The Saint-Scientist Vallalar has a precise answer for what you came here for, which is will humans become immortal. Below, you will find the three-stage body transformation Vallalar documented in his writings, Thiru Arutpa β and the historical evidence that suggests he completed it. While many traditions speak of immortality as myth or metaphor, Vallalar presented a repeatable, scientific process grounded in compassion and a specific way of life. To understand his answer, we need to look at the man who claimed to have achieved 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 feats β though he dismissed anything supernatural, insisting that everything he did was a science. Vallalarβs central teaching, the Suddha Sanmarkkam, or the βTrue Path,β is a universal path open to all, irrespective of religion, caste, or creed. On January 30, 1874, accounts from those present record that he locked himself in a room in Mettukuppam and was never seen again β his body never found. This event is documented by government records and by British Collector John Henry Garstin.
The Evidence: A Witnessed Disappearance, Not a Myth
The skepticism in the question βwill humans become immortalβ deserves a direct answer grounded in evidence, not just reassurance. Vallalarβs case is compelling because it does not rely solely on the accounts of his followers. His final act, the dematerialization of his physical body, was a public event recorded by the British colonial administration.
When Vallalar announced his intention to enter the room and dissolve his body into light, he instructed his followers not to open it. After a period, officials from the South Arcot district, including the Collector John Henry Garstin, arrived to investigate. They unsealed and opened the room to find it empty. There was no body, no sign of escape, and no remains. This official government report turns the event from a matter of faith into a historical record to be weighed.
Vallalar did not ask anyone to take his claims on faith alone. He left behind the Thiru Arutpa, a six-volume work meticulously documenting his own physical and spiritual transformation. The honest answer to the question of immortality starts here: one man apparently did it, and he wrote down exactly how.
So, will humans become immortal? Vallalarβs Three-Stage Transformation
Vallalarβs teaching presents the physical body not as a limitation to be discarded, but as a laboratory for a profound alchemical process. He outlined a three-stage transformation that progressively turns the mortal, flesh-based body into an immortal body of divine grace-light. These are not metaphors; he described them as distinct, observable physiological states.
Stage One: Suddha Deham (The Pure Body)
The first stage begins with purifying the physical form. This is achieved through two foundational practices. The first is a strict plant-based diet, detailed in his text Nithya Karma Vidhi, which eliminates foods that cause suffering to other beings or create density in the body. The second, and more important, is Jeeva Karunyam β active, relentless compassion for all living beings. Vallalar taught that none of the advanced techniques can take root without a heart that actively works to prevent suffering in others. The Suddha Deham is a body made resilient to disease, decay, and the natural process of aging.
Once the physical body is purified, the transformation into the Pranava Deham begins. This is a body made not of flesh, but of subtle light and sound. The primary practice for this stage is the constant recitation of the Mahamantra, a tool for invoking the divine grace-light, or Arut Perum JΕti.
The mantra is:
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.
This practice, combined with unwavering compassion, gradually replaces the gross physical elements with a luminous, subtle form. While some traditions, like Tibetan Buddhism with its concept of the Rainbow Body, have similar ideas, Vallalarβs documentation provides a uniquely detailed and systematic methodology.
Stage Three: Gnana Deham (The Wisdom Body)
The final stage, the Gnana Deham, is a body of pure wisdom and consciousness, fully merged with the Vast Grace-Light. According to the Thiru Arutpa and the witness accounts of his disappearance, this is the state Vallalar achieved. It is a form without physical limitation, capable of appearing and disappearing at will, a perfect expression of divine compassion. This ultimate state is presented as the final destination of the human form, a potential that Vallalar demonstrated was real.
Who Can Walk This Path?
Vallalar was clear that his Suddha Sanmarkkam was not for a select few. He intended it for every human being willing to undertake the discipline. The path to the Suddha Deham and the beginning stages of the Pranava Deham are accessible to anyone who commits to the foundational practices of compassion and a pure diet. The only qualification is a sincere desire to end suffering, both for oneself and for all other beings. It is a path that begins not with complex meditation, but with the simple choice of what to put on your plate and how you treat the person or animal in front of you.
A Concrete Step Toward a Deathless Body
You do not have to believe in the final stage to begin experiencing the benefits of the first. The journey to a purified body starts with a single, conscious choice. Today, take one concrete action from Vallalarβs foundational teachings. Replace one meal that contains animal products with a plant-based option from his Nithya Karma Vidhi. Choose simple, sattvic foods like rice, lentils, gourds, or stem vegetables. This one act reduces suffering in the world and begins the process of purifying the physical vehicle, which is the first step on the path he laid out.
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