Vallalar taught that what you eat shapes how open you are to the divine. Plant food, eaten simply and taken without harming any living being, makes the body clearer and calmer, and in that calm, spiritual awareness can grow.
He wrote these rules down in his daily discipline, the Nithya Karma Vidhi, and placed them inside a larger path that begins with compassion for every living being (Jeeva Karunyam). Here is what he taught about food, and one change you can make at your next meal.
Ramalinga Adigal, known as Vallalar (1823β1874), was a Tamil saint who fed the hungry without regard to caste or creed. Read about his life and teachings.
How Food and Spiritual Consciousness Create the Subtle Body
The sattvic dietβpure, light, plant-based foodsβis the traditional foundation of serious spiritual practice, and Vallalarβs Nithya Karma Vidhi aligns precisely with this ancient understanding. For him, food is not just nutrition; it is the raw material from which the subtle body is made. What we eat determines the quality of the inner channels through which Arut Perum Jyothi, the Vast Grace-Light, can flow.
Vallalar taught that dense, heavy, or animal-based foods create blockages. They introduce the vibrations of fear, suffering, and death into the physical system. This makes the body a poor conductor for the subtle frequencies of divine light. The body becomes heavy, prone to disease, and its consciousness remains tethered to gross, physical sensation.
Conversely, the purest food produces the most receptive body. Light, easily digested plant foods build a physical structure that is clear, calm, and open. This is the first and most practical step in the science of bodily transformation. It is not a moral judgment but a matter of physics: you cannot build a body of light from materials of darkness and density.
The Three Stages of Bodily Transformation
Vallalar documented a three-stage process of transforming the physical body into a body of light. This was not a metaphor but a literal, biological process fueled by compassion, a specific diet, and the invocation of Arut Perum Jyothi.
Suddha Deham: The Pure Body
The first stage is the Suddha Deham, or Pure Body. This is the result of consistently following a sattvic diet and practicing Jeeva Karunyam, or active compassion. At this stage, the body becomes free from disease, waste, and the dense pull of gravity. The need for sleep lessens dramatically, and the mind becomes exceptionally clear and calm. The physical form remains, but it is purified of all grossness and becomes an efficient, clean vessel. This is the necessary foundation for any further progress.
Once the Pure Body is established, the practitioner can progress to the Pranava Deham, or Primal Body. The name refers to βPranava,β the primal sound of creation. At this stage, the physical form becomes increasingly subtle and radiant. The body is no longer sustained by coarse physical food but directly by the energy of the divine grace-light. Witnesses documented that Vallalarβs own body cast no shadow in his later years, an attribute he associated with this stage of transformation. The body becomes luminous, almost translucent, and impervious to the elements.
Gnana Deham: The Wisdom Body
The final stage, which Vallalar alone is recorded to have fully demonstrated, is the Gnana Deham, or Wisdom Body. This is the complete dissolution of the physical form into a body of pure light. The individual consciousness merges entirely with the Vast Grace-Light, Arut Perum Jyothi, achieving a deathless state. This is not an escape from the physical but its ultimate perfection. The concept is similar to the Rainbow Body in Tibetan traditions, where a masterβs physical body dissolves into light upon death. However, Vallalarβs teaching aimed for this transformation while fully conscious and alive, culminating in his final disappearance.
Foundational Practices for a Body of Light
The transformation through these three stages is not theoretical. It depends on specific daily practices that purify the body, mind, and soul.
Vallalar taught that none of these techniques can take root without Jeeva Karunyamβactive compassion that prevents suffering in other living beings. This begins with the refusal to eat meat, which directly causes fear and pain to animals. It extends to a conscious effort to alleviate the suffering of any being one encounters, especially hunger. This practice of compassion cleanses the inner channels more powerfully than any physical diet.
With compassion as the foundation, the central practice is the recitation of the Mahamantra. This is the sound-formula that attunes the body to the frequency of the grace-light:
AruαΉ Perum JΕti β AruαΉ Perum JΕti β TaαΉi Perum KaruαΉai β AruαΉ Perum JΕti
The translation is: βThe Vast Grace-Light. The Vast Grace-Light. The Incomparable Great Compassion. The Vast Grace-Light.β
Reciting this mantra, silently or aloud, invites the divine light to enter and begin the work of purification. It is the active call that complements the passive purity of the diet. A practitioner, after a week of this simple diet and mantra practice, might notice that the constant, low-level anxiety they used to feel has been replaced by a quiet sense of stability. The change is not dramatic, but it is real and felt in the body.
Replace One Meal Today
You can test this principle in the simplest way possible. For your next meal, consciously choose an option that aligns with Vallalarβs Nithya Karma Vidhi. Avoid meat, eggs, and overly stimulating foods like garlic, onion, and excessive spice.
Instead, choose simple, sattvic foods: cooked rice, lentils, or easily digested vegetables like squash or gourds. Eat in a calm state. This small act is the first step in the science of building a body that is receptive to a higher consciousness.
If that first plant-based meal shows you something, the Sanmarkkam Journey can take you further, with Vallalarβs own words a little at a time.
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