The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is how to cure emotional pain. Emotional pain and grief are among the most isolating experiences a person can have. When the weight is heavy, no amount of good advice makes it lighter. This feeling is real, and it deserves a real answer, not just a theory. Vallalarβs practical teaching begins not with explanation but with action, showing a path through grief that does not require you to understand it first.
Much of the worldβs advice asks you to think your way out of pain, to analyze it until it disappears. Vallalar taught that when the mind is in chaos, it cannot be its own solution. He offered a different starting point. To understand why his approach is so direct, we need to look at the man who lived 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, serving food to anyone who arrives hungry, day or night. 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.
An Anchor When Everything is Chaos
In moments of acute emotional pain, the mind spirals. Thoughts repeat, and the feeling of being trapped inside your own head can be overwhelming. Vallalarβs first instruction is not to fight these thoughts but to give the mind a different place to rest. He offered a sound, a focus point called the Mahamantra.
This is not a prayer that asks for something. It is an anchor. Reciting it, even silently, gives the mind a simple task when it can handle nothing else. The sounds themselves are meant to bring a quality of stillness.
The mantra is:
AruαΉ Perum JΕti β AruαΉ Perum JΕti β
TaαΉi Perum KaruαΉai β AruαΉ Perum JΕti
This translates to:
The Vast Grace-Light. The Vast Grace-Light.
The Incomparable Great Compassion. The Vast Grace-Light.
Repeating this phrase provides a rhythm for the mind and body to settle into. It does not erase the pain, but it can create a small, quiet space around it.
How to Cure Emotional Pain by Shifting Attention Outward
Vallalarβs entire path is built on a single, powerful principle: Jeeva Karunyam, or compassion for all living beings. He taught that the root of much human suffering is the inward-turning focus on the self. Emotional pain intensifies this focus, making the world shrink to the size of oneβs own grief.
The cure, he taught, is to gently turn your attention outward. This is not a denial of your pain. It is a practical method to stop feeding it. He gave two primary ways to do this in daily life: through what you eat and through what you do for others. These actions create a new reality for your body and mind, one that is not defined solely by suffering.
Removing Suffering from Your Food
Vallalar was direct about the connection between diet and mental state. He taught that eating meat or any animal product forces the body to process the fear and pain the animal experienced at its death. This intake of suffering, he explained, creates a dense, agitated state in the body and mind, making true peace impossible.
To heal emotional pain, the first step is to stop consuming the pain of other beings. A clean diet, free from animal products, lightens the bodyβs load. It removes a significant source of agitation that you may not even be aware of. Vallalar taught that none of the higher spiritual techniques can take root without Jeeva Karunyam β active compassion that prevents suffering in other living beings. This begins with the food on your plate.
Finding Relief in a Single Act of Service
The second way to turn attention outward is through compassionate service. This is perhaps the most counter-intuitive part of Vallalarβs teaching for someone in deep pain. When you feel empty, the idea of giving to someone else seems impossible.
Yet Vallalar insisted this was the most direct path to relief. The act of easing anotherβs suffering, even in a small way, breaks the spell of your own. It reminds your entire being that you are connected to something larger than your personal grief. This does not have to be a grand gesture.
It can be as simple as placing a bowl of water outside for thirsty birds or giving a piece of fruit to a hungry person on the street. In that one moment of connection, you are not your pain. You are a source of relief for another. Vallalar taught that this act creates a ripple of grace that returns to you, quieting the mind in a way that no amount of thinking can.
One Simple Action to Take Right Now
You do not need to solve everything at once. Vallalarβs path is built on small, consistent actions. Here is one you can take today, before you do anything else.
Bring to mind one person you know who is also in pain. It could be a friend, a family member, or even a stranger you heard about. Sit quietly for five minutes and silently recite the Mahamantra, dedicating the feeling of it to them. You are not trying to fix them. You are simply holding them in a space of compassion. This small, outward-facing act can create the first crack of light in a dark room.
You came here for how to cure emotional pain and found something worth reading. Want much more?
The Sanmarkkam Journey delivers free teachings, health guidance, and translations of
Vallalarβs works, directly to your inbox. We take you by hand, at your own pace.
No pressure, no selling. Just value. Unsubscribe with one click. Join the Sanmarkkam Journey
Want Vallalar's wisdom
delivered free to your inbox?
All directly to your favourite email inbox.
We take you by hand, at your own pace. Step-by-Step.
- Free E-book: Jeevakarunyam Ozhukkam β Vallalar's Guide to Compassionate Living IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD
- Free E-books, translations & commentaries
- Free health tips from Vallalar's manuscripts
- Free community
- Free Emporium items
- & Much More π
π―οΈ Welcome to the Journey
Look for an email from international@sanmarkkamlife.org. Check your inbox, spam folder and Promotions tab. Your first teaching and your free e-book are on their way.
π We hate Spam. No Pressure. 0 Selling or Pitching.
1 Click Unsubscribe any time.
Privacy Policy Β· Sanmarkkam Life APS Β· GDPR compliant