The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is universal compassion teaching. You will learn why he taught compassion not as a feeling to cultivate, but as the physical mechanism that allows divine grace-light to enter and transform the body. Perhaps you feel that compassion is something you should have, but struggle to generate on command. Much writing about the topic stays at the level of concept, offering no practical way to begin. Vallalar taught it as a science with a clear starting point.
To understand his method, we need to look at the man who documented 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, the Sathya Gnana Sabai, open to people of all castes and religions, and a free kitchen that has been operating continuously 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 β his body never found. This event is documented by government records and by British Collector John Henry Garstin.
The Mantra of Great Compassion
Central to Vallalarβs path is a Mahamantra, or great mantra, that directly invokes the two principles he identified as supreme: Grace-Light and Compassion. He encouraged its constant recitation, not as a petition for favor, but as a way to attune the very cells of the body to the frequency of grace.
The mantra is:
AruαΉ Perum JΕti β AruαΉ Perum JΕti β
TaαΉi Perum KaruαΉai β AruαΉ Perum JΕti
The translation is:
The Vast Grace-Light. The Vast Grace-Light.
The Incomparable Great Compassion. The Vast Grace-Light.
Reciting this mantra turns the mind toward the source of compassion, preparing the inner ground for its practice. It is both a goal and a method, a description of the divine and a tool to realize it.
Why Vallalarβs Universal Compassion Teaching Begins with Your Plate
Compassion, in Vallalarβs understanding, is not primarily a feeling β it is a practice. He gave this practice a specific name: Jeeva Karunyam, which means compassion for all living souls. This is not a vague kindness, but the active, committed relief of suffering wherever one encounters it.
He taught that this practice begins with the most immediate and most controllable act: what one puts on the plate. In his text Nithya Karma Vidhi, he outlined a diet free from any animal products. Vallalar taught that eating meat creates suffering and introduces the vibrations of fear and pain directly into the body. To build a body of light, one must first stop consuming the products of death and violence.
This is the starting point because it is the most direct way an individual can cease participating in the suffering of other beings. It is a daily, conscious choice that lays the foundation for all further spiritual progress.
Jeeva Karunyam: The Mechanism for Receiving Divine Grace-Light
For Vallalar, Jeeva Karunyam was not simply a moral virtue to aspire to. He taught it as the very mechanism by which the divine grace-light, the Arut Perum JΕti, enters the soul and transforms the physical body.
This is a critical distinction. Most traditions teach compassion as a good deed that might earn divine favor. Vallalar presented it as a law of spiritual science. When you actively work to relieve the hunger, pain, or fear of another living being β whether human or animal β you create an opening within yourself. That act of removing suffering makes you a receptive vessel for grace.
The grace-light is not a reward. It is a constant, universal presence. Our own actions, particularly those that cause or ignore suffering, create a density that blocks this light. Jeeva Karunyam, the active practice of compassion, is the systematic process of dissolving that density. It purifies the body and consciousness, allowing the ever-present light to enter unimpeded.
How Active Compassion Fuels Bodily Transformation
The ultimate aim of Vallalarβs path is the complete transformation of the physical body into a body of light. He documented three distinct stages of this process, all of which are impossible without the foundational practice of Jeeva Karunyam.
The first stage is the Suddha Deham, or Pure Body. Through a compassionate plant-based diet, mantra, and consistent acts of Jeeva Karunyam, the physical body is purified of all grossness, disease, and impurities. It becomes radiant, light, and free from the normal processes of decay.
From there, the practitioner can develop the Pranava Deham, or Primal Body. This body is subtler, less dense, and appears to others as a youthful form that does not age. It is a body constituted more of light than of flesh. Vallalar taught that none of these techniques can take root without Jeeva Karunyam β active compassion that prevents suffering in other living beings.
The final stage, which witness accounts attribute to Vallalar himself, is the Gnana Deham, or Wisdom Body. This is the complete dissolution of the physical form into the pure, deathless substance of the Vast Grace-Light. This state of physical immortality has been described in other traditions, with the βrainbow bodyβ of Tibetan Dzogchen being a distant contextual parallel, though Vallalarβs documented science is distinct.
A Practical First Step in Jeeva Karunyam
You do not need to perfect your feelings to begin this practice. Vallalarβs science starts with action.
Today, choose one meal and make it an act of Jeeva Karunyam. Consciously replace any animal-based food on your plate with a plant-based option. As you eat, hold the simple awareness that this meal did not require the suffering or death of another living being. Notice the quiet clarity that comes from this small, deliberate act of compassion. This is the first step.
You came here for universal compassion teaching 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