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

( 19 ) S'rî Navanîtapriya, the family deity, in perfect happiness. In spite of his being a big family-man, he had freed his house from the shortcomings of the Sansārika miseries. In short there was no touch of Sansāra in his family- life. One Devakīnandana, a grandson of his, son of Raghunātha the fifth son, records the mode in which he was fondled by Vitthales'vara in his childhood in a poetical work Rasābdhi composed by him. 'श्रीकृष्णः शरणं ममेति शनकैरूचार्य वात्सल्यतः श्रीदृशाम्बुजमाननोपरि मम व्यापारयन् सर्वतः । × × × श्रीविठ्ठलः शर्मणे। This would show that while fondling his children Vitthales'vara would not forget his Lord Krishņa .himself, but would leave a lasting impression on the tender minds of his children that primarily their duty was to serve Lord Krishņa. A Kīrtana attributed to his another grandson Kalyāņarāya gives an exquisitely delicate expression to his unwillingness to leave Vitthales'vara's house, at the time when Vitthales'vara's uncle who was childless came to ask him to give him any one of his male children. At this time Kalyānarāya was afraid that he, being the first-born grandson, would be given away. The idea of remaining at the gate of Vitthales'vara and thereby singing praises of Lord Krishņa was a thing which appealed to Kalyāņarāya more than anything else in the world howsoever attractive. Vitthale- s'vara understood all his children and he knew very well that none of them would be willing to leave his house, so he asked his uncle to take away any of them who would be willing to go with him. The uncle was baffled by this reply and went away disappointed. The Sampradāyika Gāthā relates that the uncle administered three curses to Vitthales'vara's progeny. These three are—(1) maintenance of daughters' husbands, (2) debts, and (3) tra- velling. How far and how much truth there is in this Gāthā, it is difficult for us to determine, but so far as the first charge is concerned, it is literally true. Even to this day the Bhattas, the so-called husbands of the daughters of a Goswami's family, are maintained in Goswāmi's house with almost all the members of their family. So far as the second charge is concerned, we find some evidence for accepting the truth of the same. In a letter written by Vitthales'vara himself he asks his sons to wipe out the debts. As regards the third, it is a blessing in disguise, it would add to the number of वैष्णवs, and the religion would prosper. Whatever that may be, Vittha- les'vara's attitude seems clear. He had accepted the second alternative of Atyāga. He did not want his daughters to plunge into Sansāra. So he kept them in his house, so that they could also serve Lord Krishņa with the same facilities as his sons would do. They were married of course, but their husbands the Bhattas had no access into the Sevā-prakāra of Lord Krishņa in the family of Vitthales'vara. Even to this day no Bhatta is admitted in the inner worship in a temple owned by a Goswāmi. Debts for the Sevā of Lord Krishņa were never considered objectionable. They are not for the Sansāra, and as such, the evil influences are few. Thus these curses had no evil effect on the descendants of Vitthaleshvara. Family-life led by them was happy. The wives of Giridhara and Ra- ghunātha were two sisters, so also those of Yadunātha and Ghanashyāma 2019