अणुभाष्य (महाप्रभु वल्लभाचार्य - शुद्धाद्वैत वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र महाभाष्य प्रकाश टीका सहित)

( 8 ) From the the year 1628 upto his passing away in 1642 Vitthales'vara resided at Gokula and carried on his literary and other religious activities. Emperor Akbar took delight in discussion of questions relating to the world beyond. He is said to have paid a visit to Goswāmis of Brindāwan by this time. Vitthales'vara Dīkshita was invited by Emperor Akbar for the elucidation of the nature of the Supreme Being. Akbar was much pleased with his explanations, and he requested him to ask for a gift. Vitthales'vara asked the Emperor to give him Gokula, which being a quiet place was congenial to his tastes and requirements, being situated on the banks of the river Yamunā near Mahā Vana. Thereupon Emperor Akbar made a grant to him of Gokula under his Royal Seal and handed over the Firman to Vitthales'vara in the year samvat 1634 corresponding with 29th of Jamādi the 2nd, A. H. 985 ( 1577 A. D. ). Vitthales'vara was the recipient of three other Firmans granting him the privilege of grazing his cattle on all lands including Khālsā or Jāgir. Another Firmān was granted to him by Hamīdah Bānu Begum, mother of Emperor Akbar. He was also the recipient of the grant of the Jatīpurā village where the Shrine of Govar- dhanadhara was situated. During his stay at Gokula he visited Gujarāt twice, once in the year 1631, and then in 1639. It was perhaps during this last visit that Gopāladāsa, the author of Navākhyāna, came into his contact and wrote his beautiful poem describing in the last chapter the whole family of Vitthales'vara. This last chapter mentions seven sons of Vitthales'vara and their wives. It does not mention the names of either of the wives of Vitthales'vara. The inference is that this poem is written after Vitthale- s'vara's both wives had passed away and his youngest son Ghanas'yāma, if not actually married, was betrothed to Krishnāvatī. All his four daughters were married, and the two widowed daughtets of his elder brother Gopinātha, Lakshmī and Satyabhāmā, were residing with him, and passed their widowhood in complete happiness in the service of S'ree Navanītapriya. Thus from the year 1629 to 1642 Vitthales'vara lived at Gokula in complete tranquility. During his stay there, he carried on and perfected the mode of worship (Sevā-Prakāra), both at Govardhandhara's temple at Jatīpurā and in Navanītapriya's temple at Gokula. Poet Gopāladāsa describes beautifully how Vitthales'vara daily went on horseback from Gokula to Govardhana. 'तुरग चाल्यो वायुवेगे उताबळो, जाणे नौका चाली सिन्धु तरवा.' Vitthale- s'vara translated his father's teachings into actual practice and turned them into a divine religion. His father mentioned two alternatives in the verse गृहं सर्वात्मना त्याज्यं तच्चेत्त्यक्तुं न शक्यते । कृष्णार्थं तद्विनियुञ्जीत कृष्णोऽनर्थस्य मोचकः ॥ ( विवेकधै. ). The first alternative of त्याग (complete renunciation) cannot be translated into practice as an inflexible rule, by everyone. Hence Vitthale- s'vara accepted the second alternative of अत्याग by which every thing was to be utilised for Krishņa, thereby ultimately the goal enunciated in the first alternative of त्याग was to be gradually reached. With this end in view he promulgated an elaborate mode of rituals for the Sevā-mārga. The Sevā- mārga was based purely on the dictates of the finer sentiments of heart. 2008