வள்ளலாரின் சீர்திருத்தச் சிந்தனைகள்: Vallalar's Reformist Thoughts

Abstract

Vallalar, also known as Ramalinga Adigalar, stood at the forefront of eliminating societal contradictions and fostering a new societal awakening. He strongly condemned polytheism and animal sacrifices to minor deities, asserting that the Supreme God is the light form of 'Arutperunjothi' (Supreme Grace Light). In 1865, he established the 'Samarasa Veda Sanmarga Sangam' to create a Sanmarga society. He emphasized three great principles for human life: Pasithiru (Be hungry), Thanithiru (Be solitary), and Vizhithiru (Be awake). In this article, these reformist thoughts of Vallalar are compared with the ideas of several scholars and saints, including Thiruvalluvar, Thirumoolar, Thirugnanasambandar, Thirunavukkarasar, Sundarar, Buddha, and Bharathiyar. This paper establishes how closely Vallalar's noble objectives—such as the rejection of meat-eating, eradication of the caste system, the belief in one God, and soul-centered universal brotherhood (Anmaneya Orumaippadu)—align with the thoughts of other enlightened figures.

Keywords

• Vallalar
• Reformist thoughts
• Sanmarga Sangam
• Rejection of meat
• Eradication of caste
• Soul-centric universal brotherhood