षोडश ग्रन्थाः (महाप्रभु वल्लभाचार्य - पुष्टिमार्ग सिद्धान्त एवं सान्वय हिन्दी व्याख्या)

Krishnāśraya. The country surrounding the holy rivers the Jamuna and the Ganges was overrun by mahomedans. The kingdom of the great Krishnadeva-Ray in whose court at Vijayanagar Vallabhacharya gained distinction as one of the greatest Acharyas then living, was under the perpetual terror of neighbouring mahomedan kingdoms of the Bahamany dynasty, and its disruption appeared to him to be a question of time. After the death of Krishnadev-Ray, such a time did arrive, and during the regime of weaklings who succeeded Krishnadeva, we find that the five mahomedan kings of the Bahamani Dynasty did combine to overthrow the Hindu kingdom of Vijaya-Nagar, and they actually succeeded in destroying the same in 1565 A. D. in the battle of Talikota. This being the condition of India the very existence of the Vedic civilisation seemed to Vallabhacharya to be in peril. Numerous writers before him had painted the picture of Vedic religion in colours which made it difficult, if not imposible, to be recognized. Even then, after removing all the false colours and showing it in true perspective, it was a great problem to put the same in practice in an acceptable form, having regard to the disturbed state of society then existing in India. Vallabhacharya seems to have devoted much anxious thought to this problem. The problem before him was two-fold, first how he was to present the true picture of Vedic religion, and secondly how he was to save mankind, degenerated and distracted as it was, on the basis of the same. These questions seem to have troubled him most. He found it impossible to solve this problem through human agency. It was in the moments of holy communion and devine inspiration, that a mode of worship was revealed to Vallabha. Divine grace was the essence of this mode of worship. Hence following ‘पोषणं तदनुग्रहः’ a sentence in the Bhagavata, he named this mode as पुष्टिमार्ग.

The conception of this Pushti-Marga was based on a very broad basis. Traivarṇikas and Non-Traivarṇikas, males and femals can equally be Adhikari in this path. The position of the female was elevated to an extent unknown to Vedic times. The conceptions of the Highest Deity, human soul, universe etc. were accepted on the basis of the Vedic doctrine of Brahmavāda, but the process of Sādhanā was based purely on love generated by the singular grace of the Supreme Deity. The Grace Divine was to act in inverse ratio of the individual’s attachment to Veda and Loka. The lesser the attachment to Loka and Veda, the deeper became the attachment to the Supreme Deity. Such love devoid of Upadhi and Avadhi was the index of the Divine Grace. Without love the mode of worship was not Sevā, but a Pūjā. Hence the first requisite