The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is how to connect with the divine. This article details the three-stage transformation of the human body that Vallalar documentedβthe path he laid out for anyone to experience this divine light directly. You may have heard of this light before, but likely as a metaphor. While many traditions speak of divine light as a concept, Vallalar treated it as a repeatable science with specific stages and requirements. To understand his method, 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 featsβthough 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 daily without interruption since 1867. On January 30, 1874, accounts from those present record that he locked himself in a room in Mettukuppam and was never seen againβhis body never found. This event is documented by government records and by British Collector John Henry Garstin.
The Nature of the Divine: Arut Perum Jyothi
For Vallalar, the divine was not an abstract being in a distant heaven. It was a direct, visible, and tangible presence he called Arut Perum Jyothiβthe Vast Grace-Light. He did not speak of this as a poetic image. He encountered it as a luminous reality and documented that encounter across the six volumes of his work, the Thiru Arutpa.
Mystical experiences of light appear across many traditions, but Vallalarβs contribution was to name it, describe its qualities, and provide a precise method for any human being to attune to it. He taught that this Grace-Light is the very substance of God and the source of all compassion and intelligence. Connection with the divine, therefore, is not a matter of belief but of transforming the physical body into a vessel capable of receiving and expressing this light.
How to Connect with the Divine: The Three Bodies of Light
Vallalar detailed a three-stage process of physical transformation that allows for a progressively deeper union with the Grace-Light. He saw the body not as an obstacle to spiritual life, but as the very instrument through which the divine could be realized. This process is distinct from many esoteric systems and bears only a surface resemblance to concepts like the Tibetan rainbow body.
The first stage is the Suddha Deham, or the Pure Body. This is achieved through a foundation of absolute compassion and a specific plant-based diet. Vallalar taught that eating meat or causing harm to any living being obstructs the bodyβs ability to receive grace. The Pure Body becomes free of disease, aging slows, and the physical form begins to radiate a subtle brightness.
The second stage is the Pranava Deham, or the Primal Body. As the practitioner deepens their attunement to the Grace-Light, the physical body becomes even more refined. It is described as becoming semi-ethereal, no longer casting a shadow and not requiring conventional food for sustenance. At this stage, the body is sustained directly by the divine light.
The final stage, which Vallalar alone is documented to have fully realized, is the Gnana Deham, or the Wisdom Body. Here, the physical form dissolves completely into the Vast Grace-Light, becoming one with it. This is the ultimate connection, a state of deathless existence as pure light and compassion. According to witness accounts and his own writings, this is what occurred on the day of his final disappearance.
The Foundation: Compassion and Purity of Body
Vallalar was clear that these physical transformations were not possible through mechanical techniques alone. The entire process rests on a single, non-negotiable foundation: Jeeva Karunyam, or compassion for all living beings. He taught that none of these techniques can take root without active compassion that prevents suffering in other living beings. The Grace-Light, being the essence of compassion, cannot enter a body that participates in violence.
This principle extends directly to diet. In his text Nithya Karma Vidhi, he outlined a diet free from any animal products, as well as certain plants he considered to be agitating to the system. He taught that the fear and pain an animal experiences at its death are imprinted on its flesh, and consuming it introduces that dense, fearful energy into the human body, making it impossible to refine.
To actively attune the purified body to the Grace-Light, Vallalar gave a Mahamantra, or great mantra. He instructed that its repetition turns the mind and body toward the divine presence:
AruαΉ Perum JΕti β AruαΉ Perum JΕti β TaαΉi Perum KaruαΉai β AruαΉ Perum JΕti
This translates to:
The Vast Grace-Light. The Vast Grace-Light.
The Incomparable Great Compassion. The Vast Grace-Light.
For instance, after reciting the Mahamantra for a few minutes, one might notice a subtle shiftβnot a grand vision, but a quiet sense of presence or inner warmth where there was none before. Vallalar taught that this is the beginning of attunement. This simple, direct experience is the start of the scientific process he described.
Begin with the Mahamantra Today
You do not need to understand the full scope of Vallalarβs science to begin. The path starts with a single step of turning your attention toward the Grace-Light. The Mahamantra is the tool he gave for this purpose.
Find a quiet moment today where you will not be disturbed for five minutes. Sit comfortably and gently repeat the mantra, either aloud or silently. Do not strain or look for a dramatic experience. Simply allow the words to be present. This act of remembrance and invocation is the first and most important practice for connecting with the divine as Vallalar taught it.
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