Srimad Vallabhacharyaji
Srimad Vallabhacharyaji is one of the latest reformers. He was born on the 11th day of the dark half in the lunar month of Chaitra, in V.S. 1535 (A.D. 1479) in the forest of Camparanya, near Raipura, in Madhya Pradesh. His father was Lakxmana Bhatta and his mother was Illamagaru. He belonged to the illustrious race of Telugu Brahmins who studied the Taittaraya ckha of the Karma Yajurvada. Vallabha’s ancestors were devoted to the cult of Vishnu in the form of Gopala. They were equally devoted to the Purva and Uttara Mountain. Thus from Lakxmana Bhatta, shri VallabhaÃcharyaji inherited his love for Karma, Gyan and Bhakti. With his masterly genius, he saw the shortcomings of the Advaita of the Gyana and the Bhakti of Ramanuja, Madhva and others. He preached a doctrine, which could reconcile the Pure Advaita of the Upanishad’s and the Bhakti school. He wrote commentates on the Star’s of Jaimina and Badarcya´a and therein propounded the true significance of Karma marga and Gyana marga as found in Vedic literature. But he saw at the same time that the age of Vedic ceremonies in its perfect form and the knowledge path would be unsuitable for the requirements of the modern people with their inherent shortcomings. Therefore, by the command of Lord Krishna, he set forth for a doctrine, which is called Pustiimarga, i.e. the way to approach God by as complete surrender to Him. God's singular grace alone was to save mankind. The only thing that one has to do is to surrender himself completely to Lord Krishna. This doctrine was proclaimed by Shri VallabhaÃchayaji in the religious assembly convened by the famous king Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagara in the south of India. After this, he preached the same Vedic doctrine in his famous work Patravalamabana in the city of Varanasi.
He married a Brahmin girl named Mahalakxmi. He had two sons by her viz, Shri Gopinathaji and Shri Vithalanathaji. He established a shrine in honors of Shri Krishna on the mount Govardhana in Mathura district. The rest of his life he passed in Adel near Varanasi.
A month before he passed away, he came to Varanasi, took Trial Sanyasa, abstained himself from taking food for a month and for the last eight days, he gave up speech. His last advice to his sons
was to cease to be Bahirmukha (away from God) and to serve Krishna, the Lord of the Gopal’s, who should never be regarded as earthly. With this advice and with a realization of Lord Shri Krishna, he entered the Ganges for Nitya Lila. This was on the second day of the brighter half in the lunar month of Asadha, V.S. 1587.
His famous works are SuBodhniji, Tatvatha Dipa Nibandha and the sixteen pamphlets. His doctrines were elaborated and promulgated in Rajasthan, Kathiyavara and Gujarat by his son Shri Vithhalanathaji and his descendants.
Shri Vallabha’s school has refined and developed the aesthetic sense of vaishnavism.