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Martial
arts: The Indian connection
By
Pandit Prakash Persad
ppersad@eng.uwi.tt
To
many, Jet Li and Jackie Chan epitomise the martial arts, at
least on the silver screen. The older generation may more
likely hold fond memories of Wang Yu, Silver Fox and Bruce
Lee. They all served to popularise kung fu, the Chinese martial
art form.
Practitioners of the martial arts would be aware of the Japanese
unarmed martial arts of karate, judo and aikido, and of the
Korean art of taekwando. But if you were to mention the Indian
martial art called kalaripayit, most people, including those
of East Indian descent, would more than likely respond with:
what is that?
(In fact, I also was not aware of kalaripayit until my cousin
Shammi Maharaj, who is an expert in it, brought it to my attention
some years ago.)
So profound is the public perception that the martial arts
originated in China and/or Japan that it is quite likely this
article might irk some. But before anybody gets irritated,
let us examine what the Chinese and Japanese legends say about
the origin of the martial arts.
Please note I said legends, not history, for it is very difficult
to obtain specific historical records on the origins of ancient
arts. The situation is no different in the cases of the origins
of fire, cooking, farming, writing, etc.
While it is difficult to pinpoint specific dates and places
of origin, documents or artifacts can specify a time at which
and/or a place where the particular techniques were an established
practice.
It must also be noted that many a time legends and myths point
to the existence and location of documents and artifacts and
thus are the drivers of the archaeological searches to find
them. In the case of the martial arts it is no different.
Fragments of information drawn from the ancient literary and
artistic traditions of China and India suggest that the martial
arts were being developed in these civilisations about 25,000
years ago. In fact most martial artists believe that their
art came from India through a Buddhist monk by the name of
Bodhidharma*.
It is said this Bodhidharma came to the Songhsan Shaolin Temple
in the Kingdom of Wei in China and taught the monks there
meditation, breathing techniques and exercises to not only
counteract the effect of long hours of meditation but also
to develop the strength and ability to defend themselves.
It must be pointed out that martial arts are different from
fighting arts in that they also include a philosophy and a
code of conduct for living.
Without doubt, fighting arts existed in China before the arrival
of Bodhidharma and Buddhism. But the refinement of the arts
through the adoption of the philosophical and ethical bases
of Buddhism is credited to him.
It is a matter of historical record that Buddhism spread to
China and then to Japan from India. The Buddha’s first
sermon was in Sarnath in north India. He attained enlightenment
after several years of rigorous meditation. This tradition
is still maintained and practised, not only the practice of
Hinduism and Buddhism but also in the martial arts and Zen.
Recall also that Hinduism predates Buddhism and that they
share several concepts and practices. Breathing exercises
form an integral part of the practice of yoga, of which meditation
is but one aspect, albeit a very important one.
One component of the society of ancient India was the warrior
class or Kshatriya. The Samurai or warrior class of Japan
was a similar social institution. An essential requirement
for members of this class was expertise in both armed and
unarmed combat. This social stratification was exactly the
kind of environment that is required to develop and refine
the martial arts.
This was exactly the case with Samurai also. So a Buddhist
monk on the way from India to China along the dangerous Silk
Road route would no doubt have had to possess expertise in
meditation, breathing techniques and fighting techniques if
he was to survive the trip in order to spread his faith. Again
it is a matter of historical record that China accepted Buddhism.
The following question will now arise: where is the indigenous
Indian martial art form now practised? Firstly it is called
kalaripayit and it is practised in south India and mainly
in the state of Kerala.
In sculptured works in the temple at Kanchipuram, which is
near to Madras and over 1500 years old, the use of complex
disarming techniques is depicted. Bodhidharma was said to
be from Kanchipuram. The bravery and expertise of the warriors
there was documented in the eyewitness accounts of the famous
Chinese pilgrim-scholar-diplomat Hsuan-tang.
The techniques used by the exponents of kalaripayit are very
similar to those practised by kung fu exponents in China.
Interestingly, the strike points on the body learnt by advanced
students, to inflict deadly blows, are almost identical as
the channels for the flow of prana or energy in the yoga and
the flow of chi or energy in traditional Chinese medicine.
Not surprisingly, martial arts masters in both traditions
were also healers.
The really interesting question is this: why is this martial
art that spread out from India now practised in only one state
in India while its derivatives are popular worldwide?
Well the sad answer is that it would seem that India is estranged
from its really great traditions. Yoga and meditation are
more popular outside of India than inside. Hinduism is more
vibrant in the Diaspora. Hinduism and Hindu shrines have been
and continue to be under attack in the so-called land of the
Hindus where “Hindus” equate secularism with anti-Hinduism.
The great martial traditions of Lords Rama and Balram, of
the great warriors Arjun and Bheem, have given way to the
distinctly adharmic tradition of appeasement under the guise
of Ahimsa and maybe under the influence of the old colonial
motto: educate to make them white on the inside even as they
remain brown on the outside. This way they would yearn to
be like us while they discard theirs.
In this month of Indian Arrival Day, it is time for the Diaspora
to come alive to the huge task that impatiently awaits it.
* The Way Of the Warrior—The Paradox of the Martial Arts
by Howard Reid and Michael Croucher. Dynamic Karate by Masatoshi
Nakayama. Modern Bujutsu and Budo Volume 3 by Donn F Dreager.
Pandit Prakash Persad is Chairman of Swaha Inc
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