121

CHAPTER – IV

MYSTICISM IN VALLALAR

The ArutperunJothi Ramalinga Adigalar, popularly known as Vallalar, the

Great Munificient, may be regarded as the foremost of the saints and sages of

the nineteenth century, considering the heights, widths, depths and intimacies

of his integral realization of the Divine in all the inmost, inner, outer, and the

outermost parts of his being.

Vallalar was the one who affirmed openly and clearly in an unmistakable

language the deathlessness of his body which he attained by the power of what

he called "Arut Perum Jyoti", the Vast Grace-Light of the Divine in which he

identified as the Truth-Light of Knowledge, Satya Jnana Joti. He reiterated

Deathlessness of body as an essential part of the realization of the One blissful

Divine. A saint whose very soul-stuff was made of infinite love and compassion,

a sage of Truth - consciousness who possessed the divine knowledge and

science of deathlessness of body and attained its deathless transformation

along with the self creative power of creating all substances was considered to

be the greatest philosopher. Thulasiram opines:

The knowledge and attainment of deathlessness of body is

associated with the knowledge and power of self-creating all

substances including the divine elements. The Swami also said

122

further that the Divine enlightened him. This indicates that the

Swami had the grace of the Lord to see the material or phenomenal

creation in its true nature, when the veil of ignorance was removed

(11).

Of his, six volumes of "Arutpa", the poems of divine inspiration, the last

volume is unparalleled in spiritual history as it gives expression to his

realization of the vast world of Truth-knowledge and the Beyond, and touches

on subjects like transformation and deathlessness of body. Thulasiram

comments:

The quick transformation which the swami had both in regard to his

inner being and the outer physical body was made possible by the

divine grace which crowned him with a crown of the direct light, that

is to say, the Supramental Light had taken its firm station over his

head relieving him from the necessity of ascending to supermind

and descending therefrom as a process of transformation (14).

Besides, he was a critic, writer, publisher and commentator and had

knowledge in occultism, alchemy, astrology, and medicine particularly in the

nutritional and medical values of herbs and leaves. He was a musician too with

a keen musical taste for lyrical songs and he composed lyrics to express, in an

easier and popular style, his highest and sublime realizations of the Divine,

particularly that of Truth-consciousness (Satya Jnana). Thulasiram opines:

123

The Swami reveals the clue to transformation into a golden body of

deathlessness. He says that the Lord of Cit Sabha (the

comprehending Supermind or Truth-Consciousness proper, also

called Suddha Siva Turya) embraced him objectively in his outer

being in the plane or session of the Samarasa Sanmarga Sabha

(the tertiary session of Truth-Consciousness called the state of

Suddha Siva Jagrata) and by this embrace the Lord impressed on

his body a deathless golden form of His Body (19).

Ramalinga Adigalar states that God Almighty is said to be existing in the

whole of Great Universe for eternity. With His Ungracious power, He is to

blossom fully from the soul particle of a man of perfect Divinity. This shows that

He is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient. Because of these divine

attributes, the One Supreme Almighty alone is expressing out through any

number of Souls of persons come to live on the earth or earth-like planets in the

boundless universe at the time of full ripe.

The appearance of human persons is countless which is not permanent

but ever changing, disappearing and reappearing continuously. However, the

One Divinity working from the Innermost is the Only Entity living through each

of the souls in all times and places. Therefore, the Eternal God alone is making

His appearance in the form of each person only for time being. In reality, the

form of person is the expression of God and God alone. Therefore, the truth of

man is God Himself in fact. Without knowing his own true divinity, the bodily

124

being is considered to be the man himself. By the gracious knowledge of God,

coming to the comprehension of completely space-filled great form is the

universal body of God, and the individual human form is His own body of ever

changing aspect. Only for the Divine realization, God is assuming this human

life spun around His small atomic soul Form. From this soul atom, God is

coming to full experience at the omnigracious development. Thulasiram opines:

The soul is a spark of the Divine which is not seated above the

manifested being, but comes down into the manifestation to support

its evolution in the material world. It is at first an undifferentiated

power of the Divine Consciousness containing all possibilities which

have not yet taken form but to which it is the function of evolution to

give form. This spark is there in all living beings, from the lowest to

the highest (i.e. in the worms, animals and man) (187).

Vallalar says that God and Soul are not two, but the same divinity in the

universal and the individual spiritual atomic forms. This true divine soul

knowledge is not understood by the public untill this day. Therefore, the soul

was interpreted wrongly and differently by many people of different times. Now

by the gracious knowledge of God, one can come to correct understanding of

soul, which is truly the primary Divine Light Atom of God Himself exposed at the

very beginning of the creation of the human embryo.

Hence, Soul is but an atomic form of God, giving out all power of life

knowledge and grace for the final salvation. Because the soul of man is God

125

Himself, he should rise up from the sensuous bodily plane to the gracious soul

plane. From there the life of Grace must be begun anew. In the course of time,

the blossomed soul graciously fills up in the whole being of man to make him

eternal and Blissful Divine Being, This end is the real goal of man. That is, the

man’s goal is to attain the eternal Blissful Life of God Almighty.

The practical experience of the Divine Goal of eternal Blissful life is

given out by our Ungracious Saint Poet, Thiru Arutprakasa Vallalar. In this life

of Divine Goal, God Almighty Himself is coming out in the eternal form of

(Tamil) Arutprakasam which is in practical experiences of Divine Triple Body of

Gnana, Pranava, and Sudda forms. This triple body of Divinity is spoken of in

the Bible, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. With this highest Divine attainment, the

God-man is working now to lift up the humanity to the final Goal of Blissful life.

Ramalinga Adigalar’s highest truth is above all the human speculation and

conception and it is, by His Grace only comprehended and realized. No

religious prejudice should be entertained in knowing and getting the universal

truth and its goal, which is common to all.

Ramalinga Adigalar portrayed that the world in which we live has some

unknown force, which is ever acting in and around and makes the living beings

to undergo several changes. Of all the living beings, humankind is considered

to have the best form. The reason is that he is bestowed with a mind, with

which he can perceive the inner and outer things. From this, he is given to

understand that the unknown Force is nothing else than the God-Almighty.

126

A universal awareness has now crept in stating that the entire world

should be knit into a single Brotherhood of nations and lives as one family unit.

However, long before the advent of this awakening, Thiru Arutprakasa Vallalar,

a great saint has stressed this and thus dedicated his life and work in preaching

and practising a Universal Religion based on God-centered Beatitude. To attain

this deep, meditation and profound compassion are most essential.

He has composed about 6000 songs and this has been published in the

name of Thiru Arutpa. The theme and inner light of Thiru Arutpa is that the

Almighty, by his own self-will, has expressed in the human body and come to

exist as such.

This Divine compassion led him to write more about this Daeiou and

thereby brought out more than 4000 songs. Until now man by losing his

physical frame, has forfeited the experience of Sathchidaananda. However, by

following the part of this pure Sanmarga, man can become eternal and live

forever in a full-fledged Blissful Divine Life by enjoying all the experience. In

other words, he is destined to live within outward, which has not been gained

by anybody else except Vallalar. This will be a treasure to all those enquiring

feet towards Suddha Sanmarga. Ramakrishna Paramahamsar defines:

An incarnation of God or one born with some of the characteristics

on an Incarnation is called an Eeswarakoti. An ordinary man is

called a jivakoti. By dint of sadhana, a jivakoti can realize God; but

after samadhi, he cannot come back to the plane of relative

127

consciousness. The Eeswarakoti is like the king’s son. He has the

keys to all the rooms of the seven-story palace; he can limb to all

the seven floors and come down at will. A jivakoti is like is petty

officer. He can enter some of the rooms of the palace; that is his

limit (Qtd. in Vanmikanathan 21).

Understandable Divine mysticism is working from the innermost. The man

of real wisdom rises up to the higher plane of Supreme Grace, wherefrom he

gets by intuition, all the truths of Divine Secrecy. Saint Ramalingam realized the

most mystic Truth of the ins and outs of all. In order to attain the final goal of

Divine Blissful life, the knowledge of man is developing continuously through

innumerable lives. The spiritual soul experience is to be gained up to this earth

through sensuous life lived here. Above the sensuous pleasure and painful

states, dawns the life of Divinity. Omnipresent God Almighty has come out in

the soul particle in the mid-head of man. This soul truth can be practically

experienced only after overcoming all the sensuous and sensual attractions of

material, physical and mental planes. For the higher purpose of raising us to

the top level, all the mystic verses are furnished in this garland. Somasundaram

Pillai opines:

He speaks of the God coming to him, into the poor hut of his soul,

when he was lying tired and sleeping in the night, awakening him to

give food. He speaks, repeately, of how, in the cold and dreary

nights, when all around him was intense darkness, God appeared

128

to him and spoke words of consolation. He came and opened the

door of his hut, and gave to him the great gift of the golden mango,

the taste of which transformed the poverty of the soul into the

richness of God. It was this religious experience that he had in the

temple-that was the starting-point of his life as a religious teacher

and as the author of Tiru Arulpa, that is, the Poems of Grace, as his

admirers and people call them (369).

His poem Arut Katchi (Vision of Grace) describes an advaitic experience

which aligned him with Truth and Grace:

I saw a peacock dance

In the skies above!

My friend! The peacock became a cuckoo.

I gave up activities and saw

The Dancing Lord,

O friend!

Having rejected casteist and religious strife

I glimpsed the Glow of Grace,

My friend!

129

Destroying illusions I proceeded

And met the Dancing Lord,

O friend! (Qtd. in George 1054).

Unless we live a pure life of Grace from the Soul abode, all the pulls of the

lower planes can never be overcome at all. Almost in all stanzas, one is warned

from falling down into the black hold of hellish life. In each poem, God and soul

are coming to meet one another to get clear all doubts of the Soul. All the

questions and answers are given through the enlightened mind to the humanity

at large. The sweetness of the poems can be tasted well only in Tamil as it is. It

will lose its virgin taste, if it is rendered into other languages. Some learned

persons may try to express the inner meaning of the poetry, but it is doubtful for

putting the reader on the gracious plane. He wishes to let the world be

enlightened to make the whole humanity happy.

The following verse is taken from the Pillai ciru Vinnappam (My

Submission) which is a petition to the Lord explaining how he desires not the

mundane life and prays for divine help to relieve suffering humanity:

My Lord, this boon I desire,

I cannot stand even minor sorrows

That living beings endure in this world.

130

Not for a moment can I bear

To see that grief or hear of it.

May your Grace help my aspiration

To bring succour to beings

Struck down by such distress (Qtd. in George 1054).

Vallalar says that Boundless is the universe. This universe is full with some

Omnipotent and Omnipresent Supreme power, which is called God. From time

immemorial, this universe with its countless heavenly bodies existing and going

on eternally. This eternal existence of this great universe is the proof of the

Infinite-Being or God. Because one has been endowed with the Divine

knowledge of Omni, gracious God he is able to understand the real purpose of

this active universe. In order to reveal the Divine Truth, that Infinite God Himself

has involved and evolved into this great universe.

In the limitless ethereal space, the Almighty power was in the unseen form

of ether. From these ethereal particles, His Omnipresence has come to evolve

into all the basic elements to be created into the entire universe. Now, in this

creation, our planet this earth is fully equipped with facilities to bring out the

Divine Truth from the Innermost. The electronic force in the lifeless material

particles has made out all the atoms, molecules and material forms upto stars

in the sky. In every living being, one sees the life force and sensuous

131

knowledge. Especially in the human life alone, the mental, intellectual power

has come to play. By this force of mind, man is able to find out many outer and

inner secrets. One sees the wonderful works of the mind in this vast world filled

up with four billions of people. However, the ordinary mind is unable to

comprehend the Inner secret of Man, which is the Divine Soul itself. This Soul

or Self Knowledge comes out and is revealed in one’s self only when he

completely turns inward eschewing all the outward flowing of the sensuous,

material forces. In such an inner search, Ramalinga Adigalar discovered the

Divine Soul in the innermost. Thulasiram opines:

The Swami gives a practical guidance to his disciples asking them

not to waste their time and energies any more in the said religions

and philosophies but to follow the way of the Suddha Sanmarga

specially at a time when the coming of God. i.e., His manifestation

on the earth was imminent and that too when he was about to go

into seclusion. He gives them the Mahamantra of vast Grace-Light

as revealed to him by the Divine in assurance of Its manifestation

and consequently to mark the effective beginning of Suddha

Sanmarga. The mantra is open and direct expression

simultaneously of the truth of the Divine which was to manifest

imminently as also of the way of Sadhana (295).

The true soul knowledge does not easily understood by the people.

Because its subtlety and Divine attribute are beyond the conception of even the

132

learned. The most ancient Tamizhian by the Divine Grace had discovered the

soul Truth, and on that, basic Truth the whole Tamizh language itself was

founded. Therefore, with the help of this language one can realize the Inner

Soul. Since the mere Soul knowledge alone was not enough for the highest

salvation of man, it was not, revealed by His Grace for even thousands of

years. In addition, that Grace, only recently has come down and opened the

Spiritual eye of a Soul of a developed Divine Love. That Soul is shining through

Arutprakasa Vallalar. Thulasiram opines:

The Light of the universal Soul or Spirit is the Jnana Sabha or Cit

Sabha the field or world of play of Truth-Consciousness (i.e. the

comprehensive Supermind); the Light within that light is the divine

Spirit, God the supreme Being (i.e. the One-in-One or the Supreme

infinite Light-in-the Universal Light). The dance or play of

movement of this inner light of the Divine is called the dance or play

of the World of Knowledge which is the blissful dance of the divine

dancer, Nataraja (209).

This Swamigal of Divine Grace has been fully revealed of the Divine

Truth. He declares the Supreme God is Arutperum Jothi (Great Light of Infinite

Grace). That Infinite God of Arutperum Jothi by His Divine Omnipresent

attribute is expressing out from an atom held atop of the central brain-the

medulla oblongata. A deep study of this particular atom will reveal us the truth

of our Soul. This mysterious atom is giving out life energy to the physical body,

133

sensuous feelings to sense organs, intellectual and mental thoughts to mind.

Spiritual knowledge too comes out from this particle, and finally this is

discovered to be the Divine atom of Soul from which the Infinite God expresses

out completely and immortalizes the surrounding body by His Gracious

transformation. This is what happened in our Swami Ramalingam.

According to Ramalinga Adigalar, the Divine Soul atom is called

Atman. Though (Sol) is meant merely a word, it is taken to represent the One

word “Om” or the pranavam. Truly, this Om and (Sol) are pointing the Divine

Soul-atom. This word is nothing but our Soul or (Sol). The Soul is a Divine

Atom, which is developed into our whole Being.

Ramalinga Adigalar says that the power of spirit body is wonderful. This

spirit can enter into some child’s body and it will be living there for some time.

During that period, that spirit will be revealing its experiences gathered in the

past life. Therefore, it will appear as if the spirit has become incarnated into this

new form. After some time when the spirit departs from that body, the old

memories of the child will fade away and vanish. Often, one may come across

such a story of incarnation with such proof. Some believes and others unaware

of the truth disbelieve it. Either one believes it or not he need not cling to all

these, but he has to lead a Divine life. Thulasiram comments:

It might be said that what one calls ‘spirit’ is the atmosphere

brought by the Grace into the material world so that it might awake

to the consciousness of its origin and aspire to return to it. It is truly

134

a kind of atmosphere, which liberates, opens the doors, releases

the consciousness. It is this that brings in the realisation of the

truth and gives to the aspiration all its power of fulfillment (217).

People hold much respect and reverence towards the past Great men,

Divine personages and many deities. When the Soul truth is realized one can

perceive the one Supreme Almighty Himself is expressing out from each of the

forms. It is better to adore Him in the present circle than to think of Him in the

past bodily forms. One can love and serve the people around him.

Ramalinga Adigalar viewed the Divine Soul in himself. In addition, he

wanted to merge in, eschewing the outer body and life. It was thought and

believed by merging into the soul one can attain the goal of Godhead.

However, the inner life is nothing and there will be no practical experience

without the outer body and life. By the external renunciation, there can be no

prosperity in the worldly life. Therefore, the path of devotion or the bakthi marga

was chosen. All the religions are based upon the idea that man has to return to

Godhead from whom he has been separated somehow.

The Infinite God Himself has come to Soul stage in the human body and

from this stage. He is due to make transformation of the physical into a form of

His gracious light. Hence, in reality the Soul of man is but an atom possessing

the full Almighty Power. This Soul atom is infinitesimal. The Infinite God filled in

the whole of boundless space has come to realize in this very small soul

particle. This is the most supreme power of His Infinite Grace.

135

Ramalingar had therefore to be an ascetic that compassion and he be

together and lead his life in this world, that compassion and his life is one, and

that if compassion departs, his life too departs. Love of God is the

fountainhead of compassion towards all creatures. Ramalingar said, “If

compassion departs form my heart, my life too departs.”(Qtd. in Vanmikanathan

10). One could change the words and say with as much truth that if love of

God departs from a person’s heart, compassion towards creatures on earth

also departs. Those who do not love God cannot love His creatures.

Vanmikanathan opines:

When the ascetic is God-oriented, he is a mystic. A mystic has

been defined as one who “surrenders to a power of love that is

greater than human, and advances toward God in a darkness that

goes beyond the light of reason and of human conceptual

knowledge”. This power of love that is greater than human, this

power of love, which is compassion when world-oriented, this alone

is not sufficient when the ascetic is God-oriented. Besides being

loving, he has to be pure in heart and poor in spirit (10).

The Divine Grace commands from Soul and it is fulfilled in the outer life.

The Gracious God takes charge of the Soul-man and makes him himself. This

forms the headline, Infinite God in finite man. May this God of Infinite Grace

disclose all the secrets and give a blessed Blissful life to all Souls.

136

According to Thulasiram Religions have multiplied innumerably under

several names such as Saivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism, Buddhism; and their

gods, aims and goals and ways of discipline are only different modifications and

manifestations of tatvas or principles and powers of existence. Ramalingar

observes that they are not the true forms of gods as such, and the traditional

scriptures do not portray the essential forms of gods as they exist in

themselves; so too in regard to the essential nature of the supreme Divine.

These scriptures have given only mental pictures and constructions to the

Karma Siddhis of a partial kind and if one pursue after these siddhis of a little

value and significance, one would miss the main goal of realising the supreme

Divine Ramalingar says:

I myself stand as a concrete example to follow… It is not because

of my ardent faith and practice of Saivite religion that God has lifted

me up to this unclaimbable height but because of the equal vision

of seeing gods, all beings and things as the forms and substance of

the supreme Divine, and the feeling of compassion for all both of

which I followed as the Divine guided me in those days (Qtd. in

Thulasiram 291).

The Swami placed the light of a lamp outside his room asking them to

worship, for some time without wasting time, the said light as a form of the

Divine with the attitude and feeling indicated in the said poem, and telling them

that the light was full of the Divine Presence and that he intended to close the

137

door of his room. The lamp was lit by the Swami about two years before and

has been kept up burning ever since. Thulasiram opines:

Worship of a divinely sanctified form is not against the way of his

Sanmarga. But is not tied down to worship of form alone. As a

matter of fact, the Swami, in one of his public notices informs that

the light of lamp in the shrine of Satya Jnana Sabha was to be lit up

only until the open manifestation of the God of Vast Grace-Light

takes place which will become known through the performance of

His miracles (296).

Ramalinga Adigalar’s Sanmargam is composed from the four arts or

discipline. Siriya: The art of divine service in daily life. Kiriyai: The art to perform

Divine devotion or prayer, feeding the poor who have nothing is another form of

action. Yogam: The art of the truth path of communication or yoga is to live in a

good and excellent way. Gnaanam: The art of the truth path of wisdom is to live

absolute felicity while anchoring into the inner light with the Divine grace

presence. This is true knowledge.

Then it is important that to arrive at the level of Suddha Sanmargam it is

necessary to pass twelve levels of experiences, which include the first three

levels of experience described below. These three levels are each time

associated to the four art described above, three times four equal twelve. They

result is to attain the fourth level Saayuchiyam, the integrate union with god.

138

Ramalingar described the four levels of experience as Saalokam (Live in

god world), Saamipam (Live near god), Saarupam (Live in the self

consciousness that we are the same as god), Saayuchiyam (Reach the united

union and the unity with god). The united union refers to the inner divinity

realization: saarupam.

Ramalinga Adigalar has the four levels of experience that are combining

with the four Margams. The four Margams are: Dhaasamargam,

Satputhramaragam, Sahamargam, Sanmargam. Vallalar gives this meaning to

the four Margams: Become the servant of all living creatures, Become the son

of all living creatures, Consider all living creatures as our friends and same for

the opposite, Consider the life of all creatures as our life. In each Margam, one

have the four arts, four times four equal sixteen types of experience or levels of

evolution.

Ramalingar fulfilled ten disciplines, virtues that are laid down for an

ascetic. Eschewing eating of flesh, Thavam, Avoiding Unbecoming Conduct,

Not stealing, Truthfulness, Not Getting Angry, Not Harming Anyone, Not killing,

Realising Impermanence of Life, Renunciation.

To Ramalingar, God was his father. He asks God:

Son to you am I not?

And legitimate father to me are you not? (Qtd. in Vanmikanathan

23).

139

The spiritual lineage of Ramalingar can be summed up with this assertion

of Ramalingar. Sons of men can be orphaned, but the Son of God never. God

was in reality mother and father to Ramalingar. He was never an orphan. For

he had lord Civan, Ammai-appan, as his father and mother. More solicitous

than an earthly mother, Lord Civan looked after Ramalingar. He sings:

O Mother mine, sweet to my soul,

Who, when I was lying weary with hunger on a pial,

Came with a shining basin

Containing delicious food

In one of Your sacred arms, (Qtd. in Vanmikanathan 23).

God was not only a mother to Ramalingar, but a stern father too. A father

who dealt condign punishment when the necessity arose. Ramalingar bears

testimony to this in an entire decad of ten stanzas. He sings:

O Gem of a Ruby

Who bestow grace on those free of ill-repute!

O Munificent One!

I, a sinner, (Qtd. in Vanmikanathan 23).

140

God was not only father and mother to Ramalingar, but was also Guru

supreme. And, in this role, God gave Ramalingar the thiruvadi deeksha, the

guru placing his lotus feet on the head of his disciple in token of having taken

him as a slave whose future worldly and spiritual welfare was not longer the

concern of the disciple but that of the guru-god Himself in the case of

Ramalingar. Ramalingar has left a record of this unique event in his life in the

following song:

O my Guru who enslaved me saying:

“We have come to know

all the good deeds you have planned to do;

We came to see you in person”,

And lay down on the floor

With an intent to graciously place

Your flowery feet on my head,

And, Who, when I haughtily look hold of the feet

And placed them elsewhere,

Laughed and asked:

“What did you think, O my son,

141

have I not this much right?” (Qtd. in Vanmikanathan 24).

Such were the spiritual Parents of Ramalingar, the two-in-One Civan

whose most beloved form is the indivisible one of Ammai-appan, Father-

mother, translated by the ignorant as Arda-naareeswarar, the half-woman God,

raising in the hearer’s mind a picture of a freak instead of an image of the age-

old Tamil concept of and ideal balance of Justice and Mercy, Discipline and

Love.

A vision of earthly evolution into a diviner life, which is to take place

because of the due manifestation of the God of Vast Grace-Light on the earth

and requests the people to receive the God of Light here on the earth in full

honour and glory. This vision of the Swami occurs to him more or less on the

completion of the transformation of his body into its deathless state by getting

the triple indestructible bodies of the pure physical, subtle and causal-Suddha

deha, Pranava deha and Jnana deha along with a potential power even to

resurrect the dead into bodily life. Thulasiram opines:

He completely overcame sleep of the body. He observes that the

Lord by withholding sleep, gave him progressive riches of growth,

he overcomes the difficulties and as a result the attainment of

deathless and sleepless body full of blissful impulsions and

energies (662).

142

A vinnappam is an address of prayer to the supreme Divine as God of

Vast Grace-Light (i.e. the Supramental Ishwara) who is usually addressed in

the integrality of His Infinite Being, consciousness-force and Bliss manifesting

Himself as the beautiful Truth-form of Sat the Being in the world of Truth-

Consciousness-force and making the Truth-dynamism or Truth-play of Bliss in

unity.

It seems that the Lord directed the Swami to marry the Grace-Sakthi in

order to overcome the difficulties and reach the highest state of perfection. The

Swami married symbolically the Grace-sakthi (i.e. the Supramental Grace-

Sakthi) after a short announcement to his disciples. This indicates that he had

become one with the Sakthi, the divine Mother. It is by Her help that he finally

scores victory over death and attains all siddhis usually referred to as the triple

siddhis namely karma siddhi or karma jnana siddhi, yoga siddhi or yoga jnana

siddhi and Jnana siddhi proper (i.e. atma jnana siddhi and tatva jnana siddhi)

which are respectively (a) the powers of supramental intuition and inspiration of

ideas, feelings, will, word, etc., fulfilling into inspired arts and sciences.

Thulasiram opines:

According to the Swami a deathless body is constituted by divinized

five elements, namely, deathless ethereal substance, non-ignitable

air or gas, non-flowing liquid (cf: condensation of blood in Swami’s

body), soundless fire and non-obstructing matter (cf: his body of

supple and pliant bones and muscles) with a self-creative power of

143

constituting or creating all substances of whatever kind including

bodily substances (664).

The Swami admits that he was quickly transformed into the deathless

state of body. His realization of Truth-Consciousness of Satya Jnana or the

Supermind and the resulting transformation of his body too into its perfection

and deathlessness has taken place in an incredibly short time. This became

possible, because the Light of Truth -Consciousness Satya Jnana Joti was

formed above and within him and, by an integral realization and possession of

the summit of supermind. Ramalingar referred the tertiary poise of Supermind

thus:

In the Sanmarga Sabha the Lord kept me uniquely distinct or apart

from Himself “O Lord! Thou hast kept myself and Thyself in an

uniting contact of oneness or unity : keeping myself and himself into

one formation, the Lord drew me apart giving me the form of bliss

(Qtd. in Thulasiram 673).

However it is conceivable evident that by the special union with the Divine

at the bodily level on the earth, both the Divine Being of Light and the Swami

with the truth-conscious Light of his being, nature and body should have

descended into the Inconscient or got involved and engulfed temporarily by the

material Inconscience but working out from within the Inconscient matter so as

to play the siddhis in due course of time. Thulasiram opines:

144

The swami’s sacrifice of deathless body was directed towards a

two-fold purpose. It was meant not only for the manifestation of the

Light or Being of the Light on earth, but also for the preservation of

the gains of His transformed body for the mankind in its

evolutionary march. The Divine should have fixed the Swami’s

being, nature and deathless bodily substances into the inconscient

earthly matter in order to make him serve as a medium of

response, as a responding force and being of the transforming

Light in the earth-nature and in its inconscient bed (682).

All glory to the Supreme Divine who has secretly fulfilled Himself through

the sacrifices of Swami Ramalingam and is now fulfilling more openly:

Arut Perunjothi Arut Perunjothi

Thanip Perung Karunai Arut Perunjothi

Vast Grace-Light Vast Grace-Light

Supreme Compassion Vast Grace-Light (Swami Ramalingam).

(Qtd. in Thulasiram 685).

Ramalingar, the Mystic in those decades of the Thiruvarutpaa in which he

plays the role of the bride, and Lord Nataraja is the Bridegroom. Every stage,

every aspects of the journey are on the Mystic Way. It seemed to be therein the

awakening of the self, the purification of the self, the illumination of the self,

145

phonic and photic phenomena, recollection and quiet, contemplation, ecstasy

and rapture, the dark night of the soul, and the unitive life. The awakening of

the self, etc. is stages on the Mystic Way.

Ramalingar was, a bride of the Lord from his very birth, nay, from his very

conception. He was indisputably a bride from the day the parents took him as a

child of five months to the temple of Nataraja in Chidambaram. Resting in the

crook of the arm of its mother, the child of five months gurgled with laughter

when the curtain veiling the Mystery of Mysteries, the Chidambara-rahasyam,

was lifted. Vanmikanathan opines:

Ramalingar actually laughed in the presence of his Beloved,

revealing for all the world to know his intimacy with Lord Natarajar,

an intimacy not of today or yesterday but of several past births. He

has declared this in several songs (90).

The purpose of the earthworm, the lowly earthworm is to nitorgenise the

earth. In addition, the purpose of being born as man is to travel towards his

Creator and unite with Him. To realise this is the awakening of one’s soul.

Ramalingar-he refers to the soul in the frame of the human being who went by

the name of Ramalingar in the world-that Ramalingar woke to his self in his

very early childhood, even when he was barely eight or nine years old, the age

at which he sang the Theivamani maalai. Vanmikanathan comments:

146

Once the awakening of the soul has set in, there is but one thing to

do, that is, set out on the quest of the feet of the Lord. The first

step, a sine qua non step, an indispensable step in the soul-

searching, soul-searing one of purification of the self, the purgation

of the self (91).

Ramalingar is ready to travel up the Mystic Way, from Darkness to Light,

from Ignorance to Knowledge. Decads, seventy seven to one hundred and

three’ of the Second Book of the Thiruvarutpaa chronicle, step by joyous step

the journey on this section of the Mystic Way in language of bridal mysticism. In

Thiru-ula-p-peru, he sings:

(When, in the past), the rare to be sought out One,

the City of Otri’s Lord, Thiyagesan,

used to come on a state drive,

I used to go in the company

of girls of flower-adorned shoulders

shapely and smooth like a bamboo,

and behold him and rejoice.

But I never knew myself smitten

147

with languishing love for Him.

But now, the moment I beheld Him,

my saree has slipped down

and my bangles have slid down my wrists!

O friend with flower-bedecked tresses,

tell me why I stand rooted here,

a very embodiment of desire (Qtd. in Vanmikanathan 92).

Ramalingar records a greater vision. The Presence Ramalingar saw in

the Hall was Natarajar, the Godhead, and the Brahman. He who knew the

boon, which Ramalingar received, was God in time. God who becomes and

disbecomes the journey on the Unitive Way is composed of several factors of

experience: Recollection and Quiet, Contemplation, Ecstacy and Rapture, Dark

Night of the Soul, and Unitive Life.

The omnipotent God eternally exists in two aspects. One can see and

sense in the external universe is the outer aspect of Him. The cause and effect

of this boundless universe is the Inner aspect of Him. Though these two

aspects are eternal, the outer - one is visible and ever changing on the other

hand the Inner - one is invisible and changeless. From the Innermost, the

Almighty power is ever expressing out all to appear, disappear and reappear in

148

the whole universe. The man with all his sense organs, reasoning mind material

and mechanical aids is unable to find out either the Outer-most of the universe

or the Innermost of himself. The spiritual philosophers and yogis have gone

deep into themselves and there they have experienced some Divine mystic

power. From this Inner experience of the self or soul, which is permanent, the

knowledge of the two aspects of God becomes known.

According to Ramalingar along with that life energy, sensuous knowledge

too develops and blossoms into intellectual mind in the human life. This mind

has been endowed with the reasoning power by which the man is exploring all

the outer and inner truths. The life-giving atom in man is found out, to be

shining from the mid head of the man through out his lifetime. The mystic atom

of life and light is switched on and off by some unknown agent. The higher

psychic knowledge of yogis has revealed that the mystic atom is the Divine soul

atom of Atman. This soul atom is the Eternal abode or God who is One

Supreme. It is existing Omni presently forever. He is commanding and ruling

from this atom for all the creation and destruction in the world.

The soul atom of man is really the Eternal throne of God Himself, His

Omnipresent attribute makes Him to express out from everywhere. In any form

of expression, He projects only very small portion of His Being; but that too

comes to realization when the man transcends to that soul plane. There is none

but Him existing Eternally without changing in the innermost and with changing

outwardly. Hence, in man too, the soul and living body are really the double

149

expression of God Himself. Untill now the man was holding himself to be a

physical being of temporary life. Even a yogic philosopher by his unripe soul

knowledge was thinking that he was only a soul being brought out to this

physical life in order to get the self-realization. After that soul realization, he

merges into it and loses the outer frame. Thus, his Divine knowledge and soul

experience end. To this soul atom, the eternal life is to come through the outer

life only. From outside one cannot life as eternal life. Therefore, he must at first

take his lodging at the soul abode.

The soul atom is common to both God and man. In reality of higher Divine

experience, man and God are the same. Without clinging to the sensuous life,

the man is to live a pure life of Divine Love from the Innermost. By His Omni

grace, this Divine man is entitled to live an Eternal Blessed life. This Eternal life

of God is the Divine right of man. To be unaware of this Divine right and

passing away ignorantly is not the Will of God.

Death is not the end of the man. In death, only the physical body is lost.

After the physical death, the soul unfolds its life energy to form another body of

new birth in this world. Here, one is to know something about the spirit body

and the spiritual world. At the time of death, the outer body begins to decay and

dissolve in the meantime the spirit form that comes out of the corpse continues

a ghost life for a longer period. This spirit or ghost may enter in some other

body and reveal something not a holy one of Divine quality. This spirit of a

departed person may be guiding its devout followers and worshippers for a long

150

time. However, through that medium, no one can get the highest salvation. The

true Divine life is to come directly from the Soul itself.

The soul knowledge and life are obtainable only in the physical life of

material world. Unless one realizes his Divine soul life in this world, he cannot

live in Oneness of Him. Therefore, he who lives in God will be blessed with

immortalization. This is the Deathless life. Without understanding this Eternal

Life, all the people of the world are passing on and passing away. The worldly

religions are not teaching the humanity about the Supreme Truth of Almighty

God, who is Only One for all. The present scientific mechanical life, the

religious material life and the physical spiritual life cannot enable the man to

obtain the Blessed Eternal Life.

Deathlessness and a Blissful life is the goal of man. This life opens from

the soul or Innermost of every one. Therefore, it is not bound against any

religion. There is no hindrance to any body to live in any circumstance.

Ramalingar says that people of the world without knowing the most

Supreme Divine Truth are imagining and demonstrating many things about

God, Atman, soul and spirit. The religious scriptures, philosophical treatises,

scientific theories and all the isms of today have not brought a peaceful and

happy life in the world. It is seen that some fast changes are happening in all

the life of humankind. The Omni gracious Light of God is spreading on the

horizon of the Inner world. This truth of Divine Light has been revealed and

realized by our Swami Ramalingam (Thiru Arutprakasa Vallalar of Vadalur). As

151

a Proof of his true realization, he has attained immortality. Those who come to

abide in the Soul Divine can perceive him and live a life of compassion in

Oneness of himself. The old attainment of soul stage is, not at all a death less

life. The life that is evolved from that Eternal soul transforms the nature of body

to fill up by everlasting light of Grace. Hence the deathlessness to man is the

Divine Will and order.

According to Ramalingar Omni grace God Infinite is ever present in the

boundless space of our limitless universe. With his full power, He is revealing

Himself from the Innermost of everything. In each expression of Him, He is

expressing only a very little amount of His power and attribute. In the beginning,

the whole space was supposed to be vacant, but in reality it is not so, it is

eternally filled with the Divine force of Omnigrace, which is being implemented

to evolve into this multifarious universe. Vanmikanathan opines:

The mystic Five Letter mantra -Na-Ma-Ci-Vaa-Ya- in its various

forms, was very dear to our Swamikal. The mantra is called

ainthezhutthu in Tamil, and panchaaksharam in Sanskrit. Even as

the Four Camaya-Kuravars had sung on the greatness of the

mystic five letters, so has the swaamikal as well (61).

Only for bringing out the hidden Truth of Divinity, all the universal activities

have been set in motion. We misconceive space as a void, it is ether with its

electronic force and this forms important elements, which are numerous in

science, but all grouped into five elements in our conception. These elements

152

have served out planet to manifest as all animate and inanimate things and

human lives. In human life alone, the Divinity has to be evolved to supreme

knowledge into the full development of inner core of man.

Ramalingar says that there are vast unknown regions in the material,

physical, mental and spiritual planes. Man with his power of mind has the

potential power to probe into them. The Eternal Divine Soul of man is revealed

to a certain extent commensurate with his inner development and the outer life

of stainless Live-Divine. In the past, the knowledge of Divine Soul was not

clearly comprehended, but through meditation and yogic practice, some

spiritual powers and attainments were obtained from the lower nervous centers

and from the brain centre. Thulasiram opines:

Man is an evolving being. As the principles and powers of the outer

nature of his mind, life and the physical become increasingly

purified and refined, they enable him to enter into inner depths and

levels of consciousness in the universal ranges of Mind, life and the

physical which have secret contact with or are open to influences

from their corresponding heights in the overhead planes and levels

of consciousness. The inmost depth of the soul opens itself to

receive even influences from the high-seated divine world of Truth

or the Supermind but modified in transit through the intervening

planes of Overmind and Spiritual Mind ranges. Not being satisfied

with influences and visions from the overhead planes, the man in

153

yoga on and with the realization of his soul followed by self-

realization can ascend directly to these overhead planes

successively from the spiritual Mind to overmind from the overmind

to its summit and from the summit overmind into the Supermind of

divine Knowledge (309).

There were of the view that the soul was seated in the heart centre, but it

is now discovered to be functioning from the head centre. By the grace of

Arutperunjothi the plain Truth of Soul and God is now becoming known by the

practical experience of Thiru Arutprakasa Vallalar of Vadalur in Tamil Nadu. By

this Omni gracious experience, all the doubtful ideas of God and Soul have

been cleared.

According to Ramalingar God, the Omnipresent eternally exists infinitely,

that means, He is present both in the smallest particle, and in the limitless

universe. However, He is complete, both in the minutest spot and in the largest

space. He becomes known in the mid head, where it has been kept lit up from

first moment of the creation of the human embryo in the womb of the mother.

This light particle is not a newly created one, but it has come to be embedded

from its unseen presence to a cognizable state. From the very same Light

particle, every person is getting all his life energy, intellect as well as natural

and supernatural powers.

This light particle of Divinity is the same Divine Light filling the whole

space. It is revealed by His Omni grace that One Supreme God alone, though

154

indivisible in His form, is coming to enlighten the small spot in a person. This

particular particle of the supreme God Himself is the soul of a person. Hence,

this soul particle is really the form of God placed on the head of the human

being for his realization Thulasiram opines:

The Swamy himself distinguishes Grace-Light from Vast Grace-

Light and the both from God of Vast-Grace-Light. Vast Grace-Light

is the divine Light as in the Vast Realm of Truth-Consciousness

(Satya Jnana Peru Veli). Grace-Light is an operation or a working

of the Vast Grace-Light in the earthly field to guide the fit persons.

God of Vast Grace-Light is the supreme Being possessing

integrally the Self-Light within the Vast Grace Light ((Tat Joti within

Cit Joti or Arut Perum Joti). He also called the Divine Light as

Satya Joti the Truth-Light; Cidambara Joti the Light of Truth-

Conscious Sky of Knowledge; and as Joti Yut Joti the Light within

Light; Tat Joti within Cit joti; Tat Joti within Arut Perum Joti, the

Supreme Light of the Supreme Being within the Vast Grace-Light.

Tat Joti and Cit Joti (or Arut Perum Joti) are inseparable and each

implies the other also (901).

This Soul-atom evolved into the human being, is only a manifestation of

God, from the innermost of us. Ramalingar realizes our Divine Soul-Truth has

no separate existence except Him only. This Divine Truth of ourselves was not

until now known and experienced by us because of our worldly sensuous life.

155

Only when we transcend to the Divine Soul plane, we are able to know this

Truth.

This bodily presence is to make us live the Divine soul-life in this world.

Without this personal life, the Divinity can never be experienced. Therefore, to

live a Divine Life of Bliss, the physical body is essential to begin a new life of

grace from the soul place itself. With this higher purpose in view, our Sathya

Gnana Sabai, the abode of true Wisdom is now opened in us and our Vallalar

symbolically establishes this abode of True Wisdom in Vadalur.

The new era of Divine Omni grace began on the fine morning of 24 May

1867. It was a time of gracious period to get enlighten in both the Inner World of

Soul and the outer world of earth and heaven. At that time, the Almighty, with

Arutperunjothi for the Deathless Life of Bliss, solemnized Swami Ramalingam.

After his inner realization, a shrine of Grace was planned to be

constructed, at Vadalur, on a large area of elevated land thirty kilometers from

Chidambaram. This place is the only altar where one can come across the one

Supreme God of the whole universe. Here alone, universe (the bodily being of

man) and the greater universe of boundless space. By having Dharsan (seeing)

of the Divine Light in the shrine of Wisdom at Vadalur, an aspiring soul can get

enlightenment in the Inner shrine of Wisdom. Thulasiram comments:

Ramalingar was feeling the Lord’s Presence concretely not only in

himself but also in and around his place of living and he expressed

156

it in unmistakable terms that Vadalur and its vicinity bear a very

sacred atmosphere of purity and power where human aspirations

for realizing the Divine and for transformation into deathlessness of

body could be realized for ever and where also miracles of

resurrection to bodily life and transformation of the old into youth

would occur (555).

According to Ramalingar to realize the Divine Light in the Innermost, one

have to traverse the four stages namely sensuous body, mind, life and soul. All

these stages are depicted in the Temple by the octagonal structure and in the

inner central sanctuary with seven colored screens in the front of the Light. At

the time of Thai poosam, the aspirant realizes, the Inner Light or Omni grace

along with the rising sun and setting full-moon on the eastern and western

horizons. There are significant representations of pure golden and silver rays

on right and left. By this effulgence, one can led into the oneness of

Arutperunjothi in the shrine of Wisdom, from where to live the Divine life of

universal Love. In all the material, physical, vital, mental and spiritual

developments, that Divinity has been gradually growing to reach the final stage

of Divine Grace for Self-realization. Now in this human life, the Gracious God

has come to self-realization viz. that both man and God are the same in him.

All-powerful Omnipresent God has manifested from the Innermost Soul-abode

in the form of a developed man of gracious wisdom. Thus, this gracious wisdom

is now experienced as a true altar of Him.

157

The Swami describes the Vast Grace-Light as having self-determined the

universal five-fold functions of (1) creation, (2) maintenance, (3) destruction for

purification, control, renewal and re-creation, (4) orderly veiling or obscuring by

involution Tirodhana and (5) orderly unveiling or unfolding and illumining and

bringing out into consciousness by evolution which is an act of grace.

The soul in man was considered a separate entity other than himself, a

physical being; and for obtaining the Divine Soul life; it was believed that man

had to be relieved from the bodily bondage. Nevertheless, by relinquishing the

body, the soul loses all the life and experience and there would be no blissful

life after death. Therefore, if the soul needs a practical experience, then it must

be given a new human life of Divine knowledge.

The aim and goal to conquer physical death not only on an individual basis

but also on the universal level, is common to Swami Ramalingam. The

Swami’s Will and Command, based on the sanction of the divine Lord of Vast

Grace-Light, that god of death should withdraw and run away not only from the

heavens but also from the earth and more especially from the black waste or

dark vast realm of the Inconscient and become depleted in resources of its

substance and strength and die its own death, indicates essentially the problem

of universal Death and its solution.

Swami opines that the God of death had to run away from him in safety

because of the Truth-Light of Grace in him and in his body and due to his

victorious transformation and possession of a deathless and indestructible

158

body. His promise to come again in body to give deathless transformation of

body to others, especially after the stable manifestation of the Divine Light or

rather the God of Vast Grace-Light on the earth, has to be read as his further

mission intended for rooting out the universal Death. Thulasiram comments:

Swami had the power to relieve the sufferings and difficulties of

other around him by taking or absorbing them and canceling them

in himself or in his atmosphere, but without himself or his body

being affected in purity and without the need of suffering on that

account, because his deathless body had become and remained

absolutely and eternally pure (884).

Death or god of death was shaken in his foundation and perforce put to

the necessity of running away from his for safety and survival. Though this was

outwardly an individual fulfillment of the Swami, yet it has its collective impact

and influence as he wanted to make the result of his gains or conquest of death

available to everyman by entering into all bodies and by bringing about the

stable manifestation of the death-conquering Light on the earth and more

especially the concentration of its forces at his place Vadalur. Thulasiram

opines:

Swami’s final promise to come again in body, to give deathlessness

of body to those who are purified and prepared especially when the

God of Light manifested on the earth also indicates his future

mission in a new incarnation (887).

159

According to Ramalingar, a divine body can be thought of to have the

powers of Knowledge, Love and Light to influence others in their purification

and transformation of nature through not only the higher centre and faculty of

mind to reach into the lower. Ramalingar says:

I prayed for a never-decaying body such as is not liable to be

destroyed either by the wind, or by the earth, or by the sky, or by

the fire, or by the water, or by the Sun and the Moon or by the Lord

of Death, or by the diseases, or by the destructive weapons, or by

the planets, or by the ever so many other destructive acts of living

beings. O! People! Sure, it is. Don’t think meanly of this. Bestir

yourselves to reach my Heavenly Father, the Sovereign Lord of the

Eternal Light (Qtd. in Somasundaram Pillai 370).

Our outer Wisdom Temple of Vadalur is pointing out the Inner Truth with

which one inseparable Divine life is to be realizable. This Divine Life is intended

to be given to everybody who has come to live upon this earth. This kind of

Godly life is common to all; it is not attached to any particular religion or to a

particular sect only. All, the atheists or theists, religious or non-religious,

materialist or spiritualist are entitled to get in contact with Inner Light of Omni

grace-Arutperunjothi from where a new reverence for life makes the worldly life

blissful. All the people of the world in any occupation are in need of a true

happy life upon this earth. To achieve the real demand of contented and blissful

life, the old and new ways and means have not aided and guided the humanity

160

towards the true Goal of Blessed life, but through the Omni grace of

Arutperunjothi directed from the shrine of Wisdom, the whole humanity will reap

the harvest-the Goal.

Our Vallalar of Vadalur, the first God chosen man of Grace by living the

gracious life from the Inner shrine of Wisdom, has been awarded the deathless

Divine Life of Bliss. Indeed the Eternal Supreme God, though omnipresent was

not recognizable until now in His pristine and pure stage, because of His

impersonal Form. Now, He Himself has filled the Form of Vallalar to live here in

all His Personal spiritual and impersonal Forms for bestowing his grace on

humanity at their different stages of spiritual development. Somasundaram

Pillai comments:

One should court the company of the good that focus their thoughts

on thine lotus-like feet with single devotion; should shun the society

of those whose heart and lip disagree; should extol the greatness of

Thine august Self; should desist from uttering falsehood; should

walk in the path of Righteousness; should not be possessed of the

devil madham; should clean forget the tempting lust of womenfolk;

should never forget Thee; be endowed with Mathi and the wealth of

Thy Grace, and enter eternal life, free from disease (372).

Vallalar known to the world as a human body is now completely Divinized.

In other words, the Supreme God Himself has assumed the triple divine form of

Arutprakasar to govern the entire universe for eternity. The One Omnipresent

161

God of Eternity is now recognizable in this full Divinity in the form of Vallalar.

This God-Man is the supreme among the Divine Masters. Because the others

simply merged in God and disappeared while Vallalar divinized in its earthly

body it. Therefore, the whole humanity will be profiled by this unique guidance

of Arutprakasar.