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VALLALAR:
Jothi Ramalinga Swamigal also familiarly known Vallalar (1823-05-10 - 1873-01-23) was born, as Ramalingam, in a village near Chidambaram in the modern state of Tamilnadu, India. He taught spirituality and established charitable institutions until his death and (according to belief) ascension in the village of Mettukuppan.
Vallalar's father was Ramaiya Pillai and his mother Chinammai. Believers say that as an infant of six months old, when Vallalar was taken to the holy shrine of Chidambaram, he burst into laughter when the auspicious camphor fire was lit before the deity. Chidambaram is considered to be the abode of the Cosmic Dancing Aspect of Lord Shiva, the third in the Trinity of Hinduism.
One day the brother sent him as a proxy for himself in the task of giving an exposition of Peria Puranam an epic poem by Sekkizhar narrating the episodes connected with the 63 Shaiva Nayanmars. Ramalingam did this so well that the audience thereafter preferred to have him for the discourses in future rather than the learned elder brother. The latter tasted the boy's delightful expositions by secretly listening to him during such discourses. The fame of the boy spread. People started offering him monetary gifts, which resulted in his disappearance and living as a renunciate (Sannyasi).
Though he obliged his brother by marrying, he never lived a married life. His wife was so moved by the obvious glow of spirituality in him that she cooperated with him in his celibacy and in his service of spreading message of eclecticism in the world. His worship of the flame in the lamp as the expression of divinity, gave him the name of Jothi Ramalinga Swamigal. 'Jothi' means lighted flame. In 1872 he constructed a prayer hall at Vadalur (20 miles from Chidambaram) for worship on an eminence from which the four temple towers of Chidambaram would be visible. When he was about 32 he moved to Karunguli, a village near Chidamabaram. Later he lived in Vadaloor and finally at Mettukuppan.
His expositions, his compassion for the downtrodden, his love to one and all of the human as well as the animal kingdom, and his spotless disciplined life even as a youth, brought forth thousands of disciples from far and wide. Miracle-cures were performed by him in plenty. He advocated a casteless society where everyone would uniformly seek the Grace of the Holy Light through the all-pervading Light within their own selves. His was a voice which refused to heed any but the voice of one's pious conscience. His prayers included not only the routine plea to God to show us the Light within, not only the universal prayer for the cleansing of our minds but also the unusual and unique prayer, in compassion, of asking for the dead to be revived by the Lord. He composed thousands of verses breathing universal love and peace, which are all available today as a single six-volume work called 'Tiru-arut-paa', (Holy Poems Sweeter than Nectar).He is today considered as one of the greatest Tamil poets of the 19th century, in spite of his total lack of any formal education. For more on Vallalar, click here.
The following books of Vallalar are available:
- Tiruarutpaa Volume 1 (.html, .pdf, .swf, Tamil)
- Tiruarutpaa Volume 2 (.html, .pdf, .swf, Tamil)