of local medieval martial heroes in the popular teyyammode of worship of
northern Kerala, heroes who practiced kalarippayattu.
Although Dhanur Vedaliterally means the science of archery, it en-
compassed all fighting arts. Among them the use of bow and arrow was
considered supreme and empty-hand fighting least desirable. The Visnu
Puranadescribes Dhanur Veda as one of the traditional eighteen branches
of knowledge. Both of India’s epics, the Mahabharataand the Ramayana,
make clear that Dhanur Veda was the means of education in warfare for
all those called upon to fight. Drona, the Brahman guru of the martial
arts, was the teacher of all the princely brothers in the Mahabharata.Al-
though the earliest extant Dhanur Veda text is a collection of chapters
(249–252) in the encyclopedic Agni Purana,dating no earlier than the
eighth century A.D., historian G. N. Pant argues that an original Dhanur
Veda text dates from the period prior to or at least contemporary with the
epics (ca. 1200–600 B.C.).
Among the heroes described in the epic literature, a number of differ-
ent paradigms of martial practice and mastery emerge. Among the Pan-
davas in the Mahabharata, there is Bhima, who depends on his brute
strength to crush his foes with grappling techniques or on the use of his
mighty mace. Quite in contrast to Bhima’s overt and brutal strength is his
brother, the unsurpassable Arjuna, who uses his subtle accomplishments of
focus and powers acquired through meditation to conquer his enemies with
his bow and arrow. Arjuna is the idealized heroic sage, who develops his
subtler powers through disciplined technical training and the application of
“higher” powers of meditation to such training.
For example, one of the most important aspects of traditional martial
practice is the development of single-point focus (ekagrata) applied in the
use of weapons. Drona’s test of skill, administered to his pupils at the end
of their course of training in the Mahabharata,illustrates the importance
of the development of single-point focus. He asked each prince in turn to
take aim with his bow and arrow at an artificial bird attached to a treetop
“where it was hardly visible.” Having drawn the bow and taken aim, he
asked each whether “you see the bird in the treetop... the tree or me, or
your brothers?” to which all but Arjuna replied, “Yes” (Van Buitenen
1973, Vol. 1, 272–273). All but Arjuna failed. He was the only practitioner
to answer “no” to all but the first question. He did not “see anything else
going on around” him—he and the target were one. Contemporary martial
practice reflects this antique concern. Kalarippayattu master Achuttan Gu-
rukkal explains, “We should never take our eyes from those of our oppo-
nent. By ‘single-point focus’ I mean kannottam, i.e., keeping the eyes on the
opponent’s. When doing practice you should not see anything else going on
around you.”750 Written Texts: India