work lives. All they do is append a signature to a set of words composed by someone else. So, there is an attempt at a blessing, but the lack of connect, renders it empty of any effect. This connect I am referring to is the rapport that any leadership develops with its teams and how it is nurtured through trials and tribulations at work.

Having considered how blessings can be rendered pointless, we need to consider cases even from the stories in Hindu culture where boons could end up being curses. Remember the blessing that became a boon to Kunti by Maharishi Durvasa? Kunti after the rishi had departed, either in innocence or curiosity invoked the boon, with Lord Surya, before she was married. This resulted in the birth of her son Karna, whose life was partially responsible for the great carnage in the battle of Kurukshetra apart from being an extraordinary tragedy on a personal level. So, a blessing was a boon, the use of which with no negative intentions still became a curse not only for Kunti but for entire kingdoms!

Image credit – “Bheeshma’s vow”, “Mahabharata – 2”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Similarly, Ashwatthama is cursed by Lord Krishna at the end of the Kurukshetra war. He is denied the release of death and is functionally immortal for the rest of the Yuga cycle. An additional point is that a wound in his forehead caused by removing a jewel that was present there would never heal. This was a jewel that always granted him good health. If one recalls, all the great Asuras asked for immortality from Brahma to compensate for the Amrita the Devas had. But when the same was not an achievable boon, they asked for other great abilities that enabled them to subjugate the Devas despite the Amrita. So, Ashwatthama was granted immortality, which was considered a desired vara by many, as a curse! An extension of this could be that the boons achieved by the great Asuras always resulted in incredible pain and hardship as a result of the wars they unleashed. So, a boon for them became a curse for many others. And this resulted in the many avataaras of Lord Vishnu to slay these Asuras. So, the line between a boon and a curse is thin, but not invisible.

The means to assuage this problem also returns to the twin concepts of connection and control. One needs to continue with the self-control one possessed before receiving the boon after the act, perhaps to a greater degree. This is because the person enhanced by the boon possesses a far greater potential to cause damage to the universe around her or him. In other words, her or his ability to control the surroundings requires an equal increase in self-control to prevent her or his boon from becoming a curse for others! And in order to keep the control of others benevolent or at least less harmful, the ability to connect with others and better feel or empathize with their motivation and desires is vitally important. So, a boon or a blessing, degenerates into a curse over time with a lack of connection and control.

A modern-day example of a boon tending towards a curse is international monetary aid. We hear terms in the media of some countries being “addicted to monetary aid from the IMF (International Monetary Fund)”. In Indian media this is used in the context of countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In the case of Pakistan, the country has never developed a governance system that allows the country’s economy to expand and its populace to prosper. It has approached the IMF multiple times, every few years, to save it from economic defaults. The aid package from the IMF is a boon which is used with no connect with the needs of the country and its populace, and becomes an addiction, and this is a curse.

This observation can be expanded to the economic and military aid the USA provided to the various dictators in South and Central America, Africa and the Middle East during the Cold War years. The aid allowed friendship between the dictator (not the country) and the government of the USA, but this allowed the USA to control the dictator keep the socialist and communist rebels at bay. However, this control did not allow prevention of atrocities on the population of the countries. So, the boon of aid led to “control through benevolence”, of the dictator, but the same became a curse in the long term for the populations of several countries. This is not unlike blessings from fake spiritual Gurus who are basically conmen. They have wonderful words and can connect with people, but their intent can only generate empty blessings which are definitely not boons but could be curses, as they have no control over anything, not even themselves.

The converse of this could be true as well. And we can consider something I have heard from a very senior practitioner of the Bujinkan as an example of this. My mentor says that in all your interactions with people, try to connect with them, get a sense of their requirements, what makes them happy, what really troubles them and the like. This connect is to be done in earnest, not with an objective of studying them, like one might study bird behaviour. This kind of connection could turn to a good rapport or friendship and lead to us providing really useful suggestions while not seeming superior or overbearing. This leads to them remembering the connection and might result in their feeling responsible for helping us when we need the same. This is “control through gratitude, camaraderie and responsibility”*. The words used are the same as those used in the earlier paragraph, but the context is entirely different! My mentor says that this is an objective of all Bujinkan practitioners and should be a key goal of training. He says that one should be able to control rooms full of people with this ability to connect. But of course, a connection on this level is really hard to achieve and requires self-control abilities that sometimes seem to be just wishful thinking. 😛

One last point regarding control here, at a level simpler than the one mentioned in the previous paragraph. From being generous with tips to approving promotions to enforcing a separation from a job to sending appreciation mails, all these instances stem from a connection, but can only be enacted when there is control over multiple aspects to ensure the desired outcome, be it the situation (appreciation mails), budget (pay hikes), seniority or responsibility (promotion or separation) in organizations. When this control is employed, it could lead more connect and even better control, like a virtuous cycle.

The appreciation mail that is not of any motivational value is a case of control without connect, control of the situation where one is aware of the outcome that warrants the appreciation and the ability to send the same, but no connect that adds value to the words of appreciation.

This aspect of control is also true in the martial arts. I have discussed connect and control with respect to the martial arts in greater detail in my previous article, the link to which is seen in the notes below***.

In conclusion, it seems quite clear that the concept of self-control and connecting to others and one’s surroundings as a precursor to control over others and the environment, even in a benevolent manner is something that humans have considered and chased after for a very long time. It is something that never ends and requires perpetual reinforcement, in the form of case studies which are what the stories from Hindu culture are. And their application spans everything from fighting and conflict management to daily life.

Notes:

*One of the Gojo we are taught in the Bujinkan states “Fumetsu no fusei”. This roughly means “give and give” or “endless giving”. It could mean that one thinks of giving and not the return on investment. This is one of the paths perhaps to the point mentioned above. But then, there is also a concept called “Sente” which is roughly “not making the first move” because one might then become the Uke or attacker and present openings to the opponent/defender. These two points appear to be contradictory, but they depend on the context in which they are used. So, the intent – whether it is benevolence or malice – becomes the key factor while deciding whether “fumetsu no fusei” or “sente” is in action. I have discussed the Gojo in an earlier article, the link to which is seen below.

**I have discussed the concept of “letting go of the self” in a separate article, the link to which is seen below.

***The link to the article where I discuss in greater detail the application of connection and control in the martial arts is seen below.

¹There might be other ways to achieve boons, like the story of the birth of Dattatreya. I am referring to the more common ones in this article.