You prevented me from going to unworthy Preceptors Lord Muruga appeared through the mirror and taught him the path of Wisdom, as narrated in the following poem of the Saint: Ramalingam continued to do meditation in front of the mirror for about three years, from 1832 to 1835. Without the little boy’s knowledge, his elder brother’s wife witnessed the occurrences with awe and amazement. By Divine Grace obtained this way, Ramalingam was blessed with the knowledge of all arts and skills and gifted with the ability and talent to perform miracles and Siddhis (wondrous deeds). Ramalinga was filled with divine ecstasy, and such joy overpowered him to make him sing ethereal songs in praise of the Lord. As providence would have it, Ramalingam beheld the glorious vision of Lord Muruga, whose Grace and Divinity engulfed the entire mirror space. Sitting before it, he concentrated on a specific spot in the mirror where the brilliance of the lamp fell and used to become lost in deep meditation. But instead of collecting books on literature and concentrating on the same, Ramalingam collected things for performing pooja, lit a lamp, and placed a mirror in front of it within the room.
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On an auspicious day, a room upstairs was provided to the boy to carry on his studies without any disturbance. The young boy showed little interest in the formal education by his brother instead, he used to go to the nearby temple of Lord Muruga, known as Kandakottam, and prayed to Lord Muruga to teach him the art of meditation. Ramalingam was taught elementary education from age 5 to 9 by his elder brother Sabapathy Pillai. Because Chennai was considered a place where he could find work, the family moved to Chennai. After some years, when the elder brother had grown up, he showed some interest in looking after the family. With this intention, she left the village with all her five children. This worried her so much that she decided to leave Marudhur and settle at Chinnakavanam, a village in Chengalpattu district, her mother’s place, thinking she could lead the family with the help of her relatives. Chinnamai was heartbroken and under swollen grief since she did not know what to do with no breadwinner in the family. Unfortunately, only one month after this event, when Ramalingam was six months old, his father, Ramayya Pillai, passed away. “The sweet nectar was tasted by me as soon as the great Grand Light (Arutperunjothi) became visible.” “No sooner the Light was perceived, happiness prevailed on me.” This pleasant experience has been expressed in some of the poems edited by the saint subsequently. No sooner had the vision appeared, the child laughed loudly and gazed at it for a few seconds. As usual, the priest lit the camphor and offered it to the Lord at the Sanctum Sanctorum. Soon Ramalingam was born, and when the child was five months old, the parents took him to Chidambaram temple to offer their grateful prayers. Pleased immensely with the courtesy given to him, the saint at the time of his departure, blessed Chinnammai with some sacred ash 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. The guest was treated courteously and fed with good dishes.
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One day, when Ramayya Pillai was away from home, a saffron-clad saint came to their house.
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Ramalingam was born as the fifth son of Rāmayyā Pillai and Chinnammai in the small village of Marudhur in Southern India. Ramalinga advocated the concept of worshipping the flame of a lighted lamp as a symbol of the Eternal Power. According to Suddha Sanmarga, the prime aspects of human life should be love, connected with charity and divine practice, leading to pure knowledge.
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Through the notion of Suddha Sanmarga Sangam (pure path of absolute truth), the saint endeavored to eliminate the caste system. The Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sathya Sangam (The Unified Pure Path of AbsoluteTruth) was spread and passed on by him not only in theory but especially in practice by his way of living which is an inspiration for his followers. He is also one of the greatest Tamil poets of the 19th century belonging to a line of Tamil saints known as “gnana siddhars” (gnana meaning higher wisdom). He is commonly known in India and across the world as Vallalār, Ramalinga Swamigal, or Ramalinga Adigal. Arutprakasa Vallalār Chidambaram Ramalingam (5 October 1823 – 30 January 1874), whose pre-monastic name was Rāmalingam, is one of the most famous Tamil Saints.