Ramalingam's parents were Ramayya Pillai and Chinnammai of
Karuneegar Pillai caste. She was his sixth wife, as all his previous wives had died childless and in quick succession. They were a family in Marudhur, a village in the old
South Arcot district, near
Chidambaram. Ramalingam was their fifth and youngest child. The older ones were two sons, Sabhapati and Parasu Rāman; and two daughters, Sundarammal and Unnamulai.
Childhood and divine experiences When Ramalingam was five months old, his parents brought him to the
Chidambaram Natarājar Temple. The infant was joyous while the priest was offering
Deepa Aradhana (adoration by a lighted lamp being brought close to the
vigrahams); this was perceived by Ramalingam as a deep spiritual experience. In later years, he said of the experience: "No sooner the Light was perceived, happiness prevailed on me", and "The sweet nectar was tasted by me as soon as the
Arul Perum Jothi (Divine Light of Grace) became visible". In 1824, his father died. Following this, his mother moved to her mother's residence at Chinna Kāvanam, Ponneri. Ramalingam was a small child when he and his mother relocated to
Chennai in 1826, where they lived with his eldest brother Sabhapati and his wife Pāppāthi at 31/14 Veerasamy Pillai Street in the
Sevenwells area. After Ramalingam reached five years of age, Sabhapati initiated his
formal education. However, uninterested in his education, Ramalingam instead preferred trips to the nearby
Kandha Kottam Kandha Swāmi Temple. Sabhapati thought that the child needed punishment as a form of discipline, and he told his wife not to give Ramalingam his daily meal. His kind sister-in-law, however, secretly gave him food and persuaded him to study seriously at home. In return, Ramalingam asked for his own room, lighted lamp and mirror. He placed the light in front of the mirror and
meditated by concentrating on the light. He miraculously saw a vision of the
Lord Muruga. Ramalingam said: "The beauty endowed divine faces six, the illustrious shoulders twelve." At one time, Ramalingam had to replace his elder brother Sabhapati at an
Upanyāsam (religious stories) session as
upāsakar. His great discourse on verses from the
Periya Purānam, an epic poem by
Sekkizhar about the saintly '63
Nāyanārs', was appreciated by the devotees as being given by a very learned scholar. Ramalingam's mental and spiritual growth progressed rapidly. Ramalingam gave thanks to the Divine by saying: "Effulgent flame of grace, that lit in me intelligence, to know untaught." Ramalingam evolved in his spiritual journey from being a devout devotee of
Lord Shiva to worshiping the formless. Ramalingam renounced the world at the young age of thirteen, but he was forced to marry his niece (on his sister's side). Legends say that the
bridegroom during his first night after marriage was reading devotional works like the
Thiruvāsagam. He was not interested in money, and it is said that in later life he reduced or ignored eating and sleeping. But he seemed fit in body, which was believed to be due to his supposed "physical transformation". ==Teachings==