The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is not eating meat spiritual reasons. You are asking a question that goes deeper than health or ethics, and it deserves an answer of the same depth. Below, you will find the three-stage body transformation Vallalar documented in Thiru Arutpa β and why the food you eat is the first and most critical step in that physical process.
Many traditions recommend a plant-based diet for reasons of non-violence. While many spiritual paths approach diet as an ethical choice, Vallalar taught it as a prerequisite for a scientific transformation of the human body. 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 demonstrated abilities that defied known physical laws, all of which he attributed to the power of Arut Perum Jyothi, the Vast Grace-Light. 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.
Why Diet is a Matter of Spiritual Physiology, Not Preference
For Vallalar, the choice to eat only plants was not a dietary preference or a simple moral guideline. It was a matter of spiritual physiology. In his work Nithya Karma Vidhi (Rules for Daily Practice), he laid out the physical requirements for anyone seeking to walk the path of light. At the foundation of this practice is a specific, plant-based diet.
His reasoning was direct and scientific. Vallalar taught that the human body is filled with subtle channels, or nadis, through which divine energy flows. The ultimate goal is for the Vast Grace-Light, Arut Perum Jyothi, to enter the body through these channels and begin a process of total transformation.
According to his teaching, eating flesh makes the physical body too dense. The energy of fear and suffering from the slaughtered animal is absorbed into the cells, obstructing these subtle channels. The body becomes a closed system, unable to receive the grace-light. A plant-based diet is the first step in clearing these channels and preparing the physical vessel for what is to come.
The Three Stages of the Deathless Body
The purpose of this dietary discipline is to prepare the body for a three-stage transformation into a deathless body of light. This was not a metaphor for Vallalar; it was a documented, repeatable science.
The first stage is the Suddha Deham, or Pure Body. This is the state where the physical form becomes free from disease, waste, and the effects of aging. It is achieved through a combination of a sattvic plant-based diet, constant recitation of the Mahamantra, and the practice of Jeeva Karunyam. Vallalar taught that none of these techniques can take root without Jeeva Karunyam β active compassion that prevents suffering in other living beings. The daily practice for this stage is the constant inner or outer recitation of the Mahamantra:
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.
The second stage is the Pranava Deham, or Primal Body. As the grace-light continues its work, the physical body becomes increasingly subtle. Witnesses documented that Vallalarβs body cast no shadow in his later years. At this stage, the body appears youthful and radiant, and it no longer depends on food, water, or even air for its sustenance. It becomes a self-sustaining form of light and sound.
The final stage, which Vallalar alone is recorded to have fully demonstrated, is the Gnana Deham, or Wisdom Body. Here, the physical form completely merges with the Vast Grace-Light, dissolving into it without leaving a trace. This is the ultimate state of deathlessness. The phenomenon has been documented in other traditions, such as the Tibetan Rainbow Body, but Vallalarβs path provides a systematic, step-by-step methodology to prepare the physical instrument for this final event.
The Scientific Basis for not eating meat spiritual reasons
The core of Vallalarβs teaching on diet is cause and effect. The spiritual reasons for not eating meat are grounded in a physical and energetic reality. He taught that when an animal is killed, its body is flooded with the chemistry of terror and pain. When a person consumes that flesh, they are not just consuming protein and fat; they are consuming the dense, low-frequency energy of that suffering.
This energy physically lodges in the body and clogs the nadis. It is an incompatible substance. The grace-light, which is subtle, pure, and of the highest frequency, cannot penetrate a vessel filled with this density.
Plant foods, by contrast, are direct converters of sunlight β a physical form of light. They carry a quality that is harmonious with Arut Perum Jyothi. By consuming only plants, a person systematically purifies their body, replacing density with lightness. This makes the body a receptive vessel, an open channel for grace to enter and begin its work of transformation. The choice becomes clear: one can either build a body of density or a body of light.
A Practical First Step Today
You can test this principle in a small way, right now. Vallalarβs teaching is not an abstract philosophy but a lived reality.
Instead of waiting for a perfect moment to change your entire diet, make one simple substitution today. For your next meal, choose a dish based on rice, lentils, or simple stem vegetables like drumstick (moringa) or root vegetables like radish β foods Vallalar recommended. Before eating, take a moment of silence. As you eat, notice the feeling in your body. Vallalar taught that after such a meal, one feels a sense of lightness and clarity, not heaviness or lethargy. This small feeling is the first echo of the purification process he described.
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