The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is plant based diet spiritual benefits. You will learn why he called this practice โspiritual physiologyโ and how it prepares the body for the three stages of transformation into a body of light. Itโs a perspective you may not have encountered before, even in deep spiritual study. While many traditions recommend a plant-based diet for ethical or health reasons, Vallalarโs teaching presents it as a non-negotiable requirement for the bodyโs physical transformation. To understand his reasoning, we must first look at the man himself.
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 โ though he dismissed anything supernatural, insisting that everything he did was a science. He established a center for feeding the poor that still operates today, feeding thousands without interruption for over 150 years. On January 30, 1874, accounts from those present record that he locked himself in a room in Mettukuppam and was never seen again โ his body never found. This event is documented by government records and by British Collector John Henry Garstin.
Spiritual Physiology: A Diet for the Subtle Body
For Vallalar, the choice to eat only plants is not a moral preference or a health strategy. It is a matter of spiritual physiology. In his Nithya Karma Vidhi (Rules for Daily Practice), he specifies which plant foods build a body capable of receiving divine light and which foods obstruct it. His teaching is direct: the physical body is the instrument of transformation. To refine that instrument, one must stop introducing dense, heavy vibrations into it.
According to Vallalar, eating flesh closes the subtle channels, or nadis, that run through the human system. These are not physical veins or arteries but pathways for consciousness and life-force. It is through these channels that Arut Perum Jyothi โ the Vast Grace-Light of the Supreme โ is meant to enter and saturate every cell. A body dense from the consumption of animal flesh is simply too coarse for this subtle light to penetrate. The diet is the first step in preparing the physical body to become the deathless body.
The Foundational Role of Jeeva Karunyam in Plant Based Diet Spiritual Benefits
The physiological argument is inseparable from the ethical one. Vallalarโs entire path is built on Jeeva Karunyam โ active compassion and empathy for all living beings. He taught that the fear, pain, and suffering an animal experiences at the moment of its death are imprinted upon its flesh. When a person consumes that flesh, they are consuming the vibration of that suffering.
This act obstructs the grace-light in two ways. First, it introduces the dense energy of fear directly into the body, clogging the nadis. Second, the act of participating in a system that causes such suffering closes the heart, which is the primary organ for receiving grace. Vallalar taught that none of these techniques can take root without Jeeva Karunyam โ active compassion that prevents suffering in other living beings. The plant-based diet is the most basic, daily expression of this compassion. It is not an end in itself, but the ground upon which the temple of the light body can be built.
Preparing the Vessel: The Three Stages of the Deathless Body
The purpose of this rigorous physical and ethical preparation is a three-stage transformation of the body itself. Vallalar documented this process in his Thiru Arutpa, presenting it not as a miracle but as a methodical, repeatable science.
The first stage is the Suddha Deham, or Pure Body. Through a consistent plant-based diet, compassionate action, and devotion, the physical body is purified of all impurities and becomes immune to disease, decay, and the need for sleep. It develops a natural radiance and lightness.
The second stage is the Pranava Deham, or Primal Body. As the practitioner deepens their inner state, the body becomes increasingly subtle and luminous. It is visible but can appear almost translucent. At this stage, the body is no longer dependent on physical food and is sustained directly by the grace-light. The central practice for this stage is the constant inner recitation of the Mahamantra: Aruแนญ Perum Jลti โ Aruแนญ Perum Jลti โ Taแนi Perum Karuแนai โ Aruแนญ Perum Jลti (The Vast Grace-Light. The Vast Grace-Light. The Incomparable Great Compassion. The Vast Grace-Light).
The final stage, which witnesses of Vallalarโs life attributed to him, is the Gnana Deham, or Wisdom Body. Here, the physical form dissolves completely into pure, undifferentiated grace-light. This state is sometimes compared to the Rainbow Body in Tibetan traditions, but Vallalarโs account is unique in its detailed physiological description. It is the complete merging of the individual consciousness and its physical vessel with the Supreme.
One Concrete Action to Begin Today
The path Vallalar described is vast, but the first step is simple and available to everyone. Replace one animal-based meal today with a plant-based option from his Nithya Karma Vidhi. Choose simple, sattvic foods like rice, lentils, gourds, or stem vegetables like drumstick (Moringa). As you eat, hold the awareness that this food is preparing your body to be a clearer vessel for light. This small act, done with intention, is the start of the entire process.
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