Sri Vallabhacharya - Pushti Darshan

The School of Vallabhacarya 19
duties of the different varnas (classes) and asramas (orders of life) .could not be satisfactorily discharged;
and the Vedas, though , most effective in the past. had ceased to be so, not because they were useless, but
because the people could not put the Vedic teaching into practice and perform sacrifices. The Acarya has
tried to show that over and above the paths of karma, jnana, and Vedic bhakti, there is one more path, that
of divine grace which if once enjoyed, makes our life divine. The doctrine of grace is clearly referred to in
the Upanishads, the Gita, and the ' Bhagvata; and although Ramanuja and others admit it to b an all-saving
factor, it must be said to the credit of Vallabha that the way in which he has dealt with this question is unique
. The followers of the other Vaisnava school also believe in the power of divine grace, but their mod of
worship is maryadika, as they look upon the Lord as the great awe-inspiring God, endowed with infinite
qualities and possessing great powers. Their worship is not prompted by love, which is possible only
through the grace of the Lord. The followers of the Pustimarga however, worship the Lord, not because He
is the Paramatman or the highest Entity, but because they ardently love him. The worship of these
devotees is therefore snehatmaka (consisting of love) and the Lord who is thus loved and worshipped is
called Gopijanvallabha. (the beloved of the gopis), a term which is very significant in the system. The gopis
are the pioneers in this line, and others who follow them enjoy the same divine bliss The mode of worship
that has been followed In this system up to the present day is based on the spirit of the gopis. One who
follows the Pustimarga aspires to be a gopi and worships the Lord with that attitude., In fact, all souls
represent the feminine Principle and have the Lord as their spiritual husband.
Spiritual Discipline, As regards the daily life of a devotee of this type, the Acarya tells us that he should first
of all dedicate his own self and all his belongings, all the members of his family, to Lord Krishna, which
appeared in the world for the uplift of people of all classes and particularly those who are not in a position to