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

( 11 ) contact with the holy shrine, a result which it is doubtful whether Vallabhā- chārya or Vitthales'vara could have had in their minds, when Vallabhāchārya installed the shrine and Vitthales'vara got its exclusive control. His immediate object then was to exclude the Bengalees only. Perhaps it would not be out of place to remark that this was the occasion when Vitthales'vara lost all traces of Chaitanya thought which he had gained during his visit to Jagannātha in 1616. During his stay at Gokula in Samvat 1629, Rājā Todarmal paid a visit to Vitthales'vara. He was ordered by Emperor Akbar to take the command of the Imperial forces in Behar against king Daud. This was an onerous task and before setting out on his expedition, Todarmall came to Vitthales'vara to invoke his blessings. He was given by Vitthales'vara, a 'Pītāmbara' which Todarmall tied over his head, while he started on his expedition. This would show that Todarmall held Vitthales'vara in very high esteem. Rājā Birbal's connections with Vitthales'vara were equally intimate as stated above. When Vitthales'vara was on his visit to Gujarāt, a controversy seems to have arisen as regards the date on which the Janmāshtami fast was to be observed. On his return he came to know about this and composed a work named जन्माष्टमीनिर्णय stating his view about it with reasons. Possibly the रामनवमीनिर्णय was also written by him under similar circumstances. Having quietly settled at Gokula, he gave definiteness to the religious practices initiated by his father. After Vallabhāchārya, Vitthales'vara's elder brother S'ri Gopīnātha succeeded as Achārya. S'ri Gopīnātha was a great devotee. Vittha- les'vara entertained great respect for his brother. We have not got materials enough to learn how S'ri Gopīnātha understood and expounded the tenets promulgated by his father. We know that he used to reside at Adel for the most part of the year and like his father used to visit Vraja during the monsoon. There he used to perform Gopāla-upāsanā. There is a work called Sādhana-Deepaka, the authorship of which is attributed to him. From this work we do not learn much. One rule laid down in it is that a widow is to worship Krishņa with Bāla-bhāva, while a woman whose husband is living, is to worship Krishņa with Bhartri-bhāva. Though we have failed to trace this distinction to any of the writings of Vallabhāchārya which are extant, we feel that there is some ground for the above rule which is based on common sense. Again, this work, though purporting to detail Sādhanas a Bhakta has to follow, omits any reference to the process of Nivedana which is practised in the Sampradāya even to this day. Beyond this, there is not much in this work elucidating any other point of Vallabhāchārya's philosophy. It seems therefore clear that Vitthales'vara had to depend on his own exertions to under- stand the works of his father. In this effort an unfortunate incident seems 2011

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to have damaged the cause of the Sampradāya to a considerable extent, and in spite of Vitthales'vara's attempts, one would feel that the loss to the Sampradāya is irreparable. It is not certain when S'rī Gopīnātha passed away. It seems after his death some unpleasantness was caused between Vitthales'vara and his sister-in-law, and these feelings of unpleasantness became more embittered on the part of the sister-in-law when her only son S'rī Purushottama also passed away soon after. The result of this was that the original works of Vallabhāchārya which were in possession of S'rī Gopīnātha as the eldest son of Vallabhāchārya were consigned to oblivion by her. The greatness of Vallabhāchārya's personality was so much felt by his devotees during his life-time that none of them seems to have contributed anything to the composition of his works. In the case of S'ankarāchārya and Rāmānujāchārya one feels that their respective Bhāshyas are written, re-written, revised and recast with the collaboration of their learned pupils. In the case of Vallabhāchārya the distance felt by the devotees was so great that none has upto this day ventured to add or subtract anything from them. This being the position and the devotees being wholly engrossed in Krishṇa-worship as taught by Vallabhāchārya, they did not try to get the copies of his writings. Another reason for the loss of the original works of Vallabhāchārya seems to be the great fire which destroyed almost the whole village of Adel at the time he took to Sannyāsa. When the helm of the Sampradāya came into the hands of Vitthales'vara it was a problem to him as to how he should get authentic texts of his father's works. On the side of Adel counter influences were working, and it was difficult, if not impossible, to get all the works. He seems to have secured the original copy of the Brahmasūtra-Bhāshya of his father upto 3-2-34. Nibandha seems to have been secured by him, and he has attempted to finish Prakās'a on Nibandha by writing commentaries on the Fourth skandha, and a portion of the Fifth of the Bhāgavatārtha-prakaraṇa. From Gujarāt Vaishṇava Rāṇā Vyāsa he secured the Subodhinī, a commentary on S'rīmad Bhāgavata of Vallabhāchārya. We have no materials to learn whether he got Pūrva-mīmāñsa Bhāshya of Vallabhāchārya, though there is plenty of evidence in Aṇu-Bhāshya to show his great hold on the Sūtras of Jaimini, to which he refers as a master. It is possible, as Purushottamji says, that the Pūrva-mīmāñsa Bhāshya became उत्सन्न in his times. We may infer from this that Vitthales'vara might have been in possession of the Purva-mimansa-Bhashya of S'rī Vallabhāchārya, which became lost to us during the period, so to say, of interregnum, between 1642 and 1724 Samvat. Thus it would seem that Vitthales'vara had before him almost all the works of S'rī Vallabhāchārya which are now available to us. From these materials we shall presently see how he has developed the system promulgated by his father, both on the practical as also the theoretical side. 2012

( 13 ) On the formation of the Sāmpradāyika practices Vitthales'vara's influence seems to be very marked, the nucleus having been supplied by his elder brother Gopinātha in his Sevā-Paddhati. Vallabhāchārya established the shrine of S'ri Nāthajī on the holy mount of Govardhana and initiated a mode of worship which was extremely simple. This shrine was entrusted by him to the devotees who resided there. The initiation of Vaishṇavas was a very simple formula, as he puts it somewhere in his Subodhinī, viz; Krishna, I am Thine. कृष्ण तवास्मि. This would seem to be the ordinary mode of initiation as communicated to Vallabhāchārya by Lord S'rī Krishṇa. But for the practical purposes of the Sampradāya, some solemn declaration was a necessity, and hence we feel it is possible that the language used in the explanation incorporated in the Gadya formula ( सहस्रपरिवत्सरमितकालजातकृष्णवियोगजनिततापक्लेशानन्दतिरोभावोऽहं भगवते कृष्णाय देहेन्द्रियप्राणान्तः- करणानि तद्धर्मांश्च दारागारपुत्राप्तवित्तेहापराव्यात्मना सह समर्पयामि, दासोऽहम्, 'कृष्ण तवास्मि ।') is the work of S'rī Vitthales'vara. For the Sampradāya which was expanding in all directions, some grave and solemn declaration appeared to Vitthales'vara to be a necessity, and he without adding or subtracting anything to the sense of कृष्ण तवास्मि added a solemn declaration by which the sense of the Mantra became abundantly clear. The Sāmpradāyikas do understand that the portion of the Gadya preceding कृष्ण तवास्मि is explanatory of the same. This being an explanation coming from Vitthales'vara accounts for the difference in the readings of the formula among his seven sons. This change was most essential as it added to the solemnity of the initiation ceremony. Vitthales'vara's personality was second to none in the Sampradāya after S'ri Vallabhāchārya, and one feels admiration for his wisdom when he sees how he has added to the gravity without sacrificing the sense of the original. We are informed by Goswāmi S'rī Gokulanāthajī Mahārāja of Bombay that the whole Gadya in the handwriting of S'ri Vallabhāchārya is preserved in the daily worship in the temple of S'rī Damodaraji at Junagadha in Kāthiāwār. We have not been able to satisfy ourselves as to the authenticity of the same, but if it were so, the above reasoning would be inapplicable. It is rather difficult now to appreciate how much Vitthales'vara contributed to the development of the aesthetics in the mode of worship, Sevā-Prakāra. All the fine arts were requisitioned in the performance of the daily worship. Vitthales'vara was himself a master-musician. He knew both the theory and practice of the Indian Music. Some of the most charming songs which are sung before the deity were composed by him. The song 'मंगल मंगलम्' is daily sung in every Pushtimārgīya temple in the early morning when the ( स्वरूप ) is made to awake. The famous Prabodha is also daily recited. Another song 'प्रेङ्खपर्यङ्कशयनम्' is always sung in 'Rāmakalī' in the morning when the ( स्वरूप ) is swung in the cradle (Palnā). During the Vasanta season an Ashtapadi 'मञ्जुलविकलवेगे' is daily sung when Vasanta is being played during the Rāja Bhoga Dars'ana. This 2013

( 14 ) Ashtapadi can best compare with the finest ones of Jayadeva in Gīta-Govinda. Govindaswāmi, the greatest musician of the times, was appointed by him as the chief kīrtanakāra in the temple of Nāthadwāra. Nandadāsa, Chaturbhujadāsa, Chhītuswāmi and Govindaswāmi composed some of the finest songs in the local vernacular ( Vraja Bhāshā ) under the direct inspiration of Vitthales'vara. The songs of Vitthales'vara are all in Sanskrit. The Rāmānujiya saint Tyāgarājaswāmi composed beautiful songs in Sanskrit. Vitthales'vara's mother-tongue was Telagu, and his activities were confined to Gujarāt, Kāthiāwār, and Rajputānā where Telagu was least known. Hence Sanskrit was preferred by him as the medium of communication. Almost all the letters of Vitthales'vara which are now available are in Sanskrit. Thus after preparing materials for music, he utilised them in the Sevā-Prakāra with consummate skill and erudition. The music to be sung before the deity was in conformity with each season. Music in the morning Sevā was to be sung in Rāgas which are to be sung in the morning. Music in the evening is to be sung in Ragas which are to be sung in the evening, the rule being relaxed during the big festivals of Janmāshtami, Annakūta etc., when any Raga can be sung. In music, Ragas change according to season. The finest musical instruments (Tambura, Bīn, Mridanga, Sarangi etc. ) of the age were made use of in the daily Sevā. This practice is continued to this day in the Sampradāya. Vitthales'vara's son Raghunāthajī was, we believe, literally correct when he speaks about his father as गीतसंगीतसागर. The daily worship changed according to seasons. Everything was so arranged that if one entered a Pushtimārgīya temple during winter, the moment he was within the precincts of it, he would least feel the unpleasant- ness of winter cold. Similarly during summer, entrance in Vitthales'vara's temple would make you forget that it was summer. The perfection was carried to such an extent that the richest dainties that are daily offered to the deity vary acccording to time and season. Akbar sometimes did pay visits to Vitthales'vara and the latter made an exception by allowing the former 'Dars'an'. A Sāmpradāyika Gāthā records the following incident of Akbar's visit on one S'ārada full-moon day (रासपूर्णिमा). Krishna is the symbol of highest Rasa S'ringāra. He is described as S'yāma (श्याम). Accordingly every thing in the Sevā i. e. पीछवा, पीछात, etc. was naturally श्याम. This was changed to white silver cloth at Akbar's request, and this practice continues to this day. Painting too was a favourite pastime with Vitthales'vara. A beautiful painting of his deity Navanīta-priyaraya drawn by him is in the possession of Goswāmī Dwārkes'jee of Bombay. On Utsava days beautiful Ārtis were drawn and filled with pearls and it was filled with harmonious blending of colours. These Ārtis designed as they were by the ladies of Vitthales'vsra's family are still current in the Sampradāya under their respective names, such as Arti of Rukminiji etc. Some of these Ārtis show a considerable amount of 2014

accurate drawing. During the Vasanta season beautiful prints both in dried and wet colours were utilised in the curtains etc. of the daily worship. Similarly during the Sāñjī days, beautiful Sāñjīs in the choicest colours depicting the particular sports of Kṛishṇa were prepared for the deity under the inspiration of Vitthales'vara. Choicest flowers such as rose, jasmine, Bakula, Kadamba, lotus etc, were utilised in preparing the garlands to be offered daily to the deity. During summer, flower-houses (फूलमंडली) were organised in such a way that flowers were knit and strung together in the most artistic way. In short the finest arts which were developed during the Akbar-period were all availed of in the daily worship of Kṛishṇa. Vitthales'vara's field of activities lay chiefly in Gujarāt and Kāthiāwāḍ. The people of those countries were by instinct commercial. It would be rather difficult to make them take interest in books dealing with the subtle and abstruse problems of philosophy. It was a question to Vitthales'vara as to how he should make them accept Kṛishṇa-Sevā as their goal. For this purpose Vitthales'vara organised bands of amateurs who would give life-like representations of the various sports of Kṛishṇa. This method proved very successful and whole communities of Gujarāt accepted the Kṛishṇa-Sevā- creed with marvellous zeal and rapidity. In fact everything that belongs to any one is to be dedicated to Krishna. There was no actual parting with the thing but there was the ingrained remembrance that everything of you is not for your own self but for God, a doctrine like this which Vallabhāchārya preached in अविद्या पूतना नष्टा गन्धमात्रावशेषिता was translated into the daily life of Vaishṇavas by turning this अहंता and ममता from संसार towards God. Vitthale- s'vara achieved this for his devotees by this simple and sure remedy of Kṛishṇa-worship in which every member of the family could take part and all their belongings could be best utilised. Thus Vitthales'vara made Vaishṇavism a living religion among the masses of Gujarāt. The influence of Vitthales'vara was so deep-rooted, and in course of time it went on increasing to such an extent that when one speaks of a Vaishṇava in Gujarat the reference is generally understood to be to a Pushtimārgiya Vaishṇava. Dr. Bhāṇḍārkar's remark that Vallabha's mode of worship was more dramatic than emotional seems to be rather unfounded. All the paraphernalia of the Sevā without the deity's special grace अनुग्रह and intense love was a thing never approved of nor preached by Vitthales'vara. Dr. Bhandarkar's remark was rather due to the learned scholar's unfamiliarity with or distant acquaintance from hearsay evidence about the Sevā-Prakāra followed in Pushtimārgīya temples. Our own experience of the temples of Rāmānujās, Madhvas, Godias, and the chief shrines of Jagannātha and Vitthala leads us to the inevitable conclusion that in the mode of Kṛishṇa-worship Vitthales'vara's position is unique and unrivalled. This fact was whole-heartedly acknow- ledged by one great Vaishṇava teacher Swāminārāyaṇa of Gujarāt when he speaks of Vitthales'vara as the king of Vaishṇava teachers in his शिक्षपत्री, where

( 16 ) he preaches his followers to follow the mode of worship as laid down by Vitthales'vara. The fact is that the Seva-Prakāra was modelled to develop the finer sentiments of the human heart, and to term it dramatic would certainly do injustice to the great Āchārya. Experience has proved that by following this Sevāprakāra the devotees not only forgot the bonds of Sansāra, but it helped them in feeling the living presence of the deity. In actual practice flaws might be noticed, the ideal set up by Vitthales'vara might not be attained, but to term the whole Sevāprakāra as dramatic is rather an abuse of language. In the construction of temples Vitthales'vara followed a plan of his own. He did not approve of the idea of rich and costly buildings for temples. He realised that gorgeous temple buildings were not safe under the maho- medan rule. For this reason he constructed temples of an extremely simple style. Nothing could be seen from outside. From outside appearance his temple would appear to be a simple dwelling-house. But at the same time, inside the temple, great care was bestowed on its construction. Free passage of light and air was always borne in mind. The temple of S'rī Nathaji to this day is a building of an exceptionally simple type. Inside the temple, in the middle, there was kept a chawk surrounded by three arched-door- gallaries. Behind one of such gallaries was the inner chamber called Nija- Mandira. On one side of this Nija-Mandira was kept the sleeping-apart- ment or S'ayana gṛiha which was always constructed in the most costly and artistic fashion. On the other side were kept the Bhoga-gṛiha-dining apartment where the deity was offered Bhoga-food etc. Beyond the Bhoga- gṛiha were situated two rooms where food to be offered to the deity was prepared. Separate rooms were kept for prepartion of flower garlands, vegetables, Betelleaves, and baths, known as Fula-gṛiha, s'aka gṛiha, Pāna-gṛiha, Jalagṛiha etc. Valuable ornaments and dresses with which the deity is adorned were similarly kept in a safe place. This temple was situated in the centre and round the temple were raised dwelling places fort he Mahārāja and his prachārakas. The idea that the deity was the Lord and the others including the Goswāmi Mahārāja were His servants was kept in mind in the construction of their dwelling places. Side by side with the development of the sevā-prakāra, he devoted himself with equal earnestness with elaborating and expounding the doctrines of his revered father. He wrote his literary works with maturity of thought and expression. The completion of the Anu Bhāshya on the Vedānta-Sūtras belongs to this period. His reputation as a great religious teacher was established beyond question. Rich presents from Vaishnavas of Gujarāt flowed to him here. The patronage of Emperor Akbar and his famous ministers Todarmull, Birbal, Rai Purushottama and others came to him unsolicited. The learned men of his caste who stayed with him at Gadha came to him and they were all patronised by him. With these men he netered into matrimonial relations. His daughters were given in marriage 2016

to the sons of these learned men and their daughters were taken in marriage by him for his sons. These people of his caste came to be known as Bhattas. Vitthales'vara's connection with the country of his forefathers now being no longer necessary was practically severed. He became naturalised in Gokula. Gradually the mother-tongue Telugu came to be replaced by the local language. Both Vaishnavas and Bhattas began to revere Vitthales'vara with intense devotion. The result was that Vitthales'vara was made conscious of his greatness to such an extent that he could with equal propriety speak of himself in plural. While explaining the Subodhinī to Vaishnavas, during the evening recess, he wrote out notes on difficult passages on Subodhini. These notes were ultimately put together and given the name of विद्वत्प्रकाश. The मंगलाचरण, 'श्रीविट्ठलैः' क्रियते suggests the above mentioned self-consciousness. Vallabhāchārya had given several Swarupas to his devotees. When these devotees and their descendants became extinct or unable to carry on the Seva of the Swarupas, they returned the same to Vitthales'vara. Of these about seven or eight were received by him. These Swarupas were distributed by Vitthales'vara in Dāya-Bhāga among his seven sons in Samvat 1634. All the seven sons were given a joint right to Sevā of S'ri Nathaji, the eldest son Giridharaji being left in control of the same under the primogeniture rule. These seven Swarupas came to be known in the sampradāya as the seven Nidhis. Separate houses for all the seven sons (except perhaps for Yadunāthaji who being the youngest son of Rukmiṇi remained joint with Giridharaji, the eldest son ), were built in Gokula and given to each of the sons. Each son thus set up the Swarūpa given to him in Dāyabhāga as a shrine of his own. This came to be known in the Sampradāya as seven Gādis or seats. In a letter Vitthales'vara asks his sons to select a site for the house of Yadunātha. It seems he passed away before the house of Yadunātha actually came to be built. The result of this has been rather undesirable in the Sampradāya because it proved fruitful in giving scope to as many as four persons to put forward their claims to the Gādi of Yadunātha. The last years of Vitthales'vara were passed very happily at Gokula. One Murarī Pandit wrote to him to give him a work which would explain to him the fundamental principles of Pushti-mārga in such a way that he could silence all his opponents on his side of the country. For him Vitthales'vara wrote out the Bhakti-hansa and sent it to him. On receipt of the same the Pandit was much delighted and asked for a further explanation of the root cause of Bhakti. Thereupon Vitthales'vara wrote out the Bhakti-hetu. Both these works together in a nutshell explain that the cause of Bhakti is God's Grace ( अनुग्रह ) alone and that the Supreme Purushottama plays among his select devotees, unapproched by मख, तप etc. Vitthales'vara lived for over 70 years. His was a life in which there was a happy perfection of the theory and practice of the Sampradāya. His devotees have drawn a veil on the manner of his passing away, but from 3 2017

( 18 ) one Gopāldāsa of Vyāra we learn that he had fever and some pain in stomach when he passed away on Māgha Kṛṣṇa seventh Samvat 1642. Thus a life full of events was closed, the happy memories of which are enshrined in the hearts of the Vaishṇavas even to this day. Good comes out of evil is well illustrated in an incident in the life of Vitthales'vara. Kṛishṇadāsa was appointed as the Adhikārī in the temple of Nāthadwāra on Govardhana hill by Vallabhāchārya. On account of some disagreement with Vitthales'vara, Kṛishṇadāsa prohibited his access into the temple. Vitthales'vara submitted to the order of the Adhikārī, and lived at Chand Sarovara, Parasoli, for about six months of the exile. During the period he has penned some of the finest Vijnaptis-prayers. It is said that one such Vijnapti was written per day and the same was taken to S'ri Nāthaji by Rāmdāsa. These Vijnaptis reveal the depths of Vitthales'vara's heart. In them there is a harmonious blending of thought and expression. A perusal of these Vijnaptis leaves a lasting impression on our mind. They are the outcome of a burning heart yearning passionately to meet the object of his intense love. A veil has been drawn as to the reason which led to the exile of Vitthales'vara by Krishṇadāsa. However, ultimately Krishṇadāsa came round, begged Vitthales'vara's pardon and requested him to return to the temple. In these Vijnaptis each verse stands by itself. One publisher grouped them together into a collection of 25 each, but there seems to be little warrant for the same. It would not be out of place to record our own view as to the origin of these Vijnaptis. Vitthales'vara was a great letter-writer. He used to send and receive letters from a good many Vaishṇavas. These letters were in Sanskrit prose, but in the beginning and end of each letter a verse or two were written by Vitthales'vara to remind his pupils of their sublime mission. In course of time, the uninteresting matter of the letters came to be neglected, but the verses were collected and preserved. This being the origin of these Vijnaptis, we can well understand why these verses are unconnected. Unconnected as they are, they do breathe the fervent devotion of the great author. In some of them the highest and noblest sentiments find expression. Vitthales'vara's family-life was exteremely happy. He himself was blessed by God with a big family. By his first wife Rukmiṇī he had seven sons and four daughters. S'obhā, Yamunā, Kamalā and Devakā were his daughters by the first wife. They were all married, and they lived with their husbands in Vitthales'vara's house. Giridhara, Govinda, Balkrishṇa, Vallabha, Raghunātha and Yadunātha were six sons by his first wife Rukmiṇī. Ghanas'yāma was the seventh and the only son of Vitthales'vara by his second wife Padmāvatī. The first child of Vitthales'vara was S'obha and after her Giridhara the eldest son was born. Purushottama the only son of his brother Gopinātha had passed away, but his two sisters Lakshmi and Satyabhāmā lived with Vitthales'vara. They passed their widowhood in the service of 2018

( 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

( 20 ) were sisters. Not only were members of the family happy but even those who came in Vitthales'vara's contact were extremely happy and contented. One Mahādeva Dwivedi gives expression to this fact in the follow- ing verse 'श्रीविठ्ठलदीक्षिते राजमाने महीतले। वैकुण्ठगमनेच्छा कुण्ठिता वैकुण्ठवासिनाम्'. The Girinārā and Sachorā Brahmins who early joined the faith and were taken by Vitthales'vara in the inner worship did so without any monetary remuneration. Their duty was to serve Lord Krishņa according to the directions of Vitthales'vara. All their other wants were looked after by Vitthales'vara. How much he cared for the comforts of his Sevakas could be well seen from the following. In the daily worship, water was to be brought from the Jamunā river by Sevakas, but writes Vitthales'vara in his letter, that if it was found trouble- some to them, it should not be done because his Swāmī—Lord Krishņa was delicate, and the inference was that he would not accept anything which arose out of Kles'a. (श्रीयमुनाजलनिर्वाहः सेवकैः कर्तव्यः, परन्तु नातिक्लेशेन, मत्स्वामिनः कोमलस्वभावत्वात् ). Endowed as he was with such tender feelings for his devotees, it is no wonder that the hearts of his devotees should reciprocate the same sentiments in greater degrees. It is in fitness of things that poet Gopāladāsa after describing all the details of Vitthales'vara's family should describe the same as Kalpa Vriksha. ( श्रीविठ्ठलकल्पद्रुम फल्यो तेनी शाखा प्रसरी अनेकरे ). 2020

प्राप्तभगवत्स्वरूप मूलचन्द्र तुलसीदास तेलीवाला, बी. ए., एल्‌एल. बी. जन्म—१९४३ आश्विन शुक्ल ७.] [ भगवद्धामप्राप्ति:—१९८३ ज्येष्ठ कृष्ण १२.

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The late Editor Mr. Mulchandra Tulsidas Teliwala, B.A., LL. B. The above introduction is left incomplete, because the Editor suddenly passed away on 26th June 1927, at the early age of 39. A short sketch of his life, which was destined to be a life of sacrifice in the cause of पुष्टिमार्ग, will not be out of place. He was born on 23rd September 1887 ( Aso Sud 7, 1943 ) in the ancient and holy city of Bhṛgucutchha or Broach situated on the right bank of the Narmada. It was here that king Bali performed his एकाश्वमेध, and gave Lord वामन three steps of earth. It is the abode from most ancient times of Bhārgava and other Brahmins well-versed in कर्मकाण्ड. Further up the river are situated the holy places of व्यासाश्रम and शक्रतीर्थ the abodes of व्यास and शुक्लनारायण. He was born in a very rich and famous family of दिशामोद वैश्य. The caste being a very small one, his grand-father Mr. Lalbhai was not married till he was about 55 years old. He went to the pilgrimage of श्रीनाथद्वार and कांकरोली and at कांकरोली, गोस्वामी श्रीपुरुषोत्तमजी, (who flourished later than his namesake the writer of प्रकाश on अणुभाष्य ) gave him a blessing that he would have two sons. He replied that he was unmarried and there was no chance of marriage at that age but the गुरु smiled and asked him to go home. The वरदान came to be true, he married and he had two sons. The family business of cotton also prospered and their firm had agents at Palej, Miyagaum and other places, and a branch at Bombay. A marriage of a member of the family was performed at Gulal- wady in the 3rd Bhoiwada, Bombay, with great pomp and large vessels were given in gift by the family to Gulalwady, which even now may be traced. Their prosperity increased, and the cellars of their house were filled with Silver bars. But when God shows special favour to any one, he takes away the burden of wealth, and by the grace of God it happened so in this case. A year before the birth of Mulchandra there came a sudden crash, there was a heavy loss and all the money vanished. On account of worldly worries and troubles with which his parents were surrounded, Mulchandra inherited a very poor, lean, physical body. At any time of life his weight was not more than 72 lbs., but this slender body contained a spirit, which was dauntless, not ruffled by any obstacles, not deceived by any outward show or pomp, and could easily spurn wealth, of which his family had more than en- ough till his birth. His early years were spent in playfulness and he was accustomed to run on the city-walls and swim in the river. But he was always the top-boy in his class. His memory was so sharp that he could easily remember what he read once. He was the pet of his teachers. The light jovial nature of this pigmy monitor commanded willing obedience from the strongest, tallest and most mischievous boy in the class. After passing his Matriculation Examination in 1905 he joined the Wilson College for further studies. In the College hostel he picked up some knowledge of singing and music from his Deccani friends. He graduated B. A. with वेदान्त as his optionl subject in 1909, and he was a favourite student of Mr. Bhadkamkar, Professor of Sanskrit. In the absence of any other calling, he took up government

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service, as a teacher in the Elphinstone High School, Bombay. Thence he was selected for the Training College with a scholarship of Rs. 50 per month, and this gave him an opportunity to read up the course for LL. B. For some time, he lived with Mr. Khimji Cooverji at Walkeshwar, as a tutor to his son. The first वैष्णवपरिषद् met at Baroda in 1906, second at Patan in 1907, and the third at Nandurbar in 1909. After this, पुष्टिभक्तिसुधा the well-known monthly magazine was started, and though he was a student, his constant and power- ful contributions coupled with his independent thinking and fearless expres- sion created a stir in the वैष्णव world. Mr. Maganlal Gunpatram Shastri, the founder of the Parishad and the Magazine, found in him a young, able and resourceful co-worker. The fourth session of the परिषद् was held at Surat in 1910, and there also he attracted great attention. He passed his final LL. B. in 1914, and in all probabilities it appeared that he would begin practice at Broach, as the same was his native place, but all were surprised when he took a High Court Sanad and came to settle in Bombay. The reason which led him to this decision without consulting any one, is as under:— From infancy, he often got dreams in which he found himself flying in the air, and some dreams were suggestive of future events. While at Broa- ch, one early morning before living the bed, he got a dream in which he saw श्रीनाथजी, the स्वरूप in the Broach temple, swinging in पलना and smiling at him. He got up with great joy, and after प्रातःनित्यकर्म he went for दर्शन. He was greatly delighted to have the same दर्शन there, not in dream, but in reality. There was पलना मनोरथ and the स्वरूप was adorned in the same बग्वालहार as he had seen in the dream, and there was the same joyful, smiling look. While he was re- turning home, Mr. Jaikisandas, a life-long friend of Teliwala family, called him at his shop, congratulated him on his passing the 2nd LL. B. examina- tion, advised him to practice in the Bambay High Court, and gave him Rs. 500/ (Rs. 300+Rs. 200) required for taking out a Sanad. Mulchandra saw God's hand in all this and without waiting to consult any one, he came to Bombay, took the Sanad, and began practice. He shared the chamber of the late Mr. Bhailal Kothari at Lamington Road. Here he came into con- tact with the late Mr. Kashidas Narayandas Dalal who was the sub-tenant of Mr. Bhailal and who was the Secretary of Pandit Gattulalaji's संस्था. He helped Mr. Kashidas in preparing the annual टिप्पणी, and from that time Mr. Kashidas took a liking to him. He allowed him full access to the Library manuscripts fully appreciating his great erudition and learning, and finally got him appointed a trustee of the संस्था along with the late Shet Tribhovandas Vurji- vandas, J. P. The reader will thus see that but for वरदान to his grand-father, the जन्म of Mulchandra was impossible, that at the time of his birth, the worldly wealth was all taken away by way of अनुग्रह, the suggestion and facility to settle in Bombay was all due to the Almighty's helping hand, and finally the greatest convenience for his life-work, viz. the possession of an exce- llent manuscript Library of the सम्प्रदाय was provided for him by God; and but 2022

( 23 ) for divine help, not one of these series of important events could have been brought about by his own efforts. The astrologer of his family predicted from his कुण्डली that he would perform a great and memorable यज्ञ, and after more than half of his valu- able publications were out, Mulchandra himself un- derstood the meaning of this यज्ञ, and whenever there were difficulties in his work on account of illness or want of funds or want of manuscripts, he prayed to God, and the prayers were in many cases heard and difficulties solved. Long before this, Mr. Maganlal Shastri had begun to utilise the वैष्णव परिषद् funds for getting manuscripts copied from पं. गट्टूलालजी’s library in consul- tation with Mulchandra, but the fund was small, and the work was stopped after some time. In December 1914, Mr. Maganlal Shastri was transferred to the Deccan College, Poona, and he had to leave Bombay in January 1915. The daily Katha Mandli at the Khakhar Building came to a stop, and thereupon at the request of his friends, Mulchandra began reading अणुभाष्य and निवन्ध, every night. The Bombay University prescribed for सुहृद्गोकुलजी झाला वेदान्त prize for 1915 the following essay-‘Discuss how far शंकराचार्य truly represents the view of the author of the ब्रह्मसूत्रs’. Mu- lchandra had gone through the प्रकाश of श्रीपुरुषोत्तमजी about four or five times, and with his powerful memory he had materials enough for the required dis- cussion. He thought of writing the essay just a month before it was due, and with the wonderful concentration of mind that he possessed, he wrote it out and gave it on the last due date. The language, the outer garment he had no time to correct or adorn, but the thought is so deep, the discussion so balanced, the judgment so impartial, that it is difficult to find fault any- where, while the comparative method and the wide knowledge that he had gathered from प्रकाश having been fully utilised here must have compelled admiration of his examiners. The prize was divided between him and Mr. Kurtkoti. The essay is published and is very widely read. Scholars like Dr. Bhandarkar, Dr. Thibeau, and many other Orientalists have long ago come to the conclusion that शंकर’s interpretation of ब्रह्मसूत्रs does not represent बादरायण’s view, but they had not before them अणुभाष्य and प्रकाश, and so they thought that शंकर had, however, well succeeded in making a समन्वय of all important उपनिषद्'s. If this view were correct, शंकर would be wiser than बादरायण. We have no doubt that a wide knowledge of अणुभाष्य, प्रकाश and रश्मि would dispel this view. Copies of the Essay were sent to many scholars and many have prai- sed it, and some have expressed their inability to pronounce any judgment as they had not studied the various भाष्यs by the comparative method. In about 1915, at the request of Mr. Tribhovandas of Nadiad to trans- late सेवाफल, he began collecting साहित्य on it, and at first collected 12 Teekas, some in हस्ताक्षर of authors themselves. Such a collection was never to be found before in any one library or with any one गोस्वामी or ordinary वैष्णव, and he thought of publishing them. Mr. Tribhovandas had no funds for this 2023

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work, so Mulchandra approached श्रीजीवनलालजी of पोरबन्दर for the same. He immediately consented and sent Rs. 500 for the publication. The work was begun at once, and the first volume of his memorable series was published in December 1916. It established his reputation in the पुष्टिसम्प्रदाय. So many commentaries were never thought of before by any one, much less seen, and now they had them before their eyes all collected, beautifully printed, and with a lucid introduction in Sanskrit. Three more commentaries were subsequently traced and published along with जलभेद. This publication was followed in quick succession by others, and the details as to how, whence and how many manuscripts were collected, how funds were obtained etc., are given in the introduction to each work. His first marriage took place at Ujjain in 1911-12, and he was blessed with a wife who was very pious, spending about two hours every morning in religious observances, highly devoted to her husband, and had a strong and healthy constitution. Mulchandra's mother also was called from Broach, and all lived in Bombay. His income being very limited, they had to live an extremely frugal life, devoid of all luxuries such as tea, vegetables and milk; but it was peaceful and contented. His first son was born in 1914, and a daughter was born in 1915. But even this little happiness did not last long. The daughter died, followed by his wife who died at Broach from fever incident on delivery in Diwali, viz., about October 1917, and Mulchandra and his son were put to great difficulties for daily food. There were no means to keep a cook, or a servant to take care of the son. When the father went to court at 11 A. M, after locking the room, the son passed his time somehow with the neighbours, and if the father did not return at 6 P. M., the lonely son would sit in front of the door with a stream of tears flowing from his eyes down the cheeks and with constant sobs which no amount of persuasion could check. When ultimately he did arrive, the boy would fly into his arms, and would not leave him even in bed and till next day's fateful hour 11 A. M. One source of his little income was some small commissions which came to him from the Chief Judge of the Bombay Small causes Court who appreciated his value, thereby showing his great regard for him, for his sterling character and great learning. For this work, pleaders asked him to fix time after 5-30 P. M., which this junior Mulchandra did, but after some bitter expe- riences of the above nature, he avoided engagements after 5-30 p. m. It was under such difficulties that the life-work of Mulchandra was done. In 1919 ( Vaishakh 1975 ) he went to श्रीनाथद्वार and कांकरोली at the time of यज्ञोपवीत ceremony of श्रीमद्भूषणजी son of श्रीबालकृष्णलालजी. He had with him a com- pany of friends including उत्तमलाल चन्दुलाल, and others. With their help, he saw the libraries of कोटा and gathered important information from manuscripts from all possible sources. He also saw the Nathadwārā Library. The library of श्रीविट्ठलेशजी the second house in which श्रीहरिरायजी, and योगिगोपेश्वरजी flourished, could not be seen, though many efforts were made, and it still remains to be seen with a view to find out all the ग्रन्थs of श्रीहरिरायजी and श्रीयोगिगोपेश्वरजी. It was at

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the time of this trip that the publication of श्रीटिप्पणीजी was undertaken, and the circumstances under which it was done, and the important discovery of the पाण्डु draft in the हस्ताक्षर of श्रीगुसांईजी which it led to, are fully des- cribed in the introduction of श्रीटिप्पणीजी. His second marriage took place at Surat in 1920, in दशामोढ caste. The dowry was fixed at about Rs. 750, but Mulchandra could ill afford this cash and he got a loan from a friend without asking for it. श्रीमन्नरत्नलालजी of Surat graced the marriage procession by his presence. His second wife has two sons and a daughter.

In 1917 his friend उत्सवलाल invited Mulchandra to Anand, and told him in the course of conversation that he had seen रश्मि at Surat. Mulchan- dra sent him to Surat to fetch it, which he did. It was a portion found in a very bad condition, and since then Mulchandra tried to collect रश्मि manu- scripts from all sources, and one of his great desires was to be able to pub- lish भाष्य, प्रकाश and रश्मि together. Through the help of श्रीगोकुलनाथजी of वडामंदिर, Bombay, he succeeded in arranging in May 1925 to get funds from the Gordhandas Soondardas Trust administrated by Seth Lalji Naranji and others, and curtailed all other activities, so that he may be able to devote his undivided attention to the publication of this great work. He was able to publish only three volumes consisting of first, second and third Padas of the third अध्याय before his death.

In 1927, Shree Tikayat Maharaja, Shree Gordhanlalji and Lālbāvā Shree Damodarlalji invited him to श्रीनाथद्वार and he went there accompanied by his friends Messrs. Jamnadas Kanji, Gordhandas Pragji and Hiralal Mulji. He was shown a few pages of the 3rd अध्याय and a complete manuscript of the 4th अध्याय of अणुभाष्य and he found them to his great delight in the हस्ताक्षर of श्रीगुसांईजी. In this manuscript the portion of the second interpretation of the first two सूत्रs of the fourth अध्याय is subsequently added by श्रीगुसांईजी. A minute inspection of the manuscript left no doubt in Mulchandra's mind that the author of the work was श्रीगुसांईजी himself.

He had a very wonderful genius for research. His creative faculty, powerful imagination, extremely retentive memory and a deep alround knowledge of the Sāmpradāyika Gāthās helped this aptitude for research to such an extent that he compelled old worn out manuscripts to speak out, to whom they belonged, from whom they were stolen, when they were written, in whose hand-writing they were and other special details about each of them, with a quickness and preciseness which would put to shame even the hero of a detective novel. We would give an instance and narrate the facts in his own words:—

“નવ પુસ્તકના આધારે શ્રીટિપ્પણીજીનું શોધન કરી અમે મુદ્રણકાર્યમાં ફલપ્રકરણના પ્રથમાધ્યાયના અન્તભાગપર્યન્ત આવ્યા. ‘क्रिया सर्वापि सैवात्र’ એ સુબોધિનીકારિકાનું વ્યાખ્યાન કાંઈક વિલક્ષણ લાગ્યું. આથી શ્રીપુરુષોત્તમજીકૃત તત્પ્રકાશ જોયો. આ પ્રકાશ પણ શ્રીપુરુષોત્તમજીનો નિજબીડહસ્તાક્ષરે લખેલો અમારે ત્યાં બિરાજે છે. તે જોતાં નીચેની પંક્તિ વાચવામાં આવી:—‘अत्र कारिकाव्याख्यानं टिप्पणीपुस्तकेषु दृश्यते, तद् पाण्डुलिखने नास्तीति श्रीगोकुलनाथानां तद् प्रतिभाति, केश्वरीत्यापि यथेति च।’ અહિં કારિકાવ્યાખ્યાનનું ઉલ્લંઘન

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( 26 ) ટિપ્પણીપુસ્તકમાં થાય છે, તે પાંડુલિખનમાં નથી, તેથી શ્રીગોકુલનાથજીનું તે હોય એમ લાગે છે, શોધરી- તથી પણ તેમજ ભાસે છે. એ કારિકાવ્યાખ્યાન શ્રીગોકુલનાથજીનું છે એમ શ્રીપુરુષોત્તમજી કહે છે તે વાતને એજ કારિકાવ્યાખ્યાનનું સ્વતંત્ર પુસ્તક જે અમારી પાસે વિદ્યમાન છે તે પુષ્ટિ આપે છે. તે પુસ્ત- કમાં આ પ્રકારે લખેલું છે:—'श्रीजीवल्लभो जयति । दसमका अध्याय २६ ने समाप्ते श्रीआचार्यजीनी कारिका ५ ॥ छे, ते मध्ये पहेली कारिका जे 'क्रिया सर्वापि सेवायां परं कामो न विद्यते । तासां कामस्य संपूर्तिर्निष्कामेनेति सा कथा ॥ १ ॥ श्रीजीकृत दृष्टु लिखन'. આના પછી મુદ્રિત શ્રીટિપ્પણીજીમાં વિદ્યમાન સંસ્કૃત વ્યાખ્યાન અક્ષરશઃ આદ્યન્ત લખેલું છે. શ્રીગોકુલેશના અન્તરંગ સેવકો એઓશ્રીને પુરુષોત્તમભાવથી શ્રીજીસંજ્ઞાથી વ્યવ- હારે છે. આથી શ્રીપુરુષોત્તમજીનું કથન કે આ વ્યાખ્યાન શ્રીગોકુલનાથજીનું છે તે સુદ્રઢ થાય છે. આ તો અપ્રસ્તુત પ્રસંગ થયો, પરંતુ આ શ્રીપુરુષોત્તમજીની પંક્તિથી અન્ય વાર્તા સ્ફુરી. આ લેખથી એમ જણાયું કે શ્રીપુરુષોત્તમજી પાસે આ પાંડુલિખન શ્રીટિપ્પણીજીનું હોવું જોઇએ, અને શ્રીપુરુષોત્તમજી સુરતમાં થયેલા હોવાથી ઉક્ત પુસ્તક સુરતના શ્રીબાલકૃષ્ણજીના મંદિરમાં હોવું જોઈએ. આ અનુમાનથી દોરાઇને અમે એક વિનતિપત્ર આ સંબંધમાં શ્રીવ્રજરત્નજીને લખ્યું. મહારાજશ્રીએ નિજમંદિરમાં વિદ્યમાન સંગ્રહમાં તપાસ કરી, પરંતુ એ પાંડુલિખનનું પુસ્તક તેમાં મળ્યું નહિ. તેથી આપશ્રીએ અમને જણાવ્યું કે ઉક્ત શ્રીટિપ્પણીજીનું પુસ્તક અમારે ત્યાં સુરતના મંદિરમાં નથી. આ પ્રત્યુત્તરથી અમારા અન્તરાત્માને સંતોષ થયો નહિ, તેથી સ્વતઃ સુરત જઈ આનો નિશ્ચય કરવાનું સ્ફુર્યું. આથી દીવાળીની રજામાં ગત આશ્વિન શુક્લ ત્રયોદશીને દિવસે અમે સુરત ગયા. તે જ દિવસે મહારાજશ્રીવ્રજરત્નજીને વિનતિ કરી કે આપશ્રી અમને આપશ્રીને ત્યાં સેવામાં વિરાજતા હસ્તલિખિત પુસ્તકોનું દર્શન કરાવવા કૃપા કરો. મહારાજશ્રીએ કૃપા કરી અમારી વિનતિ લક્ષમાં લઈ બીજે જ દિવસે—આશ્વિન શુક્લ પૂર્ણિમા—રાસોત્સવને દિવસે—પ્રાતઃકાલે ગ્વાલ અને રાજ- ભોગના અનવસરમાં ઉક્ત પુસ્તકોનું દર્શન કરાવ્યું. હસ્તલિખિત પુસ્તકોનું દર્શન કરતાં અમને બહુજ આનન્દ તથા સંતોષ થયો. અમને માલૂમ પડ્યું કે શ્રીમદ્વિઠ્ઠલેશ્વર પ્રભુચરણના નિજ શ્રીહસ્તાક્ષરે લખેલા શ્રીટિપ્પણીજીના મૂલ પુસ્તકજી ત્યાં બિરાજે છે. અને આજ પુસ્તકનો ઉપન્યાસ શ્રીપુરુષોત્તમજી પાંડુ- લિખન તરીકે કરે છે.” Besides tracing the original of टिप्पणी, some of the other important re- sults of this genius for research which has put the whole Sampradāya in great obligation to him might be summed up as under:— 2. भरुची वैष्णवs give the date of श्रीमद्वल्लभाचार्य's birth as, 1529, and not 1535, and the place of birth as चोदामन्न and not चंपारण्य. Mulchandra got an old manus- cript of कलोल from these भरुचीs in which one old श्लोक ( about 3rd or 4th ) about नामकरण or ordinary matter was deleted and this श्लोक specially mentioning date and place was substituted, scratching out the old one. There was not the slightest necessity of scratching out the old श्लोक but the writer purposely did it with an ulterior motive. The manuscript was returned and since then it is not produced by वैष्णव उत्सवलाल भरुची though repeatedly demanded. From the time we saw the mss., we were convinced about the interpolation, thus leaving no doubt that the date given by भरुचीs 1529 is not correct, as also the place चोदामान. 3. Very little was known to the सम्प्रदाय about श्रीकृष्णचन्द्रजी. It was he who pointed out the deep obligation under which श्रीपुरुषोत्तमजी was to his गुरु for adopting the comparative method of writing, to unearth and publish as an appendix to Vol. III of भाष्यप्रकाशरश्मि, कृष्णचन्द्रजी's टीका on गुणोपसंहारपाद, and to draw attention to the different इतिश्री's in the भाष्यप्रकाशिकावृत्ति showing which portion was written by श्रीकृष्णचन्द्रजी himself and which was collected, set right or written by श्रीपुरुषोत्तमजी. 2026

( 27 ) 4. It was he who obtained the fourth अध्याय of श्रीपुरुषोत्तमजी's अधिकरणमाला from the Deccan College Bhandarkar Institute, and published it. योगी श्रीगोपेश्वरजी could not get it, and so he wrote out the fourth अध्याय himself, which also has been printed in the appendix, thus facilitating a comparison between the writings of two master-minds. 5. A copy of some portion of बृहद्भाष्य was found many years ago, and published in पुष्टिभक्तिसुधा. It was well-known then to every student that this contained words, phrases and sentences which were also found in प्रकाश and वृत्ति. The portion was published for what it was worth for the information of the public. The matter rested there for several years. Two or three years ago, Mulchandra got a rough draft* of the same portion of the बृहद्भाष्य, and he had no difficulty in tracing it to रामकृष्णभट्ट, the learned शास्त्री of काशीस्थ श्रीगिरिधरजी, and the टीकाकार of श्रुतिरहस्य. In the introduction to भाष्यप्रकाशरश्मि ३-१-१ published in samvat 1982, Mulchandra wrote on p. 12 as under:—"In conclusion we ought not to omit reference to one work which passes in the name of श्रीमद्भाष्य of S'ri Vallabhāchārya. Some passages of the जिज्ञासाधिकरण and the first Pāda of the third Adhyāya and 11 Sūtras of the second Pāda have been seen by us. The portion from the third Adhyāya has been published by us in the monthly Pushti Bhakti-Sudhā. From the style, this seems to be a clumsy attempt of a writer of recent times. All copies seen by us are new. The style is such as leaves little doubt in our minds as to the spurious nature of this production". Notwithstanding this, Mr. Jethalal Shah, who has recently pub- lished अनुवाद of १-२ अध्यायs writes, in his introduction on p. 9, “...સદ્‌ગત તેલીવાલા એવું માને છે કે શ્રીવલ્લભાચાર્યે બ્રહ્મસૂત્ર ઉપર બે ભાષ્ય રચ્યાં હતાં...તેના પુરાવા તરીકે પુષ્ટિભક્તિસુધાના વર્ષ ૬ માં પ્રકટ થયેલા લખાણને રજુ કરે છે અને તે પ્રકટ થયેલું લખાણ તે “શ્રીમદ્ભાષ્ય અગર બૃહદ્ભાષ્ય” છે.” To attribute to Teliwala what he deliberately considered "spurious" is misrepresenting a departed scholar, misleading oneself and misleading the public. His conclusion which he puts in bold type on p. 16. “પાછળથી કૃષ્ણ- ચન્દ્રજીએ બૃહદ્ભાષ્ય રચ્યું હશે” is also due to ignorance. To say that अणुभाष्य derives its name from the अणुत्व of जीव is absurd, because the जिज्ञासा is not जीवजिज्ञासा, but ब्रह्मजिज्ञासा, and the अणुभाष्य is not जीवसूत्राणुभाष्य, but ब्रह्मसूत्राणुभाष्य. The present requirements of the सम्प्रदाय are not arguments based on antiquated opinions, but investigation and research which would throw more light on the सम्प्रदाय. 6. It was he who identified a manuscript of सुबोधिनी now at Dabhoi, as originally belonging to श्रीदामोदरलालजी, son of श्रीगिरिधरजी, the eldest son of श्रीगुसांईजी. The additions made by श्रीगुसांईजी to सुबोधिनी are put into brackets in this manu- script. While reading सुबोधिनी, it was found difficult to establish any connec- tion between some sentences, which difficulty is removed by श्रीगुसांईजी's additions being thus separated. The तामसफलप्रकरण is published from this manuscript, by Mulchandra. 7. The idea of collecting all the टीकाs on षोडशग्रन्थs and publishing them together was his; he successfully carried it out, and helped चीमनशास्त्री and हरिकृष्णशास्त्री with manuscripts to complete the series.

• The draft is with us at present. 2027

( 28 ) 8. He collected टीकाs of श्रीगुसांईजी on सिद्धान्तमुक्तावली and pointed out that श्रीगुसांईजी had revised the टीका at least four times. 9. It was he who first found out that श्रीव्रजराजजी of the 1st house wrote his टीकाs and sent them to his गुरु श्रीवल्लभजी of the 5th house who made many changes in them. The copies made from the original became known as श्रीव्रजराजजी's टीकाs and those that were altered became known as श्रीवल्लभजी's टीकाs. 10. He went to श्रीनाथद्वार, identified the fourth अध्याय of भाष्य as written out wholly by श्रीगुसांईजी, in which second interpretation of 1st two सूत्रs is subsequently added, thus conclusively showing that the whole was written by श्रीगुसांईजी. 11. He found out फलप्रकरणप्रकाश in the हस्ताक्षर of श्रीपुरुषोत्तमजी and published the same. 12. He collected two copies of भाष्यप्रकाश, first in श्रीपुरुषोत्तमजी's own hand and got and identified a subsequent copy of प्रकाश in which additions and alterations were made by श्रीपुरुषोत्तमजी. He adopted for publication the final copy of प्रकाश and hence we find differences in प्रकाश and रश्मि, as रश्मिकार श्रीगोपेश्वरजी had got only the first copy of प्रकाश with him. 13. He threw new light on श्रीगुसांईजी's life, which is published above with dates as traced by him. 14. He found out that the सुवर्णमेखला that श्रीवल्लभाचार्यजी presented was not to श्रीविठ्ठलनाथजी of पंढरपुर, but it was to श्रीविठ्ठलनाथजी of विजयनगर, where there was a temple of श्रीविठ्ठलनाथजी. 15. He obtained from श्रीब्रजरत्नलालजी of सुरत the will of श्रीपुरुषोत्तमजी and published the same. 16. He collected and published several खतपत्रेxs in पुष्टिभक्तिसुधा and वेणुनाद. 17. He laboured hard and succeeded in collecting रश्मि, the monumen- tal work of श्रीयोगिगोपेश्वरजी and with the help of श्रीगोकुलनाथजी of बडा मन्दिर, Bombay, he arranged for publication of the same. On account of his wide knowledge about the history of the सम्प्रदाय together with a clear preception of the facts of the case put before him he was consulted by गोस्वामिs in their cases, and his services were ulitised by S'ri Gokulnāthji of Bombay and his son S'rī Krishņajivanji in Madras and Dharangaon cases, in both of which they succeeded, and also by Shrī Gope- shwarji who also won his case at Madras. Again, if there was an attack against the पुष्टिसम्प्रदाय and his presence was required at any place he never refused, but started immediately. He had thus to go to सिहोर (near Indore) Mehemdabad, Patan, Savali and other places. 2028