religion

Lord Parashurāma – An exemplar of the Shugyo (martial journey)

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

19th of April of 2026 is Parashurāma Jayanthi, celebrated as the birth anniversary of Lord Parashurāma. Lord Parashurāma is the 6th avatāra of Lord Vishnu in the Dashāvatāra (dasha – 10, avatāra – incarnation).  Lord Parashurāma is perhaps the ultimate representation of an “epitome of the martial arts”. He represents the progression of learning and development of abilities in the martial arts; starting with old fashioned physical abilities to the development of a martial system that resonates in India to this day.

His abilities expanded from close quarters combat to long distance combat. Over time, he became a repository of all the divine weapons that could cause incredible destruction at long distances and over large areas. He created divine weapons of his own! He became a martial arts teacher to the greatest warriors of his age. He played a vital role in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata!

He was an avatāra of Lord Vishnu for only a portion of his life. Yet he could only ever be contained by either in battle by his own students or another avatāra of Lord Vishnu! He literally went from a vengeful young man to a wise sage! I hope to delve into the great martial prowess of Lord Parashurāma in this article, to identify how these abilities are still practiced in real world martial arts, which almost always have real life applications beyond the dojo.

My favourite image of Lord Parashurāma. Image credit – “Bhagavatha”, published by Anada Prakashan.

The “Parashu” in Parashurāma’s name itself describes his martial abilities. Lord Parashurāma’s name is Rama. He was the son of the Rishi Jamadagni and Renuka. Since he was a descendant of Rishi Bhrigu, his name would be “Bhargava Rama”, the Rama in the line of Bhrigu. But he is always known as “Parashu Rama”, or “Rama of the Parashu”.

“Parashu” is the Sanskrit word for an axe. So, when we say Parashurāma, we mean “Rama of the Axe”, or “Rama who wields the Axe”. This is because the weapon most associated with Lord Parashurāma is the AXE. The axe is the weapon that made Lord Parashurāma a feared individual and the weapon he wielded as he fulfilled his purpose as an avatāra. The axe or Parashu wielded by Parashurāma was bestowed upon him by Lord Shiva.

Bhargava Rama, before he became Parashurāma, meditated on Lord Shiva. Being pleased with Rama’s efforts, Lord Shiva instructed him in the martial arts and also handed him the axe that made Rama, Parashurāma. This instruction in the martial arts also resulted in Parashurāma becoming the greatest warrior of his age!

The axe has been used as a tool first and then as a weapon for millennia, perhaps from the early stone age or the Paleolithic age, which lasted from 3.3 million years before present till about 12,000 years before present. Ever since, the axe has never not been in use in human history. It is still used extensively, mainly in working wood and as a tool used by firefighters and other rescue personnel.

Stone hand axes from the Lower Paleolithic era, displayed at the museum in Aihole, Karnataka

A representation of a stone hand axe from the State Museum, Bhopal

The axe has been used as a weapon in various cultures all over the world. In Japan, a large battle axe was used and referred to as the “Ono”. This seems to have been used to break into buildings or other structures while breaching enemy strongholds. In India, apart from the Parashu, the axe used to fight was called the “Tabar” in Indo-Persian culture and in the regions that is influenced.

A representation of a tabar. The part encircled in yellow is the axe. The other side of the head is an “Ankusha” (elephant goad). This is a combination weapon.

In Europe, thanks to more historical research than in many other parts of the world, several examples of axes used for fighting are known. The most famous use of the axe that comes to mind, thanks to depiction in pop-culture, is by the Norse cultures, or Vikings. The Vikings used axes of all sizes, from one handed versions to the large “Dane Axe”, which is sometimes claimed to have been able to take down horses!

A Dane axe seen on the Bayeux tapestry. Image credit – Wikipedia.

The Dane Axe was the signature weapon of Housecarls, the elite warriors of Norse armies. The Norse expanded their cultural presence all over Europe from the British Isles to France to modern day Russia and Ukraine to even the Byzantine empire that occupied parts of Anatolia, modern day Turkey. The elite royal guard of the Byzantine Emperor, called the Varangian Guard, were mostly Norsemen, between the 10th and 14th centuries. They also carried the Dane Axe. So, this large axe, which stood some 4 to 6 feet tall, was used all across Europe from the North-West to the South-East!

There were other variants of the axe used in Europe. The Francisca, a one-handed axe was used by the Franks (in regions that later became France). This was a weapon what could be used in-hand or thrown at the enemy. Apparently, the Francisca was optimized for throwing. The word for axe in French was “hache”, which gives the modern word “hatchet”, which is a synonym for “axe”.

A historic Francisca. Image credit – Wikipedia.

The axe even came to be included in polearms, which were called “Halberds”. Halberds of various shapes came to be in late-medieval and renaissance Europe. Many of these came to include a variant of the axe. A variant of the halberd, called the “Farsa” was also used in India around the time of the Mughal Empire. The halberd almost always included a spear point. This allowed a long weapon to not just pierce efficiently but also have sufficient hacking ability.

A Farsa, from the City Palace Museum in Udaipur, Rajasthan. This is an Indian version of the halberd.

It was the development of the full plate harness (full plate armour) that led to the development of perhaps the most iconic axe in history, the Pole Axe. I have heard it said that this weapon can also be called the “Poll Axe”. Since it was impossible to cut through the plate of the armour of men-at-arms and knights, weapons that caused blunt force trauma through the armour and pierce the gaps in the armour were developed.

This combination weapon was about the height of a man, some 5 to 6 feet tall. It included a wooden shaft and a head that included an axe, a hammer and a spear point. The axe head here could be similar to a conventional axe head we are used to seeing or a “crow’s beak”, which resembles an ice pick.

A training version of the Pleaxe

Further west, in the Americas, the Tomahawk used by the Native Americans is another pop-culture icon. This was a small axe or hatchet that could be used single handed, as a tool or as a weapon. It was supposedly thrown as well. Interestingly, there were supposedly tomahawks which could be used as smoking pipes!

An antique Tomahawk. Image credit – Wikipedia.

Since I have mentioned different types of axes, it must be mentioned that the design and construction of axes vary based on whether it is intended for use as a tool or as a weapon. Of course, an axe designed as a tool can be used as a weapon and vice versa, but there was design optimization. Axes used as weapons were lighter for easier wielding while those used as tools were robust for endurance.

A Crow’s Beak in the City Palace Museum, Udaipur, Rajasthan

The axes used as tools were further segregated as splitting axes and chopping axes. This distinction allowed the wedge of the axe head to be modified suitably. Axes used as weapons were leaner. They tended to be thinner towards the centre and thickened towards the cutting edge for better force transfer. Further, the profile of the axe head also changed based on the application.

There were “bearded axes”, which had the front cutting edge be considerably longer than the rear end or the eye of the axe. This enabled them to hook the weapons and shields of opponents better. There were even axes which had the cutting edge elongated towards the opponent, to allow for thrusting with the same axe head!

A representation of a Bearded Axe. Image credit – Wikipedia.

I am not sure if there is a description of the specific axe or axes that Lord Parashurāma used. I am also not aware of any specific description of the techniques Parashurāma used to wield his axe effectively. Parashurāma also possessed various celestial weapons that he has acquired from Lord Shiva apart from his Parashu. I am not sure if he used these in conjunction with his axe while he vanquished his enemies. By common sense, It seems likely that he used the axe for close quarters combat while he deployed his Divyāstras (divine weapons) for ranged attacks against larger numbers of enemies.

Parasurāma conducted 21 campaigns against corrupt Kshatriyas, likely rulers who were corrupt or considered unworthy. In these wars he decimated entire ruling families! The bloodletting is supposed to have been so immense that the blood of his enemies filled up 5 lakes! The land where these lakes existed was called the Samantapanchaka. It was later the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where the great war took place during the Mahabharata.

Of the 21 campaigns, the first one is truly remarkable. Kartaveerya Arjuna was a ruler of the Haihaya clan who ruled from Mashishmati, a city on the banks of the river Narmada. He was also called Sahasra Arjuna. Sahasra means thousand. Arjuna was supposed to be “Sahasra Bāhu”. Bāhu means arm. So, “Sahasra Bāhu” means “thousand arms”. Sahasra Arjuna was called so because he supposed to have had a 1000 arms! This is generally taken to mean that his might was immense, comparable to an individual with a 1000 arms.

Kartaveerya Arjuna or Sahasra Arjuna was a great devotee of Lord Dattatreya, due to whose blessings he became a mighty human and a great king. But with time he became an arrogant individual and an unworthy ruler. He and his sons were responsible for the death of Parashurāma’s father, the Rishi Jamadagni. This led to Parashurāma going to war single handedly against Arjuna and his many sons.

Sahasra Arjuna depicted literally with a 1000 arms, stopping the flow of the river Narmada. Image credit – “Ravana Humbled”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Sahasra Arjuna’s fighting abilities are demonstrated by his defeat of Ravana. This is the same Ravana who had conquered all before him and later fought Lord Rama in Lanka after he abducted Devi Sita. Arjuna imprisoned Ravana after the latter lost a duel against him. Ravana was eventually released agreed to a peace with Arjuna. This was after Rishi Pulastya, Ravana’s grandfather, interceded on his behalf.

The might of Kartaveerya Arjuna. Image credit – “Ravana Humbled”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

While common knowledge attributes the adjective “Sahasra Bāhu” for Arjuna to signify might, I differ in my opinion. A great warrior, even while just considering one’s fighting abilities and not tactical or strategic brilliance, is not measured by just physical might. They are also respected for their skill with weapons and in unarmed combat. They can also be great due to speed and agility, apart from just strength.

Arjuna knocks out Ravana. Image credit – “Ravana Humbled”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

So, is it likely that Arjuna was a rare warrior who could wield all manner of weapons with consummate skill? Was he able to move with such ease and grace that an opponent felt like he was fighting several opponents at the same time? I opine that this is likely. Arjuna could move and use multiple weapons with such skill and ability (speed, agility and strength) that it seemed like he had a 1000 arms! Hence, Sahasra Bāhu!

It was this great Arjuna that Parashurāma defeated in his first battle. Parashurāma defeated and killed Arjuna and his sons to avenge his father. After this, he went on a rampage that constituted his 21 campaigns and led to the slaughter of a very large number of people! This act of his was the purpose of the Parashurāma avatāra. He was an avatāra only during this time. But that was not the end of his life’s purpose.

Lord Parashurāma slays Kartaveerya Arjuna. Image credit – “Parashurama” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Lord Parashurāma’s 21 campaigns against the Kshatriyas. Image credit – “Parashurama” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Lord Parashurāma is counted among the immortals in Hindu culture. He is believed to be still alive. His next task on this Earth is to be the mentor for the Kalki avatāra, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu that is yet to appear. But between his slaying of Kartaveerya Arjuna and the coming of Kalki, he was instrumental in the happenings of both the Ramayana and the Mahabharta. He is even supposed to be responsible for the current geography of the Indian peninsula! And the creator of one of modern India’s most popular martial arts!

Lord Parashurāma seeks combat with Lord Rama. Image credit – “The Ramayana”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Lord Parashurāma’s stature and abilities as a warrior are reflected by the people he interacted with during the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Parashurāma’s campaign against Kshatriyas ended when he faced Lord Rama. During the swayamvara of Devi Sita, Lord Rama broke the bow of Lord Shiva. Parashurāma, being a devotee of Lord Shiva, was angered by this act and faced off against Lord Rama. But there was no fight. Parashurāma recognized the next avatāra of Lord Vishnu in Rama and withdrew.

Dasharatha, father of Rama, is extremely worried by the prospect of his son facing Lord Parashurāma in a fight. Image credit – “The Ramayana”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Parashurāma was invincible. Rama’s father Dasharatha knew this and was worried when Rama faced off against this great warrior of old. Parashurāma’s withdrawal shows that it took another avatāra of Lord Vishu to stop him from fighting, let alone defeat him! That shows how great a warrior, in other words, martial artist Parashurāma was, even after he was no longer an avatāra!

Parashurāma recognizes Rama as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Image credit – “The Ramayana”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Parashurāma’s encounter with Rama also made him realize that rulers who were committed to Dharma were back in the world. This meant that he could stop his campaign against corrupt Kshatriyas. Parashurāma now focused on yajnas and meditation to atone for the many deaths he had caused. He also gave away all his possessions.

Parashurāma needed land to meditate on and share his knowledge and possessions. To this end, he got the sea to retreat! He is supposed to have hurled his axe into the western sea (today called the Arabian Sea). The sea retreated beyond the point where the axe landed. The land that was reclaimed by the retreating of the sea is supposed to be India’s western coast, all the way from Goa through Karnataka and Kerala. This coast is also called “Parashurāma Kshetra” for this reason.

Parashurāma, after his interaction with Lord Rama went on to become a great martial arts teacher. He was the teacher to 3 of the greatest warriors in the Mahabharata. Bheeshma, the general of the Kaurava armies and the greatest warrior of the era was a student of Lord Parashurāma. Karna, the lost brother of the Pandavas and the king of Anga, was also a student of Parashurāma. Drona, the martial arts teacher of both the Pandavas and Kauravas acquired the knowledge of divine weapons from Lord Parashurāma, which he passed on to his students.

The greatness of Parashurāma as a martial artist is again highlighted by his 3 illustrious students. Bheeshma had to fight his Guru as Princess Amba of Kashi had approached Parashurāma after she had faced great injustice due to Bheeshma. Bheeshma and Parashurāma fought each other to a standstill with their divine weapons. So, another instance where Parashurāma could be contained, came about because of an individual Parashurāma himself had trained! It took a student to stop the teacher, no one else could do it!

Bheeshma fights his Guru Parashurāma to a standstill. Image credit – “Bheeshma” (Kindle edition), published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Guru Dronācharya acquired all the celestial weapons and learned the means to use them from Lord Parashurāma. He used these with such devastating impact that the Pandavas had to resort to deceitful means to kill him on the 15th day of the Kurukshetra War! With the knowledge acquired from Parashurāma, Drona was invincible, in the same mould as his great teacher! This necessitated the deceit employed against him.

Drona acquires weapons from Lord Parashurāma. Image credit – “Mahabharata – 5, Enter Drona”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

Most of the divine weapons described in the Mahabharata come from the various Devas, like Indra, Agni, Vāyu, Varuna, Kubera, Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and the like. But Lord Parashurāma created his own divine weapon! Such was his ability! He created the Bhargavāstra, a weapon of great destructive power, which he bestowed upon his student Karna. Parashurāma also gave Karna his bow, called the Vijaya, which rivalled Arjuna’s (the Pandava) Gandeeva in fame. Karna used both the Vijaya and the Bhargavāstra to devastating effect against the Pandavas before his death on the 17th day of the Kurukshetra War.

Karna learns from Parashurāma. Image credit – “Karna”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

The journey of Lord Parashurāma, from a student of Lord Shiva, to an avatāra of Lord Vishnu to his becoming a martial arts teacher of great renown is remarkable. It signifies what is called “Shugyo” in the Bujinkan system of martial arts, and Japanese martial arts in general. “Shugyo” refers to “martial journey”. It is the journey in life through the practice of martial arts that a student of the same goes through.

Lord Parashurāma went through the ultimate Shugyo! He started off as a student of the greatest teacher, Lord Shiva, and acquired mastery over the greatest weapons of his age. He applied his learning to eliminate the greatest threats of his age to Dharma. He then went on to become the greatest martial arts teacher of his age and created the greatest warriors of the next age! He went from student to grandmaster of a martial lineage, while being undefeated all the while!

This act of Lord Parashurāma being a grandmaster brings us to the modern day. He is considered the preceptor of Kalari Payattu, one of India’s most popular martial arts in current times. This is a martial art system that originates in the Southern Indian state of Kerala, which is a part of the Western Coast, the Parashurāma Kshetra referred to earlier. I have heard it said that Kalari Payattu has 2 lineages, a northern and southern lineage.

Maharishi Agastya is considered the creator of the southern lineage while Lord Parashurāma is credited with creating the northern lineage. Kalari Payattu is a complete system, like the Bujinkan system of martial arts that I am a student of. It comprises of armed and unarmed combat and a healing system. The weapons trained include short, medium and long-range weapons.

This brings me to the concluding point of this article. It relates to the application of martial arts in day-to-day life. It was mentioned to me a few weeks ago, by someone close to me, that a practitioner of the martial arts, specifically of the ones with origins in the eastern hemisphere, do not feel anger. In my opinion, this is a fallacy. The practice of the martial arts might lead to effective and consistent anger management, but not a lack of the emotion of anger.

This is a good place to discuss anger management, as Lord Parashurāma was feared for his anger. This was perhaps because he could fly into a rage, especially during his 21 campaigns against corrupt rulers. And his rage could lead to entire armies being slaughtered. But even the great avatāra changed over time. He gained control and atoned for the lives he had taken. He even gave back to society through his students and his creation of martial arts practiced to this day.

I have always felt that martial arts are a synonym for conflict management. The conflict could be internal, due to one’s own emotions, or external, due to interactions with other people and systems of society. A lot of the time, there is no clear solution to the problems or conflicts we face, like traffic or process management in offices, hospitals or anything we might come in contact with. It might also have to do with neighbours, pollution and family.

Violence can never be used to solve problems in a democratic country. And other solutions, if any, might take an inordinate amount of time, not to mention financial expenditure. These situations will invariably lead to any individual feeling anger, routinely.

Now consider training in a dojo or any other setting. A lot of the time, during practice, one might face an opponent with greater physical skills – speed, strength or just sheer size. One might even be up against multiple opponents. And then there are situations with weapons and multiple opponents with weapons! These are situations where one feels anger at the sheer lack of options to survive even in a practice situation. And this invariably leads to fear and then to anger. The anger is at the unfairness of the situation and at oneself, for not being able to deal with it or at being angry after years of training! 😊

These are situations during which one trains to be able to control oneself. That is conflict management and anger management at the same time. One controls oneself to find options to survive and thus influence the situation. When one feels anger in a routine situation, hopefully the martial training comes to the fore to keep a check on it. It is like thinking, “if I could survive a physical attack, this situation where there is no physical threat cannot be worse, can it!”

So, the practice of the martial arts leads to improved self-control. The control a practitioner can achieve depends on the duration of training and the circumstances life has put one through. There is no formula for this. With self-control, it might seem with some people that they never feel anger. But that cannot be a universal expectation.

 In about 20 years of training, the only Budoka I have felt feel no anger at all are among the senior most Sensei in the Bujinkan system of martial arts. These are people with over 50 years of martial experience! They are also people who have overcome great travails in life and are over 70 years of age! So, age and wisdom (which is dependent on life experience) are likely to play a big role here.

All the other Budoka I have had the fortune of interacting with, even those training since the 1980s, are not beyond anger. They definitely feel the emotion, but they also have terrific self-control. They never let anger dictate their movements or actions, and almost definitely never their words. They have mastered the martial art to better themselves, not to leave behind a part of themselves (which is what anger is). This at least, is my experience at this point in life.

This concludes this article, where we went from celebrating Lord Parashurāma to appreciating axes from all over the world to considering anger and the martial arts.

Lord Narasimha – A treasure trove of martial concepts

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

Narasimha Jayanthi was on the 11th of May this year (2025). Lord Narasimha was the 4th of the Dashāvatāra (dasha – 10, avatāra – incarnation). Lord Narasimha is a representation of incredible martial prowess. It is this prowess that I delve into in this article, to identify how his abilities are still practiced in real world martial arts, which in turn almost always have real life applications beyond the dojo.

A depiction of Lord Narasimha from the 6th century CE, Badami, Karnataka, India

Lord Narasimha came to be, to specifically counter one Asura, Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu had a vara (boon) from Lord Brahma which made him impossible to kill and thus functionally immortal. Hiranyakashipu’s boon conferred the following protections on him.

  • He could not be killed by a human or a beast
  • He could not be killed during the day or during the night
  • He could not be killed indoors or outdoors

I am now going to extrapolate a bit. I presume that Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by any weapon wielded by or controlled by a human. Otherwise, arrows would have been able to kill him in an age before gunpowder, an age when there existed “celestial weapons”, or astras of various kinds which could wreak unimaginable damage. Further, we will have to overlook the notion that humans are also beasts, just a different species. I have no idea if the boon took into consideration some specific definition for “human”.

I also presume that he was invulnerable to diseases that were cause by any biological vector, for they would constitute beasts. Considering the protection from the first point, the subsequent 2 points seem like an add-on package in case someone found a loophole in the first one. And as was the case, that is exactly what happened.

Beyond the boon itself, Hiranyakashipu was an incredible warrior, on par with the Devas. He wanted to be on par with Lord Vishnu before going out and conquering the world! This was the motivation for his gaining the boons. Further, he forced people in the lands he conquered to worship him instead of Vishnu. When I say worship, I mean in offerings at pooja, yajna and homa that are performed. There is a lot more nuance to every aspect of this story, which I cannot go into in this article*. I strongly recommend that everyone read the story in detail. Not only is it incredibly entertaining, but it is also full of conundrums and ways of overcoming the same. The connections to various happenings around the world is simply fantastic.

A common depiction of Lord Narasimha and his slaying of Hiranyakashipu in modern times. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

In the end, Vishnu incarnates as Lord Narasimha to destroy Hiranyakashipu. He bursts forth from a large pillar and fights Hiranyakashipu, eventually slaying him. There is a great fight between Hiranyakashipu and Narasimha, at the end of which Hiranyakashipu is disembowelled on the threshold. The end occurs by circumventing each aspect of the boon protecting Hiranyakashipu. These are as mentioned below.

  • Narasimha was neither man nor animal, but both. Hence Hiranyakashipu’s boon did not protect him from Narasimha. Nara means “man” and Simha means “lion”, literally “Man-Lion”.
  • Narasimha fought and killed Hiranyakashipu at twilight, which is neither day not night.
  • Narasimha killed Hiranyakashipu on the threshold, which is neither inside nor outside. I do not know if the threshold was that of his throne room or that of his palace.

From all the iconography I have seen of Lord Narasimha, he used no weapons other than his claws while fighting the mighty Hiranyakashipu. The same were used to disembowel and kill the Asura king. This same pattern is seen even in modern days comics depicting the story of the Narasimha avatāra. At the same time, Hiranyakashipu is depicted as using a sword or mace (gada), sometimes a sword along with a shield. I must add, I guess that the claws of Lord Narasimha were exempt from being classified as a weapon as Narasimha was neither man nor beast.

Lord Narasimha fighting Hiranyakashipu who wields a mace and a sword. Image credit – “Dasha Avatar”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

I will now extrapolate again. Based on the way the fight between Lord Narasimha and Hiranyakashipu is depicted, I think of this as a fight between a great warrior who was wielding weapons and another warrior, who was fighting unarmed. Of course, the fact that Lord Narasimha is a God evens out the odds of going up unarmed against an armed warrior. And the fact that a God had to fight at all and needed weapons (!) shows the martial prowess of Hiranyakashipu.

Now that the details of the fight are clear, let me look at the aspects of the same which, while fantastic, can highlight aspects of real-world martial arts and conflict management.

I will start with the simplest and most obvious one. The use of claws. In the Bujinkan system of martials, among the historical weapons we learn of, there are two interesting ones, which are worn on the fingertips. One is called the “Nekote” and another is the “Kanite”. Nekote means “cat claws” and Kanite means “crab claws”. Visually, to me at least, the two seem very similar.

Both the Kanite and the Nekote are pointed metal tips worn on the fingertips, much like thimbles. The points on these can be used to cause damage to the opponent with a shallow stab or rakes across the body. An image is seen below of the Kanite. These are reminiscent of the claws used by Lord Narasimha to kill Hiranyakashipu.

Kanite (crab claws/finger). Image credit – “Unarmed Fighting Techniques of the Samurai”, by Sensei Hatsumi Masaaki.

Even without the metal attachments, practitioners learn to use the tips of the fingers as weapons. There is a way of striking called “shako ken”. The fingers are used as claws to rake an opponent. Obviously, this is not meant for use against armour or any protected surfaces. It can be used to hook and pull the apparel of opponents. This strike is very similar to using the weapon called the “shuko”. The “shuko” in turn is very similar to a historical Indian weapon called the “bagh nakh”. I had written in greater detail about the bagh nakh and the shuko in a previous post, where I had discussed the martial prowess of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. A link to that article is seen below+.

Another way of striking with the fingertips is with the “Go Shitan Ken”. “Shitan Ken” is to strike with the fingers. “Go” refers to the number 5. So, “Go Shitan Ken” means “five finger strike”, in other words, to strike with the fingertips. This strike involves stabbing at the face or any other part of the opponent with the fingertips. It is not necessarily a strike or stab; it could be a push as well. To increase the force of impact of this strike, the five fingertips could be held together (like while eating). An image of each variant of Go Shitan Ken is seen below.

Two ways of using the fingers to strike (shitan ken). The fingers can be kept apart or held together for the strike.

Considering we are discussing claws here, there is a category of weapons one is taught about in the Bujinkan, called “Shizen Ken”. This refers to “natural weapons”. This in turn refers to weapons one is born with. Shizen Ken includes nails, teeth and even spit, that can be used to cause pain or discomfort to opponents with pinches, rakes, bites and just old-fashioned disgust**. :-P The claws used by Narasimha would be called a “Shizen Ken”. But if a God that is neither man nor animal uses claws, would that then be a “natural” weapon? I am not sure. 😊

A closeup of Lord Narasimha’s claws. Image on the left is from Pattadakal, Karnataka. Image on the right is from Badami, Karnataka. The depictions are from the 6th and 7th centuries CE respectively.

Form around 2015 to 2020, Hatsumi Sensei, the Soke (inheritor/grandmaster) of the Bujinkan, focused a lot on the concept of “Muto Dori”. We learnt from our teachers, mentors and seniors that this was a very important concept, that included not just physical aspects but also ones relating to the attitude and a spirit of calmness, self-control and of course, breathing. “Muto Dori” in its simplistic form can be translated as “capturing without a weapon”. It means that an unarmed individual can take on and perhaps defeat an opponent wielding weapons, and not just survive.

Needless to say, it is extremely difficult and needs a lot training to achieve this successfully even in the dojo, let alone a real fight. The chances of survival and success diminish considerably if there is more than one opponent with weapons. But the training of this concept is very beneficial in terms of learning one’s weaknesses, achieving a modicum of self-control and in fine tuning one’s extant abilities. Hence, the practice of this concept lasts a lifetime, if not just during one’s time as a budoka.

If we think back to the fight between Lord Narasimha and Hiranyakashipu, Narasimha was demonstrating Muto Dori all through. Hiranyakashipu was a warrior of great prowess and wielded weapons against him. Despite this, Narasimha successfully disarmed and defeated him. Narasimha would have had one goal all through the fight. Hiranyakashipu had to be either manoeuvred towards the threshold, or he had to be moved to the threshold. This means Muto Dori with an objective! Anyone who has ever gone up against an opponent with a weapon while being unarmed would realize how mind boggling an achievement this is!

I am not going into details of how muto dori is practiced because it has to be experienced. No volume of words or even videos will transmit what it entails. So, suffice it to say that as a martial artist, Lord Narasimha’s abilities, for his demonstration of Muto Dori, should be the epitome one can aspire towards.

The above 2 images, the one on the right is a close up of the one on the left, are my favourites. This is a depiction of Narasimha actually fighting Hiranyakashipu in a doorway, with the threshold below them. This image actually shows a fight! Narasimha has locked both arms of Hiranyakashipu, rendering his ability use the sword and shield useless! And he is tackling the legs of the Asura king with his own! This is such a wonderful snapshot of fight in progress! This absolutely is a depiction of MUTO DORI! The image is from Pattadakal, Karnataka, from the 7th century CE.

Now I will look at some martial concepts that relate to conflict management as a whole, which also become apparent from the story of the Narasimha avatāra.

We have all been taught that to make any argument or a counter to any proposal or point raised against oneself or a team, we need to have all the necessary data. Making a point or a counter to one, without necessary and relevant information is almost foolhardy. This is something all of us are taught and practice regularly at work and in various aspects of life.

This same concept is stated in the Bujinkan, mellifluously I must add, as “Tsuki and Suki”. This is something I have heard mentioned a few times during training. Tsuki is a punch or a stab, a thrust in essence. Suki is a hole, more like an opening in armour or a gap in the same. It is a point when a thrust can be applied to cause harm to the opponent. So, one needs to “tsuki” a “suki”. One should attack an opening.

To attack an opening, one first needs to find an opening. To find an opening, one needs to know the opponent and how she or he is moving. Knowing the opponent includes the armour, weapons and objectives of the same. All of this adds up to “having all the necessary information”***. Simply put, having information is a precursor to “identifying the suki to tsuki”. The tsuki itself is the equivalent of counter a point in an argument. In a fight, an attack is a point raised, which is “countered” by a tsuki, which is a counter argument, and all of this is facilitated by information.

This flow of events in the various avatāras of Lord Vishnu is as follows. A great Asura acquires a vara (boon) from Lord Brahma. This boon ensures the invincibility of the Asura as he or she cannot be killed, though he or she is not immortal. This invincibility causes havoc in the world and the Devas, who are the guardians of the world, to lose power and go into hiding. The Devas and people of the world after failing to protect themselves despite all efforts, beseech Lord Vishnu for succour. Lord Vishnu incarnates in an avatāra to end the terror of the Asura and restore balance.

In the flow of events mentioned above, for any avatāra, I suggest that information is key! Lord Vishnu, when he appears as an avatāra, tailors the specific incarnation to circumvent all aspects of the boon the Asura possesses. In other words, the Asura creates the avatāra. Every aspect of the boon is understood, the loopholes are identified and exploited by the avatāra. This is the same as “tsuki to suki”. An opening is identified in the armour provided by the boon and a tsuki is applied to this suki. The avatāra is a tsuki and the loophole in the boon is the suki!

Hiranyakashipu realizes that the chink (suki) in his boon has been identified and is being used to attack (tsuki) him. Image credit – “Prahlad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

All this does make one wonder, when the boon is granted, what is the confidentiality around it? Does the Asura announce to the world that he has acquired a set of powers due to the boon? Or is this gradually identified as people lose fights against the Asura? Does Brahma reveal details of the boon he has granted to the Asura, to the Devas who then report it to Lord Vishnu to device a counter? Or does Lord Brahma communicate the details to Lord Vishnu directly? Or does Brahma, who granted the boon, already know the loopholes which he reports to Lord Vishnu? If the answer to these is a “No”, does the duration of an avatāra depend on how long it takes to identify the loopholes? Or is there time taken to identify the “suki” in a boon before an avatāra incarnates? I do not have answers to any of these. Perhaps these are stupid thoughts. We are talking of Gods after all, and time does not have the same meaning in such circumstances, and I could be rambling. :-P

But these questions do lead to an appreciation of the Asuras and how they craft the boon they settle upon. I will explore this through a few examples. Many Asuras asked Brahma to grant them immortality. Lord Brahma could not grant that boon as all that was created had to end. So, the Asuras asked for boons that made them near immortal and definitely invincible, at least for long durations.

  • The Asura Tāraka asked that he be invincible and killed only by a son of Lord Shiva. This was a really smart move as Lord Shiva was a yogi and in deep meditation and unlikely to ever have children. Also, he was in deep mourning after the loss of Devi Sati. Tārakāsura was eventually killed by Lord Kartikeya, the son Lord Shiva and Devi Pārvati (a reincarnation of Sati).
  • The Asura Mahisha asked that he be unkillable by any male, as he was certain that no woman could best him. Devi Durga ended up killing him.
  • Rāvana asked that he be unkillable by most creations of Brahma. But he did not include humans in the list of beings he would not be killed by, as he assumed that humans would never be capable of defeating him. Lord Vishnu incarnated on Earth as Lord Rama, a human, to defeat Rāvana. What is interesting is that Rāvana was defeated by the Vānara king Vāli (Bāli) and the human king Kartaveerya Arjuna, but neither of them killed him.
  • Mahishi, the wife of Mashishāsura asked that she be vulnerable only to a son of Lords Vishnu and Shiva, both male Gods! Eventually, Lord Ayyappa killed Mahishi. Lord Ayyappa was the son of Devi Mohini (the female form of Lord Vishnu) and Lord Shiva.

There are more examples, but the ones mentioned above adequately illustrate the points I am going to make. Asuras were incredible, despite going against Dharma and attempting to upend the natural order of the universe, which would result is the suffering of vast numbers of beings. In all the examples above, the Asuras clearly had a great deal of intelligence. Their awareness of how the world existed at a given time, informed how they crafted their requests for boons.

The consequence of all these boons was that the Devas routinely lost power and the ability to perform their duties as the guardians of the 8 directions and natural phenomena (natural order). The Asuras lorded over the Earth during the time when an avatāra was yet to arrive to reestablish the natural order. Beyond the ability for great information gathering, the Asuras had great presence of mind in wording the request for a boon. The boon is no different from an inviolable contract in modern day parlance. So, their awareness of the strength of language was incontestable. All these observations together indicate that the Asuras were warriors of both physical and intellectual prowess.

Beyond all the above points, the Asuras were rewarded for another aspect. The path to achieving a boon from Lord Brahma was a torturous one. A very long time had to be spent in meditating on Brahma, in unimaginable conditions with all earthly needs overcome. This perseverance deemed one worthy of a boon. Hence, the effort ensured that the boon was inviolable and necessitated the presence of a God on earth to overcome.

The meditation of Hiranyakashipu was brutal on his body. It resulted in him almost dying and plants and anthills growing over him. Image credit – “Prahad”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

In my opinion all of this seems like what in modern day parlance is termed “Lawfare”. It could also be called “the process is the punishment”. “Lawfare” refers to “warfare through laws”, where the actions of specific peoples are either limited or given free rein through laws of a land. “Process is punishment” is when a person is highly unlikely to be convicted of any wrongdoing under given laws, but needs to work through the due process to get oneself acquitted nevertheless. A lot of resources and time is lost in this process, which has a massive opportunity cost. This cost is the punishment, not the actual one that the law might prescribe, as a conviction is almost certainly not on the cards.

These concepts were used by the Asuras and the avatāras both, with success on both sides. The process of proving oneself as being worthy of a boon ensured that most creatures, including Asuras, Devas, humans, Vānaras and other entities, would NEVER prove themselves eligible. The process was simply too hard to complete and the punishment too much to bear!

I called the boon an inviolable contract earlier. This was despite it bending natural rules and leading to the natural order being threatened. So, it was like a law that no one could violate. The Devas, despite having consumed Amrita, were incapable of overcoming the powers bestowed by the Vara. Even Lords Vishnu and Shiva, despite being the ultimate power in the Universe, were not allowed violate the restrictions of the boon, even if they could. This is why Lord Vishnu, as preserver of the natural order, had to incarnate with specific abilities to nullify the abilities bestowed by a boon. This is undoubtedly “lawfare”, where a law is created by a boon to benefit specific individuals or groups of individuals. Eventually, the law is NOT violated and yet the beneficiary of it is destroyed by identifying the loopholes in the law!

Mashishi asking for a boon, and thus indulging in “Lawfare”. Image credit – “Ayyappa”, published by Amar Chitra Katha.

If one considers the contemporary Indian context, the abrogation of Article 370, the amendment to the Waqf Act and not repealing the laws that curtail the financial freedom of temples are considered “lawfare” by people of different political leanings. There is one interesting aspect about laws in relation to this post which I have added in the notes, simply because it tangential and redundant to the idea already explained. I do recommend that people read it++.

That brings me to the end of this article. The Narasimha avatāra should, beyond the traditional significance and symbolism, open our eyes to knowledge that is not commonly known. This avatāra sheds light on the traditional martial arts and modern conflict management. And if one is not a practitioner of the martial arts, the story of the avatāra can open one to the idea that it is not a fantasy of old, the aspects holding it together are very real. Similarly, the story should hopefully reveal that conflict management is not magic and has no “silver bullet”. Intelligence, effort, time and perseverance are always required.

Notes:

* The last sukta (hymn) of the Rig Veda, as far as I know is called the Aikamatya sukta. Aikamatya roughly translates to “common opinion”. It could also mean, according to the little that I have read, “unity”. But this is not unity through homogenization. It is more like accepting all opinions and coming together. It is something like the modern Indian refrain, “Unity in Diversity”.

This sukta invites everyone to come together around the sacred fire and also states that all the Gods (essentially Gods of everyone) will be given offerings through the fire. I have heard two wonderful interpretations of this sukta. One by Mr. Sanjeev Sanyal, who is the Principal Economic Advisor to the Govt. of India and also a historian and author. Another is by Mr. Abhijit Iyer Mitra, who is a strategic affairs analyst, a Senior Fellow at the IPCS. Both are very well known in Indian media (both traditional media and social media).

Abhijit Iyer Mitra says that this sukta I am referring to is akin to the Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the 30 years war in Europe. The treaty of Westphalia allowed citizens to follow any form of Christianity that they chose. It also ensured that the state or ruler cannot mandate the religion to be followed by its citizens. It separated religion and state. It also made all forms of Christianity equal as one could not persecute the other. This is pretty much what the Aikamatya sukta states, that all Gods will be accepted and prayed to and people will come together. The sukta of course, is a few thousand years older than the treaty.

Sanjeev Sanyal expands on this idea by showing what happens if this “agreement” made through the sukta is violated. He uses the stories of King Daksha and Hiranyakashipu (referred to in this article) to explain the same. King Daksha conducted a yajna where all Gods were invited to receive offerings, except Lord Shiva. Daksha’s daughter Devi Sati was married to Lord Shiva and Daksha was against the union. In opposition to her father’s decision, Sati disrupted the yajna by immolating herself in the sacred fire. This angered Lord Shiva and King Daksha was slain.

Hiranyakashipu forced people to abandon their worship of Lord Vishnu. He further demanded that people worship him in Vishnu’s stead. This is the same as King Daksha’s actions. Both Daksha and Hiranyakashipu violated the agreement of the sukta that all Gods would be worshipped. This violation resulted in their being punished. It is like there being a consequence for violating the treaty that mandates freedom of worship and equal respect to all Gods. This is the notion that Sanjeev Sanyal has put forth. I am not aware if others have also suggested the same.

+ https://mundanebudo.com/2025/02/19/chattrapati-shivaji-maharaj-the-bagh-nakh-and-the-shuko/

** In Hindu culture there are “Navarasas”. Nava is nine and Rasas are emotions. One of these is “beebhatsa”. This is “disgust”. It is one of the nine emotions that can be evoked in an audience by any performance. The manner in which Hiranyakashipu is killed, by disembowelment, evokes a sense of disgust, or beebhatsa in the person experiencing the story. This same emotion is evoked by the manner in which Bhima kills Duhshāsana, in the Kurukshetra War in the Mahabharata.

*** In a martial arts context, “knowing the opponent” and “gathering information about the opponent” happens in the flow of the fight. It is not necessarily an activity that happens in a separate time from the fight. One needs to identify aspects of the opponent as the fight is happening. This seems esoteric, but anyone who has done any sparring knows that this happens all the time during training.

One needs to know oneself – one’s own abilities, weaknesses and objectives. And also, all these details about the opponent. In Hindu culture, knowing oneself is called “Swayambodha” and knowing the opponent or enemy is called “Shatrubodha”. I had written an article about these 2 concepts in a previous article, the link to which is seen below.

Connect, Control – Part 1; “Connect, Control = Shatrubodha in flow”

++ The guru of the Asuras, Maharishi Shukrācharya created the “Sanjeevini Vidya” by meditating on Lord Shiva. The Sanjeevini Vidya allowed him to bring back to life Asuras who were slain in battle. And they came back as they were before death, not like zombies from modern day pop culture. This was an effective counter to the Amrita that the Devas had in their possession. Amrita conferred immortality on the Devas, (for the duration of a Manvantara, if I am not wrong).

I presume that Hiranyakashipu and other Asuras who asked Brahma for the boon of immortality did so before the Sanjeevini Vidya was created. If not, there would be no need for such a boon. (And if it was later, would the boon hold if they were brought back after death? I have no idea). Anyway, the Asuras used Brahma’s boons to counter the Devas who had Amrita.

Eventually of course, the Devas gained the ability of Sanjeevini Vidya through subterfuge and a honey trap operation. Why they needed it though, I have no idea, as they already had access to Amrita. Was it to find a counter to the Vidya? Again, I have no idea. In my opinion, this conflict between the Devas and Asuras ended when Bali Chakravarthy was confirmed as the next Indra after the Vāmana avatāra. That’s another treaty by itself, something I have written about in other articles of mine, the links to which I am sharing below. All of these events can be considered technological warfare and “lawfare”.

https://mundanebudo.com/2023/11/24/dashavatara-budo-part-1-issho-khemi/

https://mundanebudo.com/2023/12/07/dashavatara-budo-part-2-katsujiken-satsujiken/