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

INTRODUCTION. S'rīmad Vallabhacharya, the author of this little treatise 'Essence of Doctrine' 'Siddhanta Rahasya', was born on the 11th day of the dark half of chaitra, 1535 Samvat, (1479. A. D,) in the forest of Champa near Raichur. His father was Lakshmana Bhatta, and Yallammagaru was his mother. He was a Telugu Brahmin studying the Taitariya S'ākhā of the Black Yajur-Veda. Vallabha's birth is shrouded in the mysteries of the devotional beliefs of his followers, but one thing is certain that his followers believed that he was commissioned to inaugurate a great religious revival in India. From the writings of Vallabha which are available now, we can say that this belief was shared by himself also. It is not an uncommon phenomenon in India. Ramanuja, Madhva, Nimbarka, Chaitanya, and several other great teachers did believe in their special messages to the world. Vallabha's ancestors were Deekshitas, and were devoted to Krishna in the form of Gopala. The Swarūpa of Madana Mohanaji in the Seventh Pitha is the one which came to him from his Sixth ancestor Yajna Narayana Bhatta. It is possible that Vallabha's father Lakshmana Bhatta and his ancestors were the Upāsakas of Gopala according to the cult of Vishnuswami. The early years of Vallabha were passed by him with his father at Benares, where he is said to have mastered all the Vedas, six Dars'anas, and all schools of Āstika and Nāstika thinkers. He studied the S'aiva and Vaishnava Āgamas. When Vallabha was comparatively young, his father died. Vallabha wanted to study the Vaishnava systems of Madhva, Ramanuja, Nimbarka and others, and seeing that they were not prevalent there, in order to have direct knowledge, he is said to have proceeded to the south. Vallabha's desire to go to the south of India is very natural. During that time there was the powerful Hindu kingdom of Vijaya Nagar or Vidyanagar, over which ruled the mighty monarch Krishnadeva-Raya, himself a great Vaishnava. During his time, it seems a convention was held of the representatives of all the existing Sampradayas. The session seems to have been going on when Vallabha visited Vijayanagar. The main dispute seems to have been between Vyāsa Tirtha, the Mādhva, and some representative of Mayavadins. It seems also clear that the Dwaita philosophy of the Mādhvas could not hold its own against the attack of S'ānkaras. At this juncture Vallabha seems to have baffled all by his great learning and powerful arguments. We see no reason to doubt this fact. Vallabha's position was peculiar. He accepted Adwaita pure and simple without the interference of the Māyāvāda of S'ankara; hence all the attacks advanced by Madhvas and others against Advaita lost their force as against him. His acceptance of 'अद्वैतपूर्वकभक्ति' disarmed the opposition of both Vaishnavas and S'ānkaras. The position taken up by Vallabha was not altogether singular. We believe that Narayana Bhatta, the author of the famous drama, Veņisanhara was the follower of a system of Philosophy which combined in itself the Pure Adwaita of the Upanishads and the Bhakti Mārga. Whatever that may be, it is certain that Vallabha made a very great impression on king Krishnadeva, Vyasa-Tirtha and others who were present there. In consequence of this session, the king performed a 'Kanakābhisheka' with hundred Maunds of Gold. It is said that Vallabha did not accept this gold and began to commence his travels. This abstinence on the