Ramalinga Adigalar, known as Vallalar, said in one of his verses that he had been sent by God into this world to reform those whose hearts were full of undesirable thoughts, but who pretended to be virtuous. He said he was also sent to establish a Sanmarga Sangam. Vallalar never wanted to be addressed as Swami. He wanted to be known only by his name — Chidambaram Ramalingam. This is proof of his simplicity, said Malayaman in a discourse.
Although he renounced the world, he never wore saffron robes. He did not grow a beard or have matted locks, like other renunciates. Instead, he wore a white garment and covered his head in white cloth. He believed that love was what kept the world going. He observed that God Himself was a captive of love. In one verse, Vallalar spoke of God as a mountain that is easily held by love. God is a king who gladly enters the hut called affection. He is willing to be captured in the net of love. Such a nectar is God, he said. Vallalar’s love extended beyond human beings, and encompassed all forms of life, be it animals or plants.
The legendary King Paari is said to have taken pity on a trailing vine and offered his royal chariot as a support for the creeper. Vallalar’s love for flora and fauna was just as immense as this. Vallalar said that he shed tears whenever he saw crops wilting because of lack of water. It is one thing to melt for human beings, or even animals, for even the latter are capable of expressing their emotions through gestures. Thus a dog shows its affection by wagging its tail. Plants, however, are silent sufferers, when there is a drought or a flood. So sensitive was Vallalar that tears came automatically to him when he saw plants suffer. He was always in tune with Nature.
