Chaturanga! If you know Sanskrit or even a little Hindi then you would know the literal meaning of this term!
But did you know that it is also a type of Yoga pose?
Or that the term actually refers to a game which is the predecessor of the game in which Indians are now the top!
No; it is not Kabaddi! But CHESS!
For now look at Chaturanga as a Board Game!
The Chaturanga is a two-player strategy board game that is believed to be the origin of chess. The name “Chaturanga” translates to “four limbs” or “four divisions” in Sanskrit, referring to the four parts of an army: infantry, cavalry, elephantry, and chariot.
In fact it also been suggested that Chaturanga is the common ancestor of not only chess but also many other games all over the world including xiangqi (Chinese), janggi (Korean), shogi (Japanese), sittuyin (Burmese), makruk (Thai) and ouk chatrang (Cambodian)!
Chess historians suppose that the game had similar rules to those of its successor, shatranj. In particular, there is uncertainty as to the moves of the gaja (elephant). In fact some versions also have confusion in the movement of the knight or Bishop as you may call it!
Sanskrit caturaṅga is a bahuvrihi compound word, meaning “having four limbs or parts” and in epic poetry often meaning “army”.
The name comes from a battle formation mentioned in the Indian epic Mahabharata. Chaturanga refers to four divisions of an army, namely elephantry, chariot, cavalry and infantry.
An ancient battle formation, akshauhini, is like the setup of chaturanga! There are many such formation all determined to finally save the king! One such formidable formation was the Chakravyuh which translates to circular battle formation or labyrinthine formation. The goal is to trap and surround the enemy, making it difficult to penetrate or escape. It’s also known as Padmavyuha due to its lotus-like, layered structure!
The game spread from India to Persia in the 7th century then the game spread to southern Europe, reaching western Europe by about 1000 CE. In the second half of the 19th century, modern chess tournament play began, and the first official World Chess Championship was held in 1886. The 20th century saw great leaps forward in chess theory and the establishment of the World Chess Federation!
Now everyone who plays chess has the same question!? Why the king is so weak!?
Though many others ask why the queen is so powerful?! But the latter is the question no one asks openly!
One of the main reason the king is made weak is because it would be harder to deliver a checkmate on a king that is powerful! Also the king by nature must not do much work! He or she (yes, a king can be a she!) must make minimum effort and the actual work must be done by people surrounding him or her!
What is the point in being a king if you have to do all the work!
Now do not fret! I did not forget about the other meaning!
In yoga, Chaturanga Dandasana, also known as Four-Limbed Staff Pose, is a transitional pose in various styles of yoga, particularly Ashtanga and Vinyasa, and is a low-plank position. This is not a complex pose and most Yogis can get the pose; the issue in Yoga is maintenance!
Also, do remember that the exercise is only a part of the yogic training! The practice of yoga is a combination of both diet and exercise!
Think about then you must know Tirumalai Krishnamacharya Venkata Desikachar, better known as T. K. V. Desikachar, son of the pioneer of modern yoga as exercise, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.
Now play mental chess and sleep!
Shubh ratri!
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