Sri Vallabhacharyah Vaishnava Sadhuh/SriVallabharya - A vaishnvite Saint

ïIv‘ÉacayR> - vE:[vsaxu> 

AacayRSy Avtarmihma :-

        s<àit Éartpu{yÉUme> di][aya< idiz AaNØàdeze iÇil¼deze ivrajmanaee ¢amae=iSt ‘kakvaRd’ nama, tÇ belnafu iÇil¼v[Re ‘ïIlúm[É”ayaRe’ nam ivàae vsit Sm, tSy xmRpÆI pitìtazeor-m[I ïImtI ‘@‘Mmgaé’ naçI AasIt!.

         ïIlúm[É”ayR> pTNya sh vara[sI< tIwRyaÇawR< gtvan!, tda Sv¢amàitinvtRnsmye magRe cMpkar{ye vnàdeze kilyuge àwme pade zkaBde 1535 s<vTsre cEÇmase àwmp]e @kadZya< zuÉitwaE tSy pÆI ASmakmacayRrÆ< ‘ïImÖ‘ÉacayRm!’ AsUt.

AacayRSy idVyjNm :-

         ïIlúm[É”ayRSy izzu> àsvanNtr< zEzvaeictVyvharriht> AÉvt!, ta†z< izzu< †ò!va iptraE taE mhta du>oen tÇEv t< izzu< ivsijRtvNtaE, tdnNtr< Sv¢am< àit AgCDtam!, ikNtu raÇaE Svße Égvta vaca dizRtsUcnya à[uidtaE taE cMpkar{y< àit gCDt> Sm, tÇ Ai¶àÉam{fle  dIiÝmNt< scetnceò< Svkumar< vIúy mhdanNdmnuÉUy tm! Aaday Svg&h< nyt> Sm.

AacayRSy jNmaixk&Ty idVyaiÉ}anm! :-

           ïIlúm[É”ayRSy pUvRja> ivàa¢esra> ïIy}naray[dIi]tayaRdar_y svRe Aanu;i¼k-àvtRman-@kztaixk-saemyagavlIn! yjNte Sm, tda @kiSmn! mexe Égvan! naray[> iïy>pit> zŒc³za¼RnNdkxr> Ai¶m{fle AaivÉURy ‘yid yUy< shö-gu[-pirimt-saemyagan! àvtRyeyu> tihR Svymev tiSmn! Kule puÇTven Avtir:yaim’ #it àit}aPy ANtxaRnmkraet!.

           prmaTmn> ïIk&:[Sy muoat! Svymevagt> idVyJyaeitêp> Ai¶Égvanev puÇTven Avttar #it ïIlúm[É”ayRàmuoa> svRe AmNyNt.

AacayRSy baLye iv*a_yas> :-

           ïIlúm[É”ayR> SvpuÇay jatkmR-namkr[-y}aepvItxar[aid-s<Skaran! karyamas, tdnNtr< ïIv‘ÉacayRSy iv*a_yasawR< vara[sI< nITva tÇ suàiwte s<Sk&itpUvRkzaSÇaXyapnkeNÔe tm! A_yNtrIk&tvan!, tÇEv ïIv‘ÉacayR> SvbaLyavSwa< nITva zEzv @v svaRi[ zaSÇai[ s<ygxItvan!.

AacayRe[ zuÏaÖEtmts<Swapnm! :-

           ïIv‘ÉacayR> svaRi[ zaSÇai[ s<ygxITy Éagvtpura[< muhumuRhurnusNxanmkraet!, @vmnusNxay bhuz> s> pae;[< tdnu¢h> #it Éagvtpura[vaKySy Aalaecnya puiòmagRm! #it Svmt< àitpaidtvan!, tSy mtSy zuÏaÖEtm! #it namaNtrmiSt,

                      “@k< zaSÇ< devkIpuÇgItm!  @kae dev> devkIpuÇ @v,

                @kae mNÇ> tSy namain yain kmaRPyek< tSy devSy seva.”

#it ðaekaeidtàma[en Svmt< †F< àitóapyamas.

AacayRSy kazIivjym! :-

           @;> AacayR> ààwm< tavt! Svsuk&t-suïut-suSvaXyay-}anvIcIiÉ> Svàitpaidt-zuÏaÖEtmtivcarEí smStkazIngr< VyakulIk&Ty SvvzIk&tvan!, ikNtu tSy mnis smSt-Éartdezmip Svmtàcare[ jetu< jIvnlúymekmasIt!, tdwR< s> muhumuRhu> pu{ytIwRyaÇamkraet!, àwme tIwaRqne tÇ tÇ smaje manvEKymTymkraet!, iÖtIye Aqne tÇ tÇ prmaTmn> ïIk&:[Sy ïInawmiNdrm! #TyaOyatan! devalyan! àitóapyit Sm, t&tIyaqne Svmt< puiòmagR< su†F< sàma[< s<Swapyamas.

AacayRSy di][Éartivjym! :-

           @;> AacayR> di][Éarte xImta< ivdu;a< vadivvadprI]aSpxaRsu àaduÉRvNt> Anekan! Aa]epaTmkan! ivcaraniÉmuoIk&Ty Svmtàcare[ jetumECDt!, tdwR< s> ivjyngrmgCDt!, tÇ ivjyngrivraq! ïIk&:[devrayÉUpit> AasIt!, s> svRda pi{ftEmERi{ft>, s> tda tda skls<àday-àvtRkan! AacayaRn! pi{fta<í s<pUJy te;a< knkaiÉ;ecn< karyit Sm, @;> tSy ÉUpte> Vyvhar>, s> ÉUpit> kdaict! pi{ftana< sMmeln< k&Tva tÇ ïIv‘ÉacayR< àaiîkpdml»tRu< àawRyamas, tSy àawRnam¼Ik&Ty ïIv‘ÉacayR> pi{ftana< vadàitvadan! s<yk! ivcayR Svmt< inxaRryamas, ten àsÚ> s> ïIk&:[devray> ïIv‘ÉacayaRy knkaiÉ;ecn< k&Tva ‘mhacayR>’ #it ibéd< c dTva ïIv‘ÉacayRSy k&pavhae=Évt!.

ïInawmhaàÉae> iv¢havtar> :-

           tdnNtrm! @;> AacayR> ìjdezmgCDt!, tÇ ìjdeze nanaivxm{fle cturzIit (84) pirimtàiwte;u àdeze;u ïIk&:[ay ïInawmiNdran! àitóapyamas, tÇ tÇ @kiSmn! sÝahe @kÇ #it Svy< idVyasnml»&Ty ïImÑagvtpura[< g[nenapiriCDÚanekvar< AnusNxanmkraet!, tdnNtr< ìjdeze;u ANytme gaevxRn #it ¢ame àwm< àitiót< ïInawiv¢h< %dypure iv*mane nawÖarka #it àdeze SwanaNtr< k&Tva àitóapyamas.

AacayRSy pirvar> k&tyí :-

           @;> AacayR> Çyiô<zt! (33) vyis vara[Sya< mhalúmI naMnI< pir[ymkraet!, tdnNtr< Alhabad! smIpSw Afel! #it ¢ame vsit Sm, tÇ s> SvpTNya sh iv<zit(20)vTsran! kal< innay, tÇ @v s> tÅvawRdIpinbNx> Éagvtpura[VyaOya subaeixnI pÇavlMbnm! ;aefz¢Nwa> mxuraòkm! jEimnIsUÇÉa:ym! äüsUÇ-A[uÉa:ym! #TyadIn! ¢Nwan! ¢iwtvan!, tdaTve tSy pTnI gaepInaw> iv”lnaw> #it ÖaE puÇaE AjIjnt!, ikiÂTkalanNtr< SvpTNya> kumarSy iz:ya[a< c Anu}anNtr< @;> kSmai½t! ÖEtsÛyaisn> turIyaïm< SVykraet!.

AacayRSy jlsmaix> :-

           @;> AacayR> SvSy AiNtme jIvne mhtI< rwyaÇa< k&Tva kiSm<iída;aFmase %Ärp]e iÖtIyaya< zuÉitwaE iÇd{f< x&Tva g¼aya> tIre hnuman!-"”-àdez< gtvan!, tÇ shöaixk-É´-iz:y

g[sm]< prmpd< àit Svgmnm! %d!"aei;tvan!, ïImÑagvtpura[aNtgRt gaeipkagIt< twa yuglgItimit StaeÇÖymnekvar< sÃPy yaega_yasen jlsmaxaE prmaTmn> tejaem{flaNtSSvymEKymvap.

                                  .AacayaRe=vtu n> sda.

                                                             

                                                               

Sri Vallabhacarya – The Vaishnavaite Saint

Significance of His Birth:-

The great Saint Sri Vallabhacarya was born to Sri Lakshmana Bhattarya and Smt. Ellammal, when they were returning from their pilgrimage toVaranasi(Kasi), on the woods of Champakaranya.  That auspicious day was Ekadasi, Krishnapaksha (Solar fortnight) in the month of Chitra, 1535 A.D.  Their lineage belongs to Belanadu – Trilingavarna race of Andhra Pradesh.

The most important incident in the life of Sri Vallabhacarya was his reunion with his parents.  After his birth the child showed no signs of normal baby like crying and moving his hands and legs.  On seeing this, his parents abandoned him in the woods and went back to their village – Kakarvada.  On the same night God appeared in their dream and explained them the significance of his birth and insisted them to get their child back.  The next morning they rushed to the woods and reached the place where they left the baby.  They found their child amidst the glowing fire.  They understood that he was an incarnation of Fire-God(Agni-svaroopa).  They settled at Varanasi.

His fore-fathers used to perform Somayagas*¹.  One of them is Somabhatta.  During the Somayagas, once Lord MahaVishnu with Panchayudhas^*2 appeared from the Agni and assured them that he will be born in their family as and when they complete thousand Somayagas.  God fulfilled his boon by being born as a child to Sri Lakshmana Bhattarya.  This covers the birth of God Vishnu as Sri Vallabhacarya.

Sri Vallabhacarya’s Education:-

The reunion helped Sri Vallabhacarya to acquire the initiation^*3 from his father who was his first Guru.  In his childhood, Sri Vallabhacarya gained primary knowledge in Vedic texts and ritual scriptures from his father.    Many great scholars gave him further guidance because of which he attained mastery.  Apart from philosophical knowledge he had deep-urge to imbibe the Bhagavata-Puranam.  The phrase “Poshanam tadanugrahaha” (Poshanam tadanugrahaha - means the mere grace of Lord Krishna is the nourishment for our soul) in the Bhagavata-Puranam has initiated him to establish the Pushtimarga alias Suddhaadvaitam.  Pushtimarga is the Akhanda Brahmavaada which is entirely different from other three^*4 major philosophies.  Shri Vallabhacarya defines Pushtimarga as the school of Akhanda Brahmavaada which emphasizes the inseperable nature of the Supreme soul and individual souls.  To attain moksha, the individual soul has to definitely seek the help of the divine knowledge.

Sri Vallabhacarya’s Yatra:-

Over the span of 15 years, Sri Vallabhacarya travelled all over India for about three times.  During his sojourn he won many debates with renowned scholars in Mimamsa, Advaita and Jainism.  He has built many temples for Lord Krishna naming Him as Srinatha.  He also established his own concepts on Pushtimarga and gained many followers.  He had the attention of the people of Varanasi with his erudition.                            

Sri Vallabhacarya’s Laurels:-

Sri Vallabhacarya was honoured with the title”Bala-Sarasvati” for teaching and preaching Bhagavata-Puranam.  Krishnadevaraya the ruler of Vijayanagara, who encouraged and was always in the company of scholars of various gernes,  once when Sri Vallabhacarya was in Vijayanagara, during his pilgrimage in Andhra Pradesh, the king Krishnadevaraya honoured him with Kanakabhishekam^*5 and gave the title “Mahacharya”.

Principles of Sri Vallabhacarya:-

Pushtimarga – The school established by Vallabhacarya comprises of few Visishtaadvaitic concepts along with his own doctrines.  He totally declined the Advaitic concepts.  The major aspect of his philosophy is that

“Ekam Saastram Devakiputrageetham Eko Devah Devakiputra eva    Eko mantraha tasya naamaani yaani Ekam karma tasya devasya sev a”

There is only one Treatise                           –    Srimad Bhagavad Gita

There is only one Lord                                    –    Sri Krishna

There is only one Mantraha(hymn)          –    The names of Sri Krishna

There is only one Duty                                  –    Service to Lord Sri Krishna  

Moreover, he emphasizes on the Amsa-Amsi Bhava which means the individuals souls are the parts of the Supreme soul.

Sri Vallabhacarya’s Family:-

At the age of 32, Sri Vallabhacarya married Mahalakshmi.  They had two children namely Gopinatha and Vittalanatha.  Gopinatha died within a few years of his birth.  Vittalanatha became a great scholar under the tutelage of his father as well as from other eminent scholars.

Sri Vallabhacarya’s Works:-

He wrote many treatises to propogate his school of Pushtimarga.

1.                   Anubhashya - it is a commentary on BrahmaSutra of Vyasa.  The book was completed in the end by Sri Vittalanatha as Sri Vallabhacarya was unwell.

2.                   TattvaarthaDeepaNibandhaha - It has three parts. Part I deals with the greatness of Bhagavat Geeta, Part II has the detailed description of various religions and their doctrines, Part III has stories of Bhagavata-Puranam and about the devotees in detail.  He wrote his own commentary for this book with the title “Prakasa”.

3.                   Subodhini - the commentary highlights the first, second, third, tenth and eleventh chapters of Bhagavata-Puranam.

4.                   Patravalambanam - elaborates the concepts of Pushtimarga, and the relativity between Purvamimamsa and Uttaramimamsa^*6.

5.                   JaiminiSutraBhashyam - The book shows the relativity between Purvamimamsa and Uttaramimamsa but unfortunately it remains as an incomplete work.

6.                   Shodasagranthas - It is an anthology of Pushtimarga with sixteen varieties of hymns.

7.                   Sri Madhurashtakam - It has eight slokas which describes Lord Krishna’s beauty from head to toe with poetic embellishments.

Sri Vallabhacarya’s Salvation:-

Sri Vallabhacharya during his life time realized that he is nearing his end, with acceptance from his family members and disciples he took Sanyasasramam^*7 from the Dvaitic Guru “Madhavendra Puri”.

He was named as “Purnananda” in his Sanyasasramam.  Once during the month Ashaada in the lunar fortnight (15 July to 15^th August), He conducted a Ratha-Yatra following which he immersed himself in the river Ganga at Hanuman Ghat to attain Jalasamadhi^*8.  Till to date his descendants are following and preserving the pushtimarga founded by Sri Vallabhacarya.

Notes:-

1.                   Somayagas means the fire-worship done by using the creeper “Soma”.

2.                   Five weapons of the Lord MahaVishnu

-          Sudarsana Chakram (Discus)

-          Panchajanya Sankham(Conch)

-          Kaumodaki Gada(Mace),

-          Nandaka Khadgam(Sword),

-          Sarnga Dhanush(Bow)

3.            Initiation means “Upanayanam” in Sanskrit. It is a religious ritual in which the sacred thread worn over the left shoulder under the right-arm, after which one is eligible to learn the Vedas.

 4.           The three major philosophies are Dvaitam, Advaitam and Visishtadvaitam.

5.            Kanakabhishekam is a way of honouring scholars by pouring the gold coins over them.

6.            Purvamimamsa and Uttaramimamsa are the two parts of Vedas dealing with karma and Jnaana respectively.

7.            Sanyasasramam is the fourth stage of life of a man in which one renunciates from the material world.  The first three stages are Brahmacaryam (Bachelorhood), Grihasthaasramam (Married life), Vaanaprastham (Living in the forest after completing household duties).

 8.           Jalasamadhi is eighth stage of practicing Yoga in which one immerses himself in water to attain salvation.