41 Facts About Vallabha

Vallabha founded the Krsna-centered Pustimarga sect of Vaishnavism in the Braj region of India, and propounded the philosophy of Suddhadvaita.

Vallabha became one of the important leaders of the devotional Bhakti movement.

Vallabha won many philosophical scholarly debates against the followers of Advaita Vedanta.

Vallabha began the institutional worship of Sri Nathaji on Govardhana Hill.

Vallabha acquired many followers in the Gangetic plain and Gujarat.

Vallabha rejected asceticism and monastic life, suggesting that through loving devotion to the deity Krishna, any householder could achieve salvation.

Vallabha authored many texts including but not limited to, the Anubhasya, Sodasa Grantha or sixteen tracts and several commentaries on the Bhagavata Purana.

Vallabha is considered by followers of the Pustimarga to be an ideal divine incarnation who was born for a supernatural purpose, and his hagiographies mean to portray a living intimate relationship with Krsna to serve as an example to devotees.

Barz gives biographical account of Vallabha which includes these traditional elements.

Vallabha's biography has been criticized by Vaudeville for relying solely on English and Hindi Vallabhite sources and a lack of critical analysis of them typical of a Western Indologist.

The followers of Gokulanatha, one of Vallabha's grandsons, consider Vallabha's year of birth to be 1473 CE.

Vallabha's education commenced at the age of eight, and by the age of eleven had mastered several Sanskrit Hindu texts, with the Bhagavata Purana being his favorite.

When Vallabha was living in his ancestral village of Kankaravada, he heard of a philosophical debate being held in at the court of King Krsnadevaraya of Vijayanagara, and that the Vaisnava schools of thought were being beaten by Advaita Vedanta philosophers.

Vallabha immediately went to Vijayanagara to join the debate, and entered the Vaisnava camp led by Vyasatirtha of the Madhva school.

Vallabha was offered the prestigious title of acarya from the Madhva sampradaya and the Visnusvami sampradaya.

The majority view among sectarian followers is that Vallabha chose to become acarya of that school in order to make his own doctrines more prestigious, and that there is likely no real connection between the ideas of Visnusvami and Vallabha.

In 1493, Vallabha is said to have had a dream where Krsna ordered him to go to Govardhana Hill and establish proper service to his image which had appeared there years ago.

When he arrived in Gokula in 1494, Vallabha had a vision where Krsna appeared before him and bestowed upon him the Brahmasambandha mantra, which was to be used to clean the flaws of a human soul.

The next morning, Vallabha administered the mantra to his companion Damodaradasa Harasani, who became the first member of the Pustimarga.

When Vallabha came to Govardhana Hill, he went to the house of Saddu Pande.

The image was known as Devadamana; Vallabha announced that it was actually the svarupa of Sri Govardhananathaji and initiated an ascetic named Ramdas Chauhan to perform the regular worship.

Vallabha had two houses, one at Araila on the Yamuna river across Prayagaraja, and at Caranata near Varanasi.

Vallabha's first son, Gopinatha, was born in 1512 at Araila and according to sectarian tradition was the avatara of Balarama, elder brother of Krsna.

Vallabha's second son, Vitthalanatha, was born in 1515 at Caranata, and is considered the avatar of Vitthala.

Vallabha made three pilgrimages throughout India which are documented in later sectarian sources.

At pilgrimage sites such as Dvaraka, Kannauja, Puri, Mathura, Gokula, and Govardhana, Vallabha had theological debates and attracted followers and devotees.

Vallabha made extensive conversion campaigns in the Gangetic Plain and Gujarat, where he attracted converts from various castes including Bhumihars, Rajputs, Gurjars, Ahirs, Kurmis, and Vaniyas, Bhatias, Kanbis, and Patidars respectively.

Only scholarly theory for why Vallabha's theology was attractive to these groups was that of social mobility.

In 1530, Vallabha took a vow of renunciation and withdrew to the banks on the Ganga river in Varanasi.

Vallabha composed several texts during his lifetime most notable of which are:.

Smith notes that it is possible for works of Vallabha to have been lost in the first twenty years after his death, as his family became embroiled in disputes until Vitthalanatha's final accension as head of the family and sect after the deaths of Gopinatha and his son Purusottama.

Vallabha argues that the jiva is inseparable from aksarabrahman yet dependent on God's grace.

Vallabha argues that jivas due to their svabhava and adhikari are either attracted to the religious path of knowledge or of devotion.

Vallabha discusses various topics including the nature of the universe and God and argues that bhakti is based on knowledge of Krsna as depicted in the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana.

Vallabha formulated the philosophy of Suddhadvaita, in response to Sankara's Advaita Vedanta, which he called Maryada Marga or Path of Limitations.

Vallabha asserted that religious disciplines focusing on Vedic sacrifices, temple rituals, puja, meditation, and yoga held limited value.

Vallabha emphasizes that the path of pusti is open to all, regardless of caste or gender.

Vallabha viewed the world as intricately linked to the belief that the world is an expression and manifestation of Brahman.

Vallabha accepts the idea that Brahman manifested itself as both the individual souls and the world.

Vallabha argued that Brahman desired to become many to express His playful nature and hence created the world.

Vallabha emphasizes that the world is not illusory but as real as Brahman itself, which manifests by temporarily suppressing its attributes of bliss and consciousness.