The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is light body vs astral body. The search for this knowledge can often feel like navigating a fog of metaphors, but it doesnβt have to be that way. Below, you will find the three-stage physical transformation Vallalar documented in his writings β and what each stage actually requires. Much writing on this topic stays at the level of concept without a precise, repeatable path. Vallalar documented a literal, physiological process that begins with what is on your plate and in your heart.
To understand why this is so different, we need to look at the man who achieved 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 taught a path of universal compassion called Suddha Sanmargam, the βTrue Path,β open to anyone regardless of background.
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 Astral Body: A Temporary Vehicle, Not a Final Form
In many spiritual traditions, the astral body is understood as a subtle, non-physical vehicle that the consciousness can inhabit. It is the body we use in dreams and in out-of-body experiences. It allows for travel in other dimensions or planes of existence, separate from the physical form.
While a real phenomenon, the astral body is still part of the cycle of birth and death. It is a temporary sheath, an energetic layer that is not permanent. From Vallalarβs perspective, experiences in the astral body are just that β experiences. They are not the final transformation of the physical body itself into an indestructible state of being. The astral body is a tool for perception; the light body is a complete change in the very substance of existence.
The Real Distinction in Light Body vs Astral Body: Vallalarβs Three Stages
For Vallalar, the light body is not a separate vehicle one projects into. It is the ultimate evolution of the physical body itself. He called it the Gnana Deham, or Wisdom Body, and it is the final destination of a three-stage process he documented. This is not a metaphor for enlightenment. It is a literal, physiological progression from a dense, mortal body to an immortal body of pure light.
Stage 1: Suddha Deham β The Purified Body
The entire process begins with physical purification, creating what Vallalar called the Suddha Deham, or Pure Body. This is not achieved through esoteric breathing exercises or complex rituals, but through two foundational practices accessible to everyone: diet and compassion.
Vallalar taught that eating meat or any animal product introduces the vibrations of fear, suffering, and death directly into the cells. To purify the body, one must adopt a compassionate, plant-based diet. His text, the Nithya Karma Vidhi, gives specific guidance on foods that support this process, such as rice, lentils, and certain vegetables like brinjal (eggplant) and drumstick (Moringa).
This diet alone is insufficient. Vallalar insisted that none of these techniques can take root without Jeeva Karunyam β active compassion that prevents suffering in other living beings. This means not causing harm through thought, word, or deed. The physical body, freed from the burden of causing and consuming suffering, becomes naturally light, resilient to disease, and clear.
Once the Suddha Deham is established, the practitioner can begin the work of transforming its substance. This leads to the Pranava Deham, or Primal Body. The physical form becomes increasingly subtle, luminous, and less dependent on the gross elements of the world. Historical accounts note that as Vallalar progressed through this stage, his body cast no shadow and he required little to no food or sleep.
The central practice for developing the Pranava Deham is the recitation of the Mahamantra, a direct invocation of the divine grace-light he called Arut Perum Jothi. He instructed his followers to chant it continuously:
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.
This mantra works to re-tune the very structure of the body, replacing its dense, carbon-based nature with the substance of light itself. The body becomes, in a tangible way, a conduit for divine grace.
Stage 3: Gnana Deham β The Wisdom Body of Pure Light
The final stage, which Vallalar alone is documented to have perfected, is the Gnana Deham, or Wisdom Body. This is the complete transformation of the physical body into an immortal form made of pure, intelligent light. It is a body that is indestructible, not subject to aging, decay, or death. In his own words from the Thiru Arutpa, this body is all-knowing and eternal.
This state is categorically different from the Tibetan Rainbow Body, which typically refers to the dissolution of the physical body into light at the time of death. Vallalarβs transformation was a conscious, willed process that occurred while he was fully alive, culminating in his final, documented dematerialization. He did not die; he transformed the vessel of life itself into its ultimate, permanent form. This is the ultimate answer to the question of light body vs astral body: one is a temporary experience, the other is the final state of being.
One Concrete Action to Begin Today
The path to the light body does not begin with complex meditation, but with simple compassion. The first step is always the purification of the physical form, the Suddha Deham.
Replace one animal-based meal today with a plant-based option from Vallalarβs Nithya Karma Vidhi: rice, lentils, or easily digestible vegetables. As you eat, notice the absence of heaviness. Vallalar taught that this physical lightness is the first sign of the body responding to the principle of compassion. It is the beginning of a real, tangible science.
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