அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி, அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி
(Arutperun Jothi Arutperun Jothi)
தனிப்பெருங்கருணை, அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி
(Thaniperun Karunai Arutperun Jothi)
Vallalar Studies as part of the Tamil & Tamilar Institute at the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs
Vallalar, a saint-poet, promoted global unity and spirituality that cut across cast, creed, color, and religion. He believed strongly that the eternal flame referred to as the Arutperunjyothi (அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி ) will light the way to true morality. On October 5th, 1823, he was born at 5:30 pm to Ramaya Pillai and Chinnammaiyar in Sidambram as their fifth son and was named Ramalingam. He attained enlightenment at a very early age and became immersed in understanding the cosmic earth and the invariable responsibilities of its inhabitants. His spiritual journey started as a devout devotee of Lord Shiva to worship the formless, eternal flame. Vallalar emphasized compassion for all sentient beings and advocated resolutely for the poor establishing many entities in Tamilnadu that feed the poor at all times of the day to date. A result of his ability to espouse all things as an objective truth seeker driven by scientific evidence drew his followers to his fold. Vallalar authored 5818 poems in six volumes of Arutpa, collectively known as the Thiruvarutpa (A holy book of grace). He also set the Thiruvarutpa verses to the Tamil Carnatic music. He is considered the great munificent of the 19th century and called Thiruarutprgasa Vallalar He attained immortality at the age of 50, leaving his followers to spread his message of unity and compassion across the globe.
Our goal is a minimum of one million dollars to support a robust Vallalar Studies program. Annual spendable earnings from the Vallalar Endowment will be used to advance the School’s academic mission by supporting programmatic and/or academic endeavors related to study of Vallalar philosophies, including but not limited to: scholarships for students pursuing research on Vallalar studies, hiring of faculty and instructors to develop and teach Vallalar’s teachings, student and faculty research and travel, the translation of Thiruarutpa, and costs associated with hosting a lecture and conference series. One of our long-term goals is to translate 5818 poems into English to reach a broader audience of Vallalar's message of unity and peace.
If you are interested in making a gift to the Vallalar Endowment, please donate via the form below.