The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is why we should not harm animals. His answer goes far beyond ethics or religious law, connecting directly to a documented science of physical transformation. Below, you will find the three-stage body transformation Vallalar detailed in his writingsβand what each stage requires of us. While many traditions connect nonviolence to peace of mind, Vallalar linked it to a biological process that could remove aging, disease, and even death itself.
To understand how, we need to look at the man who claimed 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 featsβthough he dismissed anything supernatural, insisting that everything he did was a science. He established a center for the hungry that has fed people freely, without interruption, 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 againβhis body never found. This event is documented by government records and by British Collector John Henry Garstin.
Beyond Ethics: The Biological Reason Why We Should Not Harm Animals
Most spiritual traditions teach Ahimsa, or nonviolence. This is often framed as an ethical principle for creating a peaceful society or a psychological practice for calming the mind. Vallalarβs teaching on the matter is distinct. For him, the answer to why we should not harm animals is not primarily about ethics, but about physiology.
He taught that the human body is designed to receive and embody a divine substance he called Arut Perum Jothi, or the Vast Grace-Light. This light is the intelligence that animates all life. But he claimed that it cannot fully enter and transform a body that is hardened by violence. The act of causing fear, pain, or death in another living beingβor consuming a being that has experienced themβcreates a dense, opaque quality in our own physical structure. This density blocks the Grace-Light, leading to disease, aging, and eventual decay.
Nonviolence, in this view, is a prerequisite for spiritual biology. It is the act of making the body a clear and receptive vessel for a higher form of energy.
What is Jeeva Karunyam in Practice?
Vallalar used a specific term for this active, compassionate nonviolence: Jeeva Karunyam. It translates to βcompassion for souls.β This is not a passive state of simply refraining from harm. It is the active, moment-to-moment work of protecting life from suffering wherever one encounters it.
This practice has two primary components. The first is the refusal to cause death or suffering for oneβs own benefit, which is why Vallalar insisted on a strict plant-based diet. In his text Nithya Karma Vidhi, he gives detailed guidance on which plants are most conducive to spiritual life. He taught that eating meat creates suffering and ingests the terror of the animal, making the body unsuitable for divine transformation.
The second component is the active alleviation of suffering in others. The most important of these acts, for Vallalar, was feeding the hungry. He saw hunger as the primary suffering of the body. By feeding another, one directly participates in the preservation of life and opens a channel for grace. This is not charity; it is a scientific practice for purifying the self.
The Three Stages of Bodily Transformation
Vallalar documented a three-stage process of physical transmutation, fueled by Jeeva Karunyam and the recitation of his Mahamantra. He taught that none of these techniques can take root without Jeeva Karunyamβactive compassion that prevents suffering in other living beings. The central practice to accelerate this process is the constant inner or outer recitation of:
AruαΉ Perum JΕti β AruαΉ Perum JΕti β TaαΉi Perum KaruαΉai β AruαΉ Perum JΕti
This translates to: βThe Vast Grace-Light. The Vast Grace-Light. The Incomparable Great Compassion. The Vast Grace-Light.β
Suddha Deham: The Pure Body
The first stage is the Suddha Deham, or Pure Body. This is achieved through consistent Jeeva Karunyam, a pure plant-based diet, and devotion. In this stage, the physical body is purified of all gross influences. The practitioner becomes free from disease, the need for sleep diminishes, and the aging process is halted. The body becomes light, lustrous, and filled with a natural energy that does not depend on food.
The second stage is the Pranava Deham, or Primal Body. As the Grace-Light descends more fully, the physical body is gradually remade into a form of pure sound and light. It is still visible to others but is no longer subject to physical laws like gravity or injury. Witnesses documented Vallalar exhibiting such abilities. This form is said to be eternally youthful and indestructible by fire, water, or weapons. This concept of a body of light has parallels in other traditions, such as the Tibetan Rainbow Body, but Vallalarβs account is unique in its detailed, physiological description.
Gnana Deham: The Wisdom Body
The final stage, the Gnana Deham or Wisdom Body, is one that Vallalarβs writings and witness accounts attribute to him alone. In this stage, the body dissolves entirely into the Vast Grace-Light, becoming one with the divine intelligence that pervades everything. It is a state of omnipresence, beyond form and limitation. This is what historical accounts suggest occurred in 1874, when he entered his room and vanished, leaving no physical trace.
Start with One Compassionate Meal
Vallalarβs path from non-harming to a deathless body begins with a single, conscious choice. You can make one today.
Replace one animal-based meal with a plant-based option from Vallalarβs Nithya Karma Vidhi. Choose simple, sattvic foods that he recommended for purifying the body and mind: rice, lentils, cooked gourds, or stem vegetables like drumstick (moringa). As you eat, consider that this choice prevented suffering for another living being. Notice the feeling of lightness in the body that follows. This small act is the first step in the science of Jeeva Karunyam.
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