Discussion on Shaster Vidya

[GurjantGnostic]

5 minutes ago, dharamyudh said:

Anything related to Shastar Vidya is related with Nidar Singh. However, I just found this OLD video of Nidar Singh (on the right in the beginning) fighting Uptej Singh. The quality is horrible though: 

 

I like that video. I've seen a slightly better angle. 

It made me think there was a larger and more diverse group of practitioners than maybe it sounds like there is?

[intrigued]

1 minute ago, GurjantGnostic said:

It made me think there was a larger and more diverse group of practitioners than maybe it sounds like there is?

There definitely is; he claims he is the last Sikh warrior and practitioner of Shastar Vidhya but most of the warriors are gupt

[Guest]

People are always talking about RSS. Can someone explain what exactly is RSS? 

[Guest]

41 minutes ago, dharamyudh said:

Anything related to Shastar Vidya is related with Nidar Singh. However, I just found this OLD video of Nidar Singh (on the right in the beginning) fighting Uptej Singh. The quality is horrible though: 

 

Amazing.

[intrigued]

5 minutes ago, singhsince1981 said:

People are always talking about RSS. Can someone explain what exactly is RSS? 

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/RSS

[dharamyudh]

I found this quote I was looking for. It was by Giani Gian Singh regarding Shastar Vidya:

"There was talk of such a science of archery and stick fighting only a few years ago in the Punjab that listening of it the English-educated young men will consider it astonishing. In sincerity I believe present day young men might just consider these skills and Shastar Vidya most likely impossible, because they have not even seen those bows nevermind stringing them. Like this, many sciences and skills after attaining their heights have declined. Before 1857 many quivers full of arrows, matchlocks, flintlock guns, swords, lances, spears, Sang, Katar, Pesh Kabz, pistols, shields etc., weapons, armour and many types of chainmail was found house to house, and all the people in their homes learned and taught Shastar Vidiya and became complete soldiers.

Now no one even speaks of these skills the sons of brave warriors are becoming engrossed in making money, even to us who have employed Shastar Vidiya, it is becoming a dream. In another fifty years or so, this Vidiya would have dried up and people will say it (past skills) were but, all lies"

('Twarikh Guru Khalsa', Giani Gian Singh Nirmala (1899) Vol.1, Pa. 36-37)

Credit to Freed on the SikhAwareness forum for finding this. 

[GurjantGnostic]

24 minutes ago, dharamyudh said:

I found this quote I was looking for. It was by Giani Gian Singh regarding Shastar Vidya 

"There was talk of such a science of archery and stick fighting only a few years ago in the Punjab that listening of it the English-educated young men will consider it astonishing. In sincerity I believe present day young men might just consider these skills and Shastar Vidya most likely impossible, because they have not even seen those bows nevermind stringing them. Like this, many sciences and skills after attaining their heights have declined. Before 1857 many quivers full of arrows, matchlocks, flintlock guns, swords, lances, spears, Sang, Katar, Pesh Kabz, pistols, shields etc., weapons, armour and many types of chainmail was found house to house, and all the people in their homes learned and taught Shastar Vidiya and became complete soldiers.

Now no one even speaks of these skills the sons of brave warriors are becoming engrossed in making money, even to us who have employed Shastar Vidiya, it is becoming a dream. In another fifty years or so, this Vidiya would have dried up and people will say it (past skills) were but, all lies"

('Twarikh Guru Khalsa', Giani Gian Singh Nirmala (1899) Vol.1, Pa. 36-37)

We should all get into bow making and point shoot ambidextrously. 

Make super light recurves at first then make them bigger and bigger as you get stronger. 

[intrigued]

Guru Gobind Singh Ji had one of the heaviest draw weights (if not the heaviest) in history with 496 pounds being shooting 10 km away - http://dailysikhupdates.com/25756-2/

Highest nowadays is only 200 pounds- https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-longbow-draw-weight/

Someone told me that in Shastar Vidhya we set up the bow vertically using gravity while other archers would draw the arrow horizontally, which is harder.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, intrigued said:

Deleted

[GurjantGnostic]

2 hours ago, intrigued said:

Guru Gobind Singh Ji had one of the heaviest draw weights (if not the heaviest) in history with 496 pounds being shooting 10 km away - http://dailysikhupdates.com/25756-2/

Highest nowadays is only 200 pounds- https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-longbow-draw-weight/

Someone told me that in Shastar Vidhya we set up the bow vertically using gravity while other archers would draw the arrow horizontally, which is harder.

If it's vertical it deflects the arrows shot at you if you line up right behind it. We deflect shuriken with spear and staff like that.