techniquesof
sanatanhindusikh
shastarvidiya

The entire Punjabi culture is inherently very competitive, vicious and direct in nature.

When the tenth Sikh Guru, Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh trained his Khalsa warriors, he trained them but for pure 'Chatka' - and nothing else!

The Guru always encouraged competitiveness amongst his warriors. When the Khalsa of old sparred, they went close to the point of death. Akali Nihang Baba Shabdev Singh describes the manner Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh trained his warriors:

'Maharaj [great King, referring to the Guru] would bring the hunt and begin cutting it up. Then, before 'Rehras' [evening liturgy] the Singhs of the tenth King used to set up a training arena. Once the setting up of the Akhara was done, he taught [Chatka] Gatka. Two groups he put on one side, two on another. One warrior on that side, one warrior on other side. He blocked his blows, and the other blocked his blows. If the blows landed on target, so be it. They went to the point of killing each other.'
(Baba Shabdev Singh, transcript of interview,17th April 1998)

What Baba Shabdev Singh meant by ' …to the point of killing', is that though the warriors could follow through, or press their blow home to kill, they stopped just short of that. This method of sparring to this day is the main way of teaching live blade sparring in a proper Sanatan Hindu Sikh Shastar Vidiya Shiv Akhara

Due to the inherent danger in the sparring methodology within Sanatan Hindu Sikh Shastar Vidiya, one miscalculation can easily lead to serious injury or even death. Only those 'Shagird' who have been through the years of various martial sparring unarmed and hardwood stick games may qualify for live blade sparring.

Initially this sparring is practiced only with the Akhara 'Gurdev'. Later, as 'Shagirds' develop complete mastery of 'Pentra', weapons, mind, body and emotions, senior 'Shagirds' may engage in live blade sparring amongst themselves but are always watched by the Akhara 'Gurdev'. The Akhara 'Gurdev' constantly monitors the sparring whilst dispensing valuable advice on how to improve footwork, technique, etc. to both adversaries. In the interest of learning, during such sparring, one must forsake ego and fully acknowledge when caught out by adversary. If one does not acknowledge one's own shortcomings and remedy them in the controlled Akhara environment, then, when time comes for real combat, one will lose out.

Ego has no place in Sanatan Hindu Sikh Shastar Vidiya.