A Brief Introduction of

The Immortal Life of Ramalinga Vallalar and His Divine Mission

The Supreme Lord has blessed the Earth especially, and the other worlds too got the benefit of it indeed by Him sending His first Son* to the Earth. The Divine Child was born on 5 October 1823 at around 5.30 PM. The human parents of the Golden Child named the Son of God as Ramalingam. The luminous divine son Ramalingam used to sign as Chidambaram Ramalingam. The Sanmarga followers and people at large reverently and fondly called him ThiruArutprakasa Vallalar, the Holy Munificent of the Radiant Grace, and thenceforth he is popularly known as VALLALAR. The advent of Vallalar is the greatest milestone in the history of evolution and Divine Manifestation.

Vallalar, a Divine Incarnation, a mystic-poet, a social reformer, a spiritual revolutionist, and an evolutionist – a pioneer of divine transformation was sent by the Supreme Divine to redeem the world and to establish and lead the Suddha Sanmargam, the supreme pathway that transforms death and establishes the Immortal Life – the Greater Life of the Divine in a Deathless Body of the Grace-Light to live eternally blissful on Earth and also in the other worlds – the Supernal Life.

Vallalar was born in Marudhur, a place near Vadalur and also to Chidambaram, in Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India. He lived in Marudhur for a few months only. Vallalar was five months old when his father passed away. Soon after his father’s demise, the family had shifted to Ponneri Chinnakavanam, Vallalar mother’s native place near Chennai in the year 1824 and after a year or two shifted to Chennai city. Vallalar lived in Chennai till the year 1858 – till the age of 35. Vallalar from his young age led a gnostic way of life.

Vallalar shifted from Chennai and came to Karungkuzhi near Vadalur and lived there for 9 years from 1858 to 1867 (Vallalar’s age 35-44). Vallalar, with the sanction of the Supreme, in the year 1865, from Karungkuzhi, started a new world order of the Divine – Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sathya Sangham to lead the people to live divinely with the Grace-Light principles of the Divine. Sanmargam is the Reality of the Supreme. Vallalar has said that the Supreme Divine is the Chief of the Sanmarga Sangham and he is authorised by the Supreme to lead the Sanmarga movement. The Suddha Sanmargam helps the beings not only in this world but also in the other worlds too for their divine transformation. Vallalar leads the Sanmargam with the Will of the Supreme. The Supreme Lord has bestowed all the governing Five-Functions of the Divine on Vallalar – creation, maintenance, controlment, concealment and manifestation, to lead all the beings of the worlds to follow the Grace-Light Principle of the Supreme, to the divine Truth-Consciousness and to the Deathlessness – to live eternally blissful of the Supernal Life.

Vallalar is especially known for the Divine Compassion – Jeevakaarunya Ozhukkam, the principle of non-killing, vegetarianism, regarding every being as one's own self, the psychic love – Aanmaneya Orumaippaadu, the soul-brotherhood and oneness, the divine Truth-Consciousness, and Sagakkalai, the art of Deathlessness among other divine aspects. The world’s redeemer Vallalar is the Grace-Light of the Supreme to save and succour living beings from their wrong doings and sufferings and to lead the human beings to grow into the Truth-Consciousness – the divine nature and to the Immortal Life – the Supernal Life in a Deathless Body – the divine living. Thus the Grace-Light leads the beings of the worlds to live with peace and harmony and happiness of the Divine.

Vallalar has composed about 6000 devotional and spiritual and metaphysical poems known as ThiruArutpa, the Hymns of the Supreme Grace in Tamil language – the Words of the Divine – Vallalar’s words are divine revelation and his works are decisive action of the Arutperunjyothi Almighty – the Lord of the Supreme-Grace-Light! Thiruarutpa is known for its literary splendour, metrical magic, philosophical exposition, metaphysical insight and emotional fervour – the Adoration of the Arutperunjyothi Almighty. Apart from his magnum opus Thiruarutpa (consists of total six Thirumurais–books), he wrote Urainadai, which consists of his Suddha Sanmarga teachings – the Jeevakaarunya Ozhukkam, the medicinal herbs, etc.

Vallalar’s Thiruarutpa is the Holy Book of God for all God lovers and aspirants (especially the sixth Thirumurai of Thiruarutpa is for all). Thiruarutpa is the scripture of Suddha Sanmargam. The Suddha Sanmargam is the pure spiritual path free from religion and thus it is the commonest pathway for all to follow and realise and manifest the Divine. Thiruarutpa is the scripture for true life – the Supernal Life, a light that dispels the darkness of ignorance, a Truth-Light that saves from falsehood, a key to find the supreme Truth, an awareness of the Reality, a key to realise the Supreme Divine – the Arutperunjyothi Almighty, a key to the art of Deathlessness – shows the way from mortality to immortality, a guiding light to the art of living divinely, an account of human nature and its transformation – a mantra for transformation, a mantra to greaten the consciousness, a note on the future of living beings (including man and the beings of the other worlds including the gods) and of the evolution, a note of prophecies, a prayer for all – for the total welfare of the worlds, a prayer to the Divine for the fulfilment of life, etc. Thiruarutpa is the gift of the Grace to all – the supreme Gift. Thiruarutpa is Vallalar’s own experience and his divine work. The conscious reading of Thiruarutpa helps one to connect to the living and conscious Force and the Grace-Light of Vallalar, which helps our journey from inconscient state to superconscient state. Therefore Thiruarutpa is the Holy Book for all.

Vallalar says that the Supreme Divine is in the form of the Supreme-Grace-Light and calls the Supreme-Grace-Light as Arut-perun-jyothi. Vallalar says that the Divine is One and the One Divine is the Arutperunjyothi Almighty, and all should adore only the One Divine – the Arutperunjyothi Aandavar, the Divine Lord of the Supreme-Grace-Light. Vallalar asks us to pray for all and he says, “It is not proper that one prays for oneself – only for the self needs. One should pray for the total welfare of the world and in that prayer all needs of one is also taken into the account.” Vallalar felt pity on those brothers (the people) who did not know the Divine and circumambulated him as if circumambulating the Divine – this blind ritual and also other religious rituals and superstitions he does not accept and tells them how to worship the Divine in a true way. When we adore the Arutperunjyothi Almighty, Vallalar is pleased and leads us to the One Divine rather when we reach Vallalar or when Vallalar comes to us, we are awakened in our consciousness and led to worship only the One Divine properly as well as led to realise and manifest the Divine. Vallalar is the divine source of inspiration as well as the directive Consciousness-Force of the Divine. Vallalar, with the Commandment of the Supreme, built Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sathya Jnana Sabhai (the Sanctuary of the Supreme-Grace-Light – the Hall of Truth-Knowledge, the Gnostic Centre of the Supreme Truth) at Vadalur in the year 1872 for people to worship the Arutperunjyothi Almighty and attain siddhis, and also in the Siddhi Valaagam, Metukuppam, in the month of November 1873, he placed the Holy Lamp, asking people to worship the Arutperunjyothi Almighty and he also told how to worship with deep emotional fervour with the help of his Jnana Sariyai Hymns to realise the Self-Light and the Supreme-Grace-Light and to attain the Immortal Life – a Greater Life in a Deathless Body to manifest the Divine.

Vallalar says that the Supreme Divine has the unique Compassion – the infinite Divine Compassion and His Compassion on us is nothing but Grace for us. Vallalar asks us to manifest compassion for all living beings and love for the Supreme Being to receive the Divine Grace from the Supreme Lord – the Arutperunjyothi Almighty. Vallalar emphasised two essential principles of Suddha Sanmargam among other great principles that must be followed – Jeevakaarunya Ozhukkam and Aanmaneya Orumaippaadu.

Vallalar says, “Jeevakaarunyam is the way to worship the Divine; Jeevakaarunyam is the way to receive the Divine Grace; Jeevakaarunyam is the key to the Liberation and get into the House of Bliss – the House of God.” And he is quite categorical that those who do yoga, tapas, vrata, japa, dhyana and seek jnana without Jeevakaarunya discipline would be the least instruments of the Divine (not a divine worthy person at all). You cannot regard them as one who has the light of the inmost soul. You must know that all these pursuits without Jeevakaarunya discipline are nothing but a mayajala (illusory) futile acts. Jeevakaarunya discipline means: manifesting psychic compassion towards all living beings and everything – non-killing, not taking non-vegetarian food, feeding the needy (free offering of vegetarian food only) – benevolence to those in need, and no violence of any kind in thought, will, feeling, look, speech and action. Aanmaneya Orumaippaadu is regarding all beings with love and oneness of the soul-consciousness for the love of God in all and the oneness with God in all – Vallalar decreed that all should manifest the AanmaneyaOrumaippadu, the soul-brotherhood and oneness for the welfare of the world – the world unity and the outcome of it will be peace, harmony, happiness, etc. If we put into practice these essential principles of Suddha Sanmargam, the Divine will do the rest for us to live divinely a blissful life – the Immortal Life, according to Vallalar.

Vallalar was deeply concerned with eradicating starvation and said that the main aim of Jeevakaarunyam is to relieve the miseries of hunger and killing. Vallalar with the Divine Compassion started Dharmasalai (a free vegetarian food offering place) in the year 1867 in Vadalur and named it Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sathya Dharmasalai – the Sanctuary of Jeevakaarunyam. He lived in Dharmasalai, Vadalur from 1867 to 1870. The Dharmasalai is continuously functioning – the firewood-stove in the Dharmasalai kitchen is always on since its inception 1867 and free three-time vegetarian food is offered to the needy and to the visitors too, that is the miracle of the Divine Grace and the Will of Vallalar. One should not allow oneself to become indifferent to the sufferings of others. All must put into practice the Jeevakaarunyam. Hundreds and thousands of Sanmarga followers offer free food to the needy. Jeevakaarunyam is the right to food principle of the Divine and Jeevakaarunyam is nothing but the expression of the gamut of soul – the Divine Compassion to all. Jeevakaarunyam is a basic necessity for the transformation of world – free from starvation and suffering, for Jeevakaarunyam receives the transforming Grace-Light from the Supreme Divine Arutperunjyothi. Vallalar leads the Jeevakaarunya movement. The plenary inspiration, the guiding Light and the Force of Vallalar helps us to manifest love and compassion, which opens the being to receive the Grace-Light, and with the Grace-Light we live a holy way of life and grow into the Immortal Life – to live divinely is a great help to others indeed.

Vallalar was graced with a highest evolution on the Earth plane as well as on the other planes too. The advent of Vallalar is the greatest milestone in the history of evolution. Vallalar’s entire being including physical body was transformed into deathless divine being. Vallalar had become the Supreme-Grace-Light. The supreme Grace-Light of Vallalar is the evolutionary force that leads us to evolve to the Highest and become the deathless divine being – the deathless gnostic beings, the deathless theandric beings (means the divine being in the human form) upon Earth in the pathway of Suddha Sanmargam. The evolutionary force of the Vallalar also helps the beings in the other worlds to evolve too. He has been decisively working for the transformation of human beings and for higher beings to manifest – that is the Will of the Supreme. Evolution moves with the pace of Nature in the grand scheme of the Divine. Since the advent of Vallalar, the evolutionary force of the Supreme-Grace-Light hastens and intensifies the evolutionary movement – the age of Sanmargam has begun.

Vallalar is the first one and the only one till now who got the Supreme State – the glorious Sanmarga State of the Divine on Earth as well as on other planes. Vallalar ardently prays to the Supreme for others to get the Sanmarga State like him. Those who are conscious and open to the Supreme-Grace-Light, feel and experience the Divine Force working in them as well in the world for the evolution of consciousness – divine transformation. When the divine Truth-Consciousness and the Supreme-Grace-Light descends on the being and penetrates into all the cells of being, it is then the being is transformed into deathless being of Grace-Light embodying and expressing divine Truth-Consciousness and Bliss. Vallalar shows the pathway “Suddha Sanmargam” to the glorious transformation and manifestation of the Divine – the life is transformed into the gnostic life or divine life – the Immortal Life. Vallalar leads all beings to live a life blissfully – that is the Divine Help; that is the Supreme Grace for all.

Vallalar shifted to Metukuppam Siddhi Valaagam near Vadalur in the year 1870 and started living there. At Siddhi Valaagam, Vallalar hoisted the Sanmarga Flag on 22 October 1873. Vallalar delivered a great sermon on this occasion and stated the significance of the Sanmarga Flag. The Sanmarga Flag is a two colour flag, the top one third is yellow colour and the bottom two third is white colour, which signifies the colour of the Light within – the subtle nerve from the Nabi (Navel – Manipura Chakra, the Solar Plexus) in the human body runs upward to the Centre inside the head, between the eyebrows – Ajna Chakra, the brow chakra, where a soft tissue-like thing is hanging – perhaps refers to the pineal gland, also referred as the third eye in the spirituality, a Light is there – the Self-Light and the colour of the Light is whitish in the bottom two third portion and yellowish (or golden yellow) in the top one third portion. Vallalar says that through the eye of the realisation we will see it. It is precisely to bring to the notice through external means in a symbolic way this Sanmarga Flag that is hoisted today and hereafter all would see it in their realisation.

Vallalar on the occasion of flag hoisting, in the great sermon gives the Mahamantra to one and all, and says that the Supreme Lord removes all obstacles, for all to get the Supernal Bliss – the Lord reveals the great words of the Supreme Grace, a divine Mahamantra to realise the final Supreme Beatitude, the Mahamantra that reveals the Truth of the Divine, and as it is revealed to me, I say on this occasion that like I experienced it in my joyous ecstasy of realisation of the Truth-Knowledge-Bliss you all should experience it without doubt, illusion, spiritual ignorance, confusion and wrong understanding which stand as obstacles to the realisation of the Divine. This I stated, stating and will state in the manifestation of the soul-brotherhood and oneness that rises ardently in me. This is our Lord’s Decree, our first Sadhana (spiritual practice) is Karunai – Compassion, and therefore the Lord has revealed to us this Thirumandiram (The Holy Mantra), as follows:

Arut-perun-jyothi   Arut-perun-jyothi

Thanip-perung-karunai   Arut-perun-jyothi

 The meaning of the Mahamantra

Supreme-Grace-Light    Supreme-Grace-Light

Supreme-Compassion-Unique   Supreme-Grace-Light

Vallalar says further in his great sermon that compassion, pity, mercy and Grace all signify the same thing. Therefore the knowledge of supreme Compassion is absolute Bliss. That is an unparallel supreme wisdom of the supreme Compassion. This is the divine revelation, in this way the Sadhana culminates, there would not be any obstacle to realise the final Beatitude of the Divine. You should know this in the maxim, “If one follows the book of Knowledge, it shall result in what is revealed in it.”

Vallalar has realised total transformation of his entire being – the triple transformation of the body – Suddha Pranava Jnana Deham (the deathless Body is the Pure Gnostic Body, the Golden Body, the Supreme-Grace-Light Body), and attained the Deathlessness (conquered death – transformation of death). He lived physically many years in the transformed Deathless Body of the Supreme-Grace-Light embodying and expressing the divine Truth-Consciousness. Vallalar went inside the room at midnight on 30 January 1874, and thereafter the miraculous disappearance of Vallalar took place as the Supreme Lord willed – the mystical event in the hour of God. Vallalar did not die. When the room was opened his physical body could not be seen – perhaps by the ignorant eyes or the Divine conceals the transformed physical body of Vallalar. Vallalar’s whole being including the body become the Infinite Existence of the Divine and Vallalar keeps manifesting as the Supreme-Grace-Light – the glorious manifestation of the Eternal. It is said that Vallalar told the disciples who gathered in Siddhi Valaagam just before going into the Holy Room and the hour of Divine, the following divine utterance: “Hereafter, I would be everywhere” – the one who become everywhere – merged one with the Spirit in all living beings and the Spirit-Light that pervades everywhere – the omnipresence – the eternal Presence everywhere – the immanent Divine.

NB: * The Supreme Lord has blessed Vallalar and said, “Thou art my first Son” – the first son of a non-killing family of divine lineage. Reference: Thiruarutpa Aram Thirumurai, (page 149, Hymn 606, 2004 edition, published by Thiru Arutprakasa Vallalar Deiva Nilayam, Vadalur, Tamil Nadu, India).

GLORY TO VALLALAR

The Supreme Lord has sent Chidambaram Ramalingam (also known as) Thiruarutprakasa Vallalar to this world. The advent of Vallalar is the greatest milestone in the history of Divine Manifestation. The birth of Vallalar was the beginning of a major epoch of spiritual and social revolution – the Sanmarga movement. Vallalar is the nonpareil Deathless Being of the Supreme-Grace-Light embodying the supreme Truth-Consciousness and manifesting the Divine. Vallalar is the ultimate definition of Divine Compassion and the epitome of Divine Love. Vallalar’s action is the incisive action of the Arut-perun-jyothi Almighty (the Lord of the Supreme-Grace-Light), – the transformative Force of the Supreme, the power of Supreme Grace and the Truth-Light Principle, the all-governing Five Functions of the Divine for the world transformation and divine manifestation. Vallalar is the leading pioneer of evolutionary transformation, and Vallalar’s supreme Grace-Light and Force acts as an evolutionary force for our evolutionary development to a higher and higher and to the Highest – to become the deathless divine being. And also it helps other beings in all the worlds to evolve. Vallalar’s Suddha Sanmargam is the ultimate pathway that annihilates death and establishes the Immortal Life – a blissful Greater Life or Divine Life in the deathless body, and also helps all beings to live happily.Let us ever be grateful to the Arutperunjyothi Almighty for the advent of Vallalar, the first son of the Supreme Lord who became one with Him and ever manifests as the supreme Grace-Light leading the Suddha Sanmargam for the world transformation and divine manifestation. Arutperunjyothi is the One Divine for all beings in all the worlds, says Vallalar. To pay our greatest respect and express our gratitude to Vallalar is to turn to his call and sincerely remain open to the Arutperunjyothi Almighty and live accordingly – to become a living example of Vallalar’s teachings is the only way to express our infinite gratitude to Vallalar and to the Arutperunjyothi Almighty, the Supreme Divine. Glory to Arutperunjyothi! Glory to Vallalar!

Dhinakaranar