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What is Pushtimarg - Learn about Pushtimarg

"Pushtimarg" is a 500 year old sect of Hindu Religion, founded by Shri Vallabhacharya.

Shri Vallabhacharya is one of the five main Acharyas of the Hindu Religion . The other four being Shankaracharya, Shri Ramanujacharya, Shri Madhavacharya and Shri Nimbarkacharya. These acharyas have a very significant contribution towards the upbringing of the Hindu Religion.

Hindu Religion's History is very old, dating back to vedic times.
The four Vedas i.e..

are treated as very sacred scriptures and the base of Hindu Religion is formed on them.Therefore, be it any sect or any Acharya of the Hindu Religion, they will always regard The Vedas as the highest authority.

Shri Vallabhacharya was born into a very noble and learned family in South India in what is today called Andhra Pradesh. His ancestors had a very religious background and included learned Brahmins like Shri Yagnanarayan Bhatt and Shri Ganapati Bhatt. They wrote several books on religion and devotion. Shri Vallabhacharya was the second son of Lakshman Bhatt and Yallammagaru. Their ancestors had performed several Soma-yagnas and Shri Lakshman Bhatt completed 100 Somyagnas. Shri Yagnanarayan was blessed by Lord Vishnu, that on completion of 100 Soma-yagnas, God himself would incarnate in his family.

Thus when 100 Soma-yagnas were complete, Lakshman Bhatt went to Kashi to accomplish his vow of feeding 1.25 lakhs Brahmins. He could not complete this task as there were political disturbances in Kashi. He took his pregnant wife Yallammagaru and on his way southwards he halted at a place called Champaranya. Where his wife gave birth to a still baby which they kept under a tree and proceeded ahead. On the same night Lakshman Bhatt heard a celestial voice ordering him to go back to the baby and pick it up as it was misunderstood to be a still born. That baby was no ordinary one, but by the grace of God, Shri Vallabh had taken birth through Yallammagaru's womb. On reaching the spot where they had kept the baby, they found the baby encircled by a divine fire as a protecting spirit.

Shri Vallabh was a brilliant and extra-ordinary child. He finished studying all the Vedas and all the prominent scriptures at a very early age. At the age of 11 he started his all India pilgrimage. During this tour he came to Vijaynagar where he came to know about a sensational debate that was being conducted in the court of King Krishnadevraya. The debate was between the different Acharyas over the question whether God is dualistic or non-dualistic. Shri Vallabh entered the court and with his unopposed arguments proved that God is non-dualistic. The details of which can be known in a book named "Vallabh Digvijay"

During the second pilgrimage, Lord Krishna appeared in the form of Lord Shrinathji in front of him and ordered him to reestablish Pushti Marg and propagate the pushti kind of devotion among the chosen ones and bring them back to their original state in God's own domain. i.e. Vaikuntha or Golok-dham . But the question in Shri Vallabh's mind was that the divine souls in this world too are highly influenced by the materialistic world and their souls and body have lost the kind of purity that is needed for their reunion with the Supreme entity i.e.. Lord Krishna.

Lord Shrinathji assured him that with BRAHAMASAMBANDHA, whichever soul is admitted into the Pushti marg, all its worldly impurities will refrain from obstructing the soul's relation with Himself and will be eligible to pursue His bhakti. That was the night of Ekadashi ( Four days before the new moon day) of the auspicious month of Shravana. Lord Shrinathji taught him the Brahamasambandha mantra and asked him to bring back the divine souls into his seva.

Shri Vallabahcharya on the next day taught the same Mantra to his first disciples Damodardas Harsani along with the principles of Pushtimarga. This was how Pushtimarga was established.

To understand Pushtibhakti better, let us now have an overview of its features :-