Tamil term literally translated as “hitting the vital spots.” Also known as ati murai (the law of hitting/attacking) and ati tata (hit/defend), as well as chinna ati (Chinese hitting), varma ati is the martial system practiced in the South Travancore region of Kerala and Kanyakumari District, southern Tamil Nadu, India. Traditionally the art is practiced by some Sambavars and, primarily, by Nadars who claim an ancient heritage as warriors; its origins are ascribed to the sage Agasthya in antiquity. Practice typically takes place in the open, or in unroofed enclosures made of palm leaves. Masters are known as asans. As implied in its various names, practice and fighting techniques emphasize empty-hand techniques from the first lesson, and initial steps are immediately combined with attacks and defenses aimed at the body’s vital spots (varmam in Tamil; marmam in Malayalam). Some practitioners include fighting with sticks, especially long-staff. At some point, practitioners also began to take up the use of a variety of weapons— a privilege that at one time might have been the exclusive privilege of Na-yars in at least some areas where varma ati was practiced. Asans also traditionally administer massage and physical therapies and set bones, as part of the Dravidian Siddha medical system. Numerous old Tamil palm-leaf manuscripts exist that identify the location, effects of injury, and treatment of the vital spots.
Since the area where varma ati is practiced is one of the main border regions where Tamil and Malayali cultures and languages overlap, it is likely that the varma ati practiced by Nadars and Sambavars was closely related to the styles of kalarippayattu practiced by Nayars in the old Tra-vancore region. Although there are many differences in the systems, it is likely that certain techniques and paradigms of practice were shared. During the past thirty years the mixing of styles and techniques between varma ati and kalarippayattu has increased in direct proportion to mobility. With the founding of the Kerala Kalarippayat (sic) Association in 1958, varma ati came to be known as “southern style” kalarippayattu so that it could be officially recognized by the Kerala State Sports Council. Although it is in the same association as kalarippayattu, varma ati techniques, rules, competition items, places of training, and so on were recognized as distinct and separate from those of kalarippayattu.
As one practitioner explained, knowledge of the vital spots is revealed “like a meditation,” since only a practicing Siddha yogi can intuitively unlock the secrets of a text and apply them in locating, attacking, and/or healing the vital spots. Here, a yogi assumes an asana (posture) designed to create power for supernormal abilities such as those used in varma ati.
The practice of varma ati involves no preliminary physical training, as does kalarippayattu. Rather, students are immediately initiated into vigorous sets of methods of attack and defense, which can be used directly for self-defense or with a variety of weapons. The basic steps and body movements learned for self-defense are the basis for manipulation of all weapons in this system. There are three sets of basic techniques in varma ati: otta cu-vatu, kuttu cuvatu, and watta cuvatu. What characterizes all these basic techniques is the emphasis not only on lower body control, but on attacks on and defenses of the vital spots with the hands, arms, and elbows.
Training begins with “salutation steps” (vandana cuvatu), a salutation to the four directions with one leg, usually the left, in a stationary position, that ends with salutations to the master. Second in the system are otta cu-vatu (single foot steps). Some masters draw a kalam (floor drawing) of five circles on the floor within which the basic steps are taken. One foot, usually the left, remains stationary while the other foot moves in all four directions to defend and/or counterattack from the four basic directions. Included are a variety of kicks, blocks, hits, and evasive moves. Such techniques are especially important for empty-hand fighting, since it is assumed to be better not to enter directly into a counterattack, but to wait until one first determines whether the opponent has a weapon or not. By keeping one foot fixed in place, the practitioner can first block or evade, and only then attempt to enter for attack. Most masters teach twelve basic otta cuvatu sequences, which form the preliminary body training of the student.
Vatta cuvatu are techniques performed with the same basic pattern as otta cuvatu, except for different steps. Here the practitioner can directly enter into a counterattack. Practitioners vary from six to twelve in the number of sequences they practice. Kutta cuvatu are combination steps that build in complexity of forms. Multiple steps with both feet are taken. These also include a variety of kicks, blocks, attacks, and evasive moves, and especially emphasized are complex combinations of defenses with attacks to the body’s vital spots.
Practice of varma ati clearly centers on the vital spots—those vital places in the body where the life force, in the form of the internal breath or wind, is situated and therefore is vulnerable to attack. The numerous Tamil texts recording knowledge of the vital spots are based on verses that were originally transmitted orally and taught verse by verse as part of an esoteric, mystical, secretive knowledge within the Tamil Siddha tradition, since only someone who had attained accomplishment as a Siddha yogi could be considered a master of the vital spots. In keeping with the commonplace Tamil expression, “Without knowing myself first, I cannot know about others,” the poet who authored one traditional text explicitly states, “Only by practicing the five stages (of yoga) in the six locations of the subtle body will you get a clear understanding of the 108 vital spots.” Tirumular’s classic definition of a Siddha is implicit in this practice—”Those who live in yoga and see the divine light (oli) and power (cakti) through yoga are the cittar” (Zvelebil 1973, 225). As one practitioner explained, knowledge of the vital spots is revealed “like a meditation,” since only a practicing Siddha yogi can intuitively unlock the secrets of a text and apply them in locating, attacking, and/or healing the vital spots (personal communication).
Varma ati practitioners usually agree that 108 is the actual number of vital spots first identified by the sage Agasthya. Unlike the 107 vital spots identified in Susruta’s medical treatise as the total number of spots identified by forty-three names, 108 is actually the number of names of the vital spots in this tradition. Since some names identify single spots, and others are double, the number of vital spots may total more than 200. In the varma ati tradition, of the 108 spots, 96 are classified as minor spots (thodu varmam) and 12 as the major deadly vital spots (padu varmam). These most deadly spots are those that, when penetrated enough, cause instant death. The more numerous minor spots are not as dangerous when penetrated, but penetration does cause pain and incapacitation.
Varma ati techniques include a variety of methods of attacking the vital spots with the hands, fingers, elbows, and similar natural weapons. Some masters even provide esoteric explanations of the potentially deadly significance of each part of the hand: “The thumb is the mother finger of the hand. The right index finger is the guru. The second [middle] finger is Saturn, god of death. The third finger is directly connected to the heart, and the fourth is for tantric practice. . . . When you want to kill an opponent use the second finger of death. If you only want to incapacitate your opponent use Saturn supported by the guru finger so that you only penetrate halfway” (personal communication).
When a vital spot is penetrated, the internal wind, or vital energy, is understood to be stopped. As in kalarippayattu, emergency revival techniques for penetration or injury to a vital spot exist, functioning as coun-terapplications; however, the main revival technique in this system makes use of one of twelve to sixteen adangal—methods of massage and stimulating the revival spots. Since all the vital spots are understood to be connected through the internal channels (nadi) of the subtle-body to these twelve (or sixteen) revival spots, stimulating the appropriate vital spot through application to an adangal, according to one traditional text (Varma ati Morivu Cara Cuttiram), “straightens the channel” so that the internal wind moves freely again, and “brings [the injured] back to consciousness” (unpublished manuscript).
In the popular imagination, especially in the Kanyakumari region of the south, a martial master’s powers of attack and revival using the vital spots can appear miraculous. Stories and lore abound. An account of the life of Chattambi Swamigal, the great scholar-saint of southern Kerala (1853-1924), records how this great holy man was known as a master of many traditional arts—wrestling, healing, yoga, and the “art” of the vital spots. The following narrative illustrates his reputation.
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 without difficulty. It was only the next day on his way back, after he had administered 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 controversial, subject among contemporary practitioners of both varma ati and kalarippayattu.
