Great Gurus of India - RAMALINGA SWAMIGAL

RAMALINGA SWAMIGAL

RAIN WITHOUT DRENCHING

One evening the swami went out for a walk with the devotees. Suddenly it rained. All of them except the swami got drenched in the rain. Not even a drop of rain was seen on the swami body.

FEEDING THE UNEXPECTED GUESTS

One night, food had been cooked in the Dharma Shala for a limited number of people. Unexpectedly about a hundred additional guests came at the time of serving the food. Shanmugam Pillai, the man in charge of the food section, reported to the Swami that food was not sufficient to serve all. The Swami immediately rose up voicing forth “pich”. This was Swami’s characteristic exclamation at the time of performing miracles, possibly signifying that it was a child’s play and there was nothing impossible and there was the divine blessing to do what was need. According to Ooran Adigal, the biographer of the Swami’s life in Tamil, “pich” is a short form of “Pichchan” (name of the divine Lord) which is derived from “Pichchu”. We may add that the Divine Lord performs miracle as if a play of a tender child (pinju Pillai or Pichchu Pillai) or by an inexplicably miraculous way as in a divine madness (Pichchu or Piththu). Thus with the exclamation of “Pich”, the swami asked him to supply guests in sitting rows, leaf for serving food. The Swami himself served food by his hands.All took food sumptuously but there was still food left remaining in vessels after serving all.

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During the nineteenth century, a new phenomenon has been brought to the world. Marudur is a small village about 15kms, south west of Neiveli, which is very well known to the world as an area containing a vast sphere of lignite and this is located in Tamilnad of South India. There lived a couple Ramiah Pillai and Chinnammayyar, who were much devoted to the God and having much faith in Saiva Siddhanta.

One day, when Ramiah Pillai was away from home, a saffron-clad saint came to their house. The guest was treated courteously and fed with good dishes. Having been pleased immensely with the courteous given to him, the saint at the time of his departure blessed her with some sacred ash (vibudhi) and uttered the following words. “You will beget a son, who will be able to deliver the art of deathlessness, which will be a boon to the entire world” So saying the saint disappeared. Though it has been acknowledged by all as a remarkable event, the intricacy lying therin has to be understood only from a higher plane. The very moment the lady heard the words of the saint that she would bring forth a child, she conceived and this form of creation is termed as “sambupaksha shrishti” the “sambupaksha shrishti” is a different one, where the embryo comes into existence, the very moment the utterance comes from the mouth of a holy saint and it is a rare phenomenon in the world.

On this basis, when the child was five months old, the parents took him to Chidambaram temple to offer their grateful prayers. As usual the priest lit the camphor and offered it to the Lord at the Sanctum Sanctorum. No sooner the vision appeared, the child laughed loudly and gazed for a few seconds. A few words about this vision will get its significance. The material world is thinking that the child has laughed due to his ecstacy.

Is it a real laugh the child had? The answer is No. Then what dows it suggest? One has to understand that the effulgence of the inner Light of Grace (Arut Jothi) has been realised by the child as soon as the outer light came to his visibility. This pleasant experience has been expressed in some of the poems edited by the saint subsequently. Some of the excerpts are given below.

“No sooner the Light was perceived, happiness prevailed on me” “The sweet nectar was tasted by me as soon as the great Grand Light (Arutperunjothi) became visible”. It is quite natural that the Inner Light is Omniscient, and anyone having a mastery over it can enjoy happiness with a Blissful state.

“In 1874, he locked himself in a room (still in existence) in Mettukuppam (hamlet of Karunguli), which he used for samadhi or majestic meditation, and instructed his disciples not to open it for some time. He was never seen thereafter and the room is still found locked. It is considered by those who still believe in him, that he was miraculously created one with his God and that in fullness of time he would reappear to the faithful….”

Significant aspect of the universal religion is the worship of light. The saint experienced the realities of the Lord and the light within the Light, as seen from the poems.

These three aspects of Light are to be distinguished.

The first is the God Light. It is known as the guiding Light. The second is the living light guided by the first. The third is the light, which can be realised through the soul atom only.

This light is spotted in between the eybrows and in due course it appears to the saint as an effulgent entity called “Anma Prakasam”. He noted this as the “Hall of true wisdom” (Sathya Gnana Sabai). Only in this hall of wisdom, he perceived the Supreme Effulgence “Arutperunjothi”. His sincere wish is that people living in every nook and corner and corner of the world should realise this importance and get the experience of the Grace Light he got and live forever with immortality. To symbolize this, he built a specially designed Hall of Wisdom through his followers at Vadalur for universal Worship. This hall was named by him as “Sathya Gnana Sabai”.Thiruvadi Deekshai – Way to know Soul and God (Vallalar is GURU).

Born: 5 October 1823

Left the body abode: January 30, 1874

Birth Place: Marudhur, a village near Chidambaram

Known as: Vallalar, ‘Ramalinga adigalar’

Known for: ‘Arutperunjothi Agval’ which comprises of 1596 lines and is said that the whole poem was written in a single night. It is termed as the crown of ‘Thiru Arutpa’, Sathya Gnana Sabai – Temple of Wisdom, Dharma Salai – Food for Hunger, Jeeva Karunyam.

Guru: Lord Muruga took the form of a Saint ArunagiriNathar (Brahmin) and imparted the teaching by speaking the words “Just be there and do nothing” and saved him.

Quote: Next second is uncertain; and therefore, begin right now to attain your trio-divine-bodies (Deathless Pure Physical Body/Sutha Theykam, Grace Light Body/Pranava Theykam and Limitless Intelligent Body/Gnana Theykam).

Website: www.vallalar.org

Ashram: Vadalur,cuddalore District,Tamilnadu