The fear of death is one of the most natural feelings a human being has. It is not a weakness and not a lack of faith. Vallalar did not ask anyone to push it down. He offered something few teachers have: the teaching that death itself is not final for the human body, and a path of compassion toward that.
If fear of death has become fear that stops you living (panic, sleeplessness, constant dread), please also speak to a doctor or counsellor. In India, Tele-MANAS on 14416 can help; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123; in the USA, 988.
Why we fear death
We fear losing the people we love, the pain of dying and the unknown after. Most answers try to make peace with death: through acceptance, through belief in an afterlife, or through living well while we can. These help many people.
Vallalarβs answer goes further, and it begins with something he showed, not only something he said.
What Vallalar taught and showed
Vallalar (Ramalinga Adigal, 1823β1874) taught that death is not the will of God for the human being. Through compassion for every living being and the grace of God, the Grace Light he called Arut Perum Jyoti, the body itself can be changed: first made pure and free of disease, then subtle and full of grace, and finally one with the Grace Light, beyond death.
On 30 January 1874 he entered a room at Mettukuppam, the door was locked, and he was never seen again. No body was found. In one of his four petitions to God, the True Petition of the Sangam, he asks that this very body be freed from death, disease, old age and fear, and that every living being receive the same life.
How far this change goes in one life depends on each soulβs growth and on Godβs plan for it. Vallalar taught that even its first stages strengthen the body and can lengthen life, and that at its fullest, death is removed altogether. This is what he taught and demonstrated, not a promise anyone can make to you. Vallalar saw this change as the purpose of human life itself: read his answer to what the point of life is.
How to begin
1. Practise compassion for every living being (Jeeva Karunyam). This is the foundation of everything Vallalar taught. Relieve hunger and suffering where you meet it, and stop taking part in killing, which is why the path is plant-based. His own words are in Jeeva Karunya Ozhukkam.
2. Call on the Grace Light. When fear rises, repeat the Mahamantra slowly:
Arut Perum Jyoti, Arut Perum Jyoti, Thani Perum Karunai, Arut Perum Jyoti.
(The Vast Grace Light, the Vast Grace Light, the Unique Great Compassion, the Vast Grace Light.)
3. Turn your care outward. Fear pulls us inward. Caring for another living being, feeding a hungry animal or sitting with someone who is ill, loosens its grip in a way thinking alone rarely does.
One step today
Before your next meal, feed one living being that is hungry. Do it quietly, to ease its hunger. Notice whether, for that moment, the fear is a little smaller.
Questions people ask
Is it normal to be afraid of death?
Yes. It is one of the most human feelings. Vallalar treated it with compassion, not judgement.
What did Vallalar teach about death?
That death is not Godβs will for the human being, and that compassion and grace can change the body until it is beyond death. His disappearance in 1874, with no body found, is why many take this literally.
Can spiritual practice help with fear of death?
Many find it does. In Vallalarβs path, daily compassion and the Mahamantra calm the fear and give it a direction. When fear comes as a stream of dark thoughts, the two steps for negative thoughts help too.
What if my fear of death is severe?
Please speak to a doctor or counsellor as well. Severe death anxiety (thanatophobia) is treatable, and help is not a lack of faith.
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