Vallalarβs way of spiritual healing is not one technique added to your day. It is a change in how you live, from the ground up: first what you eat, then how you treat other living beings, then the inner life of prayer. He taught that this path heals the body as well as the soul.
Spiritual healing, in Vallalarβs teaching, is the gradual cleansing of body, mind and soul through compassion for every living being and the grace of God. It works from the outside in: food, then actions, then prayer. Its aim is a body free of disease, at peace and open to the Grace Light.
This page is about spiritual practice. It is not medical advice. If you are ill, please see a doctor as well. Many doctors now see spiritual care as part of caring for the whole person (Harvard School of Public Health).
1. Food: the first layer
Vallalar (Ramalinga Adigal, 1823β1874) gave careful rules for daily life, including food, in his Nithya Karma Vidhi. The path is plant-based: food that does not come from killing, simple, fresh and eaten in moderation. He was also a healer in the Siddha tradition. His followers preserved his Table of Herbal Properties and his Medical Notes; these are the views of a traditional system of medicine, so ask a doctor before using any herb.
Start with one plant-based meal a day.
2. Compassion: the second layer
The heart of the path is Jeeva Karunyam, compassion for every living being. Ease hunger and suffering wherever you meet them, and stop causing them. Vallalar called compassion the key to Godβs grace. It is also healing in itself: it softens anger and fear, the old wounds that keep a person ill at ease. His own words are in Jeeva Karunya Ozhukkam.
3. Prayer: the third layer
Each morning, and whenever the mind is troubled, repeat the Mahamantra:
Arut Perum Jyoti, Arut Perum Jyoti, Thani Perum Karunai, Arut Perum Jyoti.
(The Vast Grace Light, the Vast Grace Light, the Unique Great Compassion, the Vast Grace Light.)
It calls on the Grace Light, Arut Perum Jyoti, which Vallalar knew as the source of all healing. Our page on how to pray goes further.
What a day can look like
- Morning: wake early, wash, sit for the Mahamantra.
- Meals: plant-based and simple; share some with a living being that is hungry.
- Through the day: speak without harshness; help where you can.
- Evening: the Mahamantra again, for yourself and for someone who is ill.
Vallalarβs path is compassionate, not punishing. Missing a day is not failure. Begin again.
Where the path leads
Healing in Vallalarβs sense goes further than feeling better. He taught that a life of compassion and grace changes the body itself: pure and free of disease, then subtle and full of grace, and at last one with the Grace Light, beyond death. Our page on the point of life explains the three stages.
Questions people ask
What are the main types of spiritual healing?
Many traditions use prayer, meditation and laying on of hands. Vallalarβs path is a whole way of living: plant-based food, compassion and the Mahamantra.
Can spiritual healing replace medicine?
No. Use both. Spiritual practice supports healing; it does not replace a doctor.
How do I start spiritual healing at home?
Begin with the Mahamantra each morning and one plant-based meal a day. Add one act of compassion daily.
Does prayer help healing?
Research on prayer and healing is mixed, as this review of the evidence shows. Many people find prayer brings calm and courage when they are ill. Vallalar taught that it opens us to grace.
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