The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is how to become more self compassionate. You will learn his method for this, which does not begin with affirmations or internal analysis, but with a simple, outward action that opens the soul to grace. It is a path that works from the outside in. Much writing on self-compassion stays at the level of concept, focusing on changing oneβs internal monologue. Vallalar taught a different way, one that changes the inner state by first changing our relationship with the world. To understand why this matters, we need to look at the man who claimed it.
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 has operated without interruption for over 150 years, running on unsolicited donations to this day. 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.
The Mantra for Incomparable Compassion
At the center of Vallalarβs daily practice is a Mahamantra, or Great Mantra, that focuses the mind on the source of all compassion. It is not a prayer asking for something, but an invocation that aligns the practitioner with the nature of divine reality. He taught that its recitation attunes the very cells of the body to grace.
The mantra is:
AruαΉ Perum JΕti β AruαΉ Perum JΕti β
TaαΉi Perum KaruαΉai β AruαΉ Perum JΕti
Its meaning translates to:
The Vast Grace-Light. The Vast Grace-Light.
The Incomparable Great Compassion. The Vast Grace-Light.
Reciting this mantra or simply holding its meaning in your awareness redirects attention from personal lack toward the universal source of compassion and light. It is a tool for shifting your state from one of need to one of reception.
Jeeva Karunyam: Compassion as a Mechanism, Not a Feeling
In modern thought, compassion is an emotion to be cultivated. For Vallalar, this approach is backward. He taught that compassion is not primarily a feeling β it is a practice. He called this practice Jeeva Karunyam, which means compassion for all living souls. It is the active, deliberate relief of suffering wherever one finds it.
This is not about aspiring to be a βgood person.β Vallalar described Jeeva Karunyam as a functional mechanism. He taught that the act of relieving anotherβs painβwhether it is the hunger of a person, the thirst of an animal, or the fear of any creatureβopens a channel within the practitioner. Through this channel, the divine grace-light, Arut Perum JΕti, enters the soul.
Compassion, in this view, is the key that unlocks the door to divine energy. You do not generate compassion from within; you become a conduit for it by your actions. The feeling of compassion we experience is the result of this grace flowing through us, not the cause.
The Scientific Path: How to Become More Self Compassionate by Looking Outward
The question of how to become more self compassionate finds its answer in this outward-facing practice. Vallalarβs teaching suggests that a lack of self-compassion is a symptom of a soul that is closed off from the flow of grace. Trying to force self-love through mental effort is like trying to make a plant grow by yelling at it. The plant needs water and light. The soul, Vallalar taught, needs to practice Jeeva Karunyam.
When you actively relieve the suffering of another being, you are performing the function for which the soul was designed. The grace that flows through you to another does not leave you empty. It fills you first. This experience of being filled with grace is what we recognize as peace, worthiness, and true self-compassion. It is a natural consequence, not a goal to be pursued directly.
This process of purification through compassion has tangible, physical consequences. Vallalar documented a three-stage transformation of the physical body fueled by this practice:
- Suddha Deham (The Pure Body): As one consistently practices Jeeva Karunyam, especially by adopting a plant-based diet to stop participating in the suffering of animals, the physical body becomes purified of dense, heavy influences.
- Pranava Deham (The Primal Body): With continued practice, the body transforms further into a body of grace-light, becoming immune to disease and decay.
- Gnana Deham (The Wisdom Body): The final stage, which accounts from his life suggest Vallalar himself achieved, is the complete dissolution of the physical form into a body of pure wisdom and light. This state has been compared to the Rainbow Body in Tibetan traditions, but Vallalarβs path to it was uniquely centered on the practice of compassion as a science.
Your First Step in Practicing Compassion Today
Vallalarβs path does not require grand gestures. It begins with the most immediate and controllable act. His text, the Nithya Karma Vidhi, outlines daily actions, starting with what one puts on the plate. The first step in Jeeva Karunyam is to stop causing suffering for the sake of food.
Today, take one simple action. Before you eat your next meal, consciously choose a plant-based option. Or, take a small portion of your food and place it outside for a bird or another animal. Do this with the simple intention of relieving the hunger of another living being. Do not look for a feeling. Just perform the act. This is the start of the practice.
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