‎Why Is Compassion Important: Vallalar’s Answer

Dear Soul, you came here seeking why compassion is necessary after being tangled in the situation where you question the need for being compassionate, I understand that. Here, the Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for the reason you’re here.

In this reading, you’ll see how compassion is not just a feeling, but a functional mechanism that directly ends suffering for you and for others, according to Vallalar’s spiritual science.

While many traditions treat compassion as a foundational principle, Vallalar taught it as the ultimate requirement for spiritual progress. For him, it was the basic principle that guides the soul to flourish.

The Life and Teachings of Vallalar‎Ramalinga Swamigal (Vallalar): why is compassion important‎

Portrait of Ramalinga Swamigal, known as Vallalar‎Ramalinga 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 — though he dismissed anything supernatural, insisting that everything he did was a science.

He established the Sathya Gnana Sabai (Hall of True Wisdom) and the Sathya Dharma Salai, a center for feeding the poor that continues to operate its non-stop kitchen over 150 years later. On January 30, 1874, accounts from those present record that he locked himself in a room in Mettukuppam and was never seen again — his body never found. This event is documented by government records and by British Collector John Henry Garstin.‎‎

The Central Prayer of Compassion‎

At the heart of Vallalar’s path is a Mahamantra, or great prayer, that he encouraged everyone to recite. This mantra is not a request for personal gain but a call for the two forces he identified as supreme: Grace-Light and Compassion.‎‎

The mantra is:‎‎

“Aruṭ Perum Jōti. Aruṭ Perum Jōti. ‎Taṇi Perum Karuṇai. Aruṭ Perum Jōti‎‎”

The translation is:‎‎

“The Vast Grace-Light. The Vast Grace-Light.‎The Incomparable Great Compassion. The Vast Grace-Light.”

Notice that Compassion (Karunai) is placed on equal footing with the divine Grace-Light (Arut Perum Jyoti). For Vallalar, these were not two separate things. He taught that the divine expresses itself as compassion. To access one, you must practice the other.‎‎

What Is Jeeva Karunyam? The Operating Law of the Soul

‎People see compassion as a feeling of pity or a moral choice to be kind. Vallalar’s teaching on Jeeva Karunyam goes much deeper. The term translates to “compassion toward all living beings,” from the smallest insect to the largest animal, and of course, to other humans.‎‎

For Vallalar, Jeeva Karunyam was not a trait to be taken lightly but a virtue that’s deliberately developed over time; it was the fundamental law of the soul. He taught that without it, all other spiritual efforts are useless. No amount of prayer, no mantra recitation, and no meditation can bear fruit if a person participates in the suffering of other beings.

Compassion is the switch that allows the current of grace to flow.‎‎This practice is also tied to Para Opakaram, or helping others without any expectation of reward or recognition.

Like a man weighed down by his own problems finally deciding to help the person next to him. From there, he got a redirected sense that helped him reduce the burden of his own problem creating a sense of relief for himself

Being compassionate helps with our suffering by offering comfort, presence and understanding. It doesn’t take suffering away completely, but it walks side by side with it giving relief of the heavyweight without bringing a false sense that everything is perfect when it’s not. This is not about feeling good about yourself. It is a functional response to a universal reality.‎‎

Why Is Compassion Important for Ending Your Own Suffering?

‎Here we arrive at the core of your question. You are likely asking about compassion because you are seeking a way to feel better, to find peace, or to end a sense of pain or separation. Vallalar provides a direct, functional answer: compassion is important because it is the underlying process by which suffering ends for both the giver and the receiver.‎‎

How does this work?

Vallalar taught that the soul’s access to divine grace-light is blocked by acts of cruelty. The most significant of these, which he addressed relentlessly, was the eating of meat. He explained that when you consume the flesh of a creature that died in fear and pain, you are ingesting that suffering. This act, he taught, creates a dense barrier around the soul, making it impossible for the subtle light of grace to penetrate.‎‎

This is not a philosophical or moral argument. It is a spiritual science. By causing or participating in the suffering of another being, you directly obstruct the flow of grace that would otherwise end your own suffering. On the other hand, when you actively work to end another’s suffering, by feeding the hungry, for example, you dissolve that same barrier. The act of giving clears the channel for you to receive.‎‎

‎‎How Vallalar Lived This Truth

‎Vallalar did not just teach these ideas; his entire life was a demonstration of Jeeva Karunyam. The most famous example is the Sathya Dharma Salai he founded in 1867. He lit a fire there with the promise that it would never be extinguished and that no one would ever be turned away hungry. That fire still burns today, feeding thousands daily.

‎‎His compassion extended to all life. Accounts from his life describe him walking carefully to avoid stepping on insects. He would weep upon seeing a withered crop, feeling the thirst of the plants as his own.

He refused to harm any creature, teaching that the refusal to kill is the highest discipline. For Vallalar, compassion was not one virtue among many. It was the single, non-negotiable prerequisite for a life of grace and the end of all suffering.‎‎

A Simple Experiment in Compassion‎

Words and theories can only go so far. Vallalar’s path is one of direct experience. If you want to understand why compassion is important, you can run a small experiment today.‎‎

Give food to one hungry being. It could be a homeless person, a stray dog, or even a flock of birds in your backyard. Do it without any expectation of thanks or reward. Do it simply to end the suffering of hunger for that one creature.‎‎

Afterward, be still for a moment. Notice what happens inside you. That small, quiet shift you feel, that sense of rightness, of warmth, of connection is Jeeva Karunyam beginning its work. It is the first taste of grace, not earned by prayer, but by action.

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