Varma Kalai (The Art of Vital Points)

Varma Kalai (the art of varmam) is considered to be very sacred. It is believed that Lord Siva taught this art form. It is one of the oldest form of South Indian martial art and healing system. The aim of Varma Kalai is to produce healthy individuals. The main purpose of this rare ancient art of varmam is to save the precious human lives. Varma Kalai is very popular in southern part of the county, more particularly in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.

The term varmam appears in the Rigveda where Indra hits Vritra in a varmam with his vajra. This system of varmam is part of Sidha Vaidhyam, whose origin is attributed to mythical sage Agastya and his disciples.

According to the above versus, Lord Siva taught varmam to his wife Parvathi; later Parvathi taught varmam to their son Lord Murugan. Lord Murugan then taught Siddha Agasthiyar. Agasthiyar later gave a written form that reached the masses. But the original texts, directly written by siddhas, are not available now. Saints who have grasped the meaning of the siddhas sayings have given a poetic form, which is used in modern day learning. So far, around 50,000 songs are available.

Varmam has grown under three independent schools of thoughts, mainly governed by three ancient siddha’s namely Akasthiyar, Bohar and Rama Devar, The narrated history has been mentioned in the 41st prose of ” Kai Mathirai Thiravukol ” as follows:

One of the current available texts ‘Sarasuthram’ gives the criteria for teaching varmam to eligible students.

It says that a varmam teacher should teach varmam only to a ‘sivayogi’. Sivayogi means devotee of Siva. Knowledge of Varma Kalai is passed through generation after generation. People who have mastered the art are called asaans (masters). Varma asaans are also known as varmaanis. In order to learn this Art, it is necessary to work with an Asaan for a minimum period of 12 years.

Classifications of Varmam

Human body is divided into five areas in which varma points are discussed. They are:

Unit	Area	Number of Points
I	From Top of the Head till Neck	25
II	From Neck till Naval Point	45
III	From Naval Point till Anus	9
IV	Both Hands	14
V	Both Legs	15
Total		108

Varma Therapy

Studies about each varmam’s (pressure points) characteristics like location of the varmam, depth and width of varmam, the pressure with which the varmam has to be tuned to cure diseases constitutes the mainstream study in varma therapy.

The various techniques that can be applied to cure varmam related injuries are:

1. Marukaalam
2. Thirumal Murai
3. Adangal Murai
4. Thiravukol Murai
5. Thadaval Murai [Applying massage techniques]
6. Marunthu Murai [Applying medicines]
7. Vayu Nilai Amarthal
8. Kattu Murai

Techniques like Marukaalam and Thiravukol Murai are used for instant relief. Techniques like Thadaval Murai and Thirumal Murai should be done at least for three consecutive days to give relief from varmam related injuries

Disorders that can be cured by Varma Therapy

Various other disorders that can be cured with the help of varma therapy are:

• Nerves weakness
• Body shivering
• Disk prolapse
• Dehydration
• Cervical spondylosis
• Head ache
• Sciatic Problems
• Eye problems
• ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) problems
• Bone joints and arthritics
• Gland disorders (like Diabetes, etc.)

Varma Sastra

Although most of the vital Varma Sastra texts in palm leaf have been lost, presently more than 100 are traced out. Each book consists of 100 to 1000 verses. These Sastras were not available to common men until the recently. Some of the books which are available are given below.

1.Brahma Nila Sutram

2. Vahada Nidanam

3. ‘Marma Nidanam

4. Kadikaram’ (Kannadi)

5. Marma Sutram

6. Marma Sutra Thiravukol

7. Agastiya Thiravukol

8. Marma Thiravukol

9. Marma Aani Thiravukol

10. Marma Kandi

11. Marma Bheerangi

12. Marma Bheerangi Thiravukol

13. Marma Narambarai

14. Ulpathi Narambarai

15. Odi Muri Chari

16. Kettu Mura Chari

17. Odivu Murivu Kettu Suttiram

18. Murivu Kettu Thiravukol

19. Narambarai Suttiram

20. Kaivallyam

21. Marma Alavu Nool

22. Naalu Mani Mathirai

23. Marma Kuru Naadi Sasthram

24. Kuru Naadi Sasthram

source: http://vsmoni.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/varma-kalai-the-art-of-vital-points/