Context:
India celebrated the 200th birth anniversary of Shri Ramalinga Swamy, also known as Vallalar, on 5th October, 2023.
Relevance:
GS I: History
Dimensions of the Article:
- Key Contributions of Shri Ramalinga Swamy
- Philosophical Beliefs and Teachings
Key Contributions of Shri Ramalinga Swamy:
- Shri Ramalinga Swamy was a prominent Tamil poet in the 19th century and a member of the “gnana siddhars” lineage.
- He was born in the village of Marudhur in Tamil Nadu.
Vision of Social Reforms:
- Vallalar’s vision transcends religious, caste, and creed barriers, recognizing divinity in every atom of the universe.
- He strongly opposed the caste system and initiated the ‘Samarasa Vedha Sanmarga Sangam’ in 1865, later renamed ‘Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sathya Sangam.’
- He established ‘The Sathya Dharma Salai,’ a free food facility in Vadalur, Tamil Nadu in 1867, serving all people without caste distinctions.
- In January 1872, Vallalar opened the ‘Sathya Gnana Sabha’ (Hall of True Knowledge) in Vadalur.
Philosophical Beliefs and Teachings:
- One of Vallalar’s primary teachings was “Service to Living Beings is the path of Liberation/Moksha.”
- According to Suddha Sanmarga, the prime aspects of human life should be love, connected with charity and divine practice, leading to pure knowledge.
- Vallalar believed that the intelligence possessed by humans is illusory (Maya) intelligence and not accurate or final.
- He emphasized “Jeeva Karunyam” (Compassion for living beings) as the path of final intelligence.
- He forbade killing animals for the sake of food and advocated feeding the poor as the highest form of worship.
- He also believed that God in the form of Grace is the personification of Mercy and Knowledge, with Mercy being a path to God.
