The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is how to be more compassionate. This path redefines compassion not as a feeling you must generate, but as a practice you can begin today β a mechanism for profound change. I think we all know the feeling of wanting to be a better person but not knowing where to start. Much writing on the subject offers ideals without a clear method. Vallalar taught a science of compassion with a precise starting point. To understand his method, we first need to look at the man himself.
The Life and Teachings of Vallalar
Ramalinga Swamigal, known as Vallalar, was a 19th-century Tamil mystic whose collected writings, the Thiru Arutpa, remain one of the most extraordinary spiritual records ever produced. His life was filled with remarkable feats β though he dismissed anything supernatural, insisting that everything he did was a science. He established a center for feeding the poor that operates to this day, based on his central principle of relieving suffering. On January 30, 1874, accounts from those present record that he locked himself in a room in Mettukuppam and was never seen again β his body never found. This event is documented by government records and by British Collector John Henry Garstin.
A Daily Practice for Cultivating Compassion
Central to Vallalarβs daily practice was the recitation of a Mahamantra, a great mantra designed to orient the mind and soul toward the source of compassion itself. He taught this not as a prayer of petition, but as a statement of reality that attunes the individual to divine grace.
The mantra is:
AruαΉ Perum JΕti β AruαΉ Perum JΕti β
TaαΉi Perum KaruαΉai β AruαΉ Perum JΕti
The translation is:
The Vast Grace-Light. The Vast Grace-Light.
The Incomparable Great Compassion. The Vast Grace-Light.
Reciting this, even for a few minutes each day, turns oneβs attention toward the forces of grace and compassion. It serves as a constant reminder of the goal and the power that makes it possible.
Compassion Is a Practice, Not a Feeling
In modern culture, compassion is often treated as an emotion one should feel. This can create a cycle of frustration when the feeling doesnβt arise on command. We see suffering and know we should feel compassionate, but instead we might feel numb, overwhelmed, or even resentful.
Vallalarβs understanding cuts through this entirely. For him, compassion is not primarily a feeling β it is a practice. He called this practice Jeeva Karunyam, which translates to compassion for all living souls. Jeeva Karunyam is the active, deliberate relief of suffering wherever one encounters it. It is an action, not an internal state.
This shifts the entire dynamic. The question is no longer βHow can I make myself feel more compassionate?β but βWhat is one act I can do right now to reduce suffering?β By focusing on a controllable action, the internal state of compassion arises naturally as a result.
The Practical Answer to How to Be More Compassionate
Vallalarβs answer to this question begins with the most immediate and controllable act in our daily lives: what we put on our plate. He taught that Jeeva Karunyam begins by refusing to participate in the suffering of other living beings. For him, the consumption of meat was the most direct and widespread form of causing suffering.
His teaching was clear: the fear, pain, and violence inherent in killing an animal become part of the person who consumes it. This creates a physiological and spiritual obstacle to true compassion. Therefore, the first step in the practice of Jeeva Karunyam is adopting a plant-based diet.
From this single, powerful act, the practice expands. It grows to include kind speech, helping those in need, and protecting any life from harm. It starts with the fork and radiates outward into every interaction with every living being, human or animal.
The Divine Mechanism: How Compassion Transforms the Body
Here we arrive at the core of Vallalarβs science. He did not teach compassion simply as a virtue to be aspired to. He taught it as the very mechanism by which Arut Perum JΕti, the divine grace-light, enters and transforms the soul and body.
According to his detailed writings in Thiru Arutpa, every act of Jeeva Karunyam opens a channel for this grace-light to accumulate within. This light, in turn, initiates a physical transformation of the body through three distinct stages:
- Suddha Deham (Pure Body): Through consistent compassionate action, starting with diet, the physical body is purified of all impurities and becomes immune to disease and decay.
- Pranava Deham (Primal Body): As more grace-light is absorbed, the body becomes subtle, youthful, and eventually translucent. It is no longer dependent on physical food for sustenance.
- Gnana Deham (Wisdom Body): In the final stage, which Vallalar alone is documented to have achieved, the physical structure dissolves completely into the Vast Grace-Light. This is what witnesses and historical records point to as his final disappearance. This ultimate transformation has parallels in other traditions, such as the documented accounts of the rainbow body in Tibetan Buddhism, but Vallalarβs path is uniquely detailed.
This process reveals that the simple search for how to be more compassionate is the starting point of the most profound spiritual evolution possible.
Your First Step: The Compassion on Your Plate
Vallalar taught that great transformation begins with a single, concrete action. You do not need to wait for a feeling to arise.
Today, choose one meal and make it an act of Jeeva Karunyam. Following the guidance in his text Nithya Karma Vidhi, replace any animal product with a simple, plant-based option like rice, lentils, or vegetables. A person might pause before eating a simple meal of rice and lentils, a meal that caused no direct suffering to another being. In that quiet moment, they might notice a sense of inner clarity or lightness, which Vallalar taught is the first sign of grace entering the system. Notice not just the food, but the intention behind it: the prevention of suffering. This is the start of the entire science.
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