Characteristics and Character of the Vallabha Sampradāya

Abstract

This article examines the Vallabha Saṃpradāya, also known as the Puṣṭimārga (Path of Grace), a distinctive Vaiṣṇava tradition founded by Vallabhācārya (1479-1531?). It highlights the sect's internal identity, which centers around a trinity of Vallabhācārya, the Śrīnāthjī image of Krishna, and the Yamunā river. The article details the crucial role of Vallabhācārya's male descendants (Vallabh kul) in sustaining the lineage and conferring the brahmasambandha initiation. It also explores the central devotional practice of sevā (divine service) offered to the ṭhākurjī (personal deity) within the home, emphasizing its intricate components of ornamentation, music, and food offerings, and its aim of fostering intimate love (bhāva) with Krishna rather than seeking liberation (mokṣa). The unique literary tradition, pilgrimage forms, and the śuddhādvaita brahmavāda philosophy, which asserts the reality of the world and Brahman's power, are also discussed, demonstrating how praxis preceded and shaped doctrine in this tradition.