One day [Chattambi Swamigal] was on his way from Kollur to Alwaye with
two disciples. When he had reached the spot in front of the church at Edap-
pali, his progress was interrupted by a band of young men who were drunk.
Asking his companions to hold him by the back, he held his stick horizontally
in front of him and with bated breath he bounced forward. Those who felt
the touch of the stick fell to the ground. Thus he continued his journey with-
out difficulty. It was only the next day on his way back, after he had admin-
istered the counter stroke that the ruffians were able to get up and move
away. (Menon 1967, 134)The knowledge of the vital spots remains a highly secretive, as well as con-
troversial, subject among contemporary practitioners of both varma ati
and kalarippayattu.
Phillip B. Zarrilli
See alsoIndia; Kalarippayattu; Religion and Spiritual Development: India;
Written Texts: India
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Vovinam/Viet Vo Dao
Vovinam(later renamed Viet Vo Dao) is a Vietnamese martial arts system
that was founded by Nguyen Loc (1912–1960) in the late 1930s. The sys-
Vovinam/Viet Vo Dao 651