CHAPTER V.

RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES OF THE SECT.

VALLABHACHARYA, his son Vithalnáthji, and all his de scendants, are known as the incarnations of the god Krishna. The object of their incarnation has been stated in Nijvártá. According to this authority, the residence of Krishna is denominated Gouloka, a place far above the three worlds, and having, at five hundred millions of yojans below it, the separate regions of Vishnu and Siva. The region of Krishṇa Gouloka is indestructible, whilst all the rest is subject to annihilation. In the centre of it abides Krishna, of the colour of a dark cloud, in the bloom of youth, clad in yellow raiment, splendidly adorned with celestial gems, and holding a flute. He is in the full and eternal enjoyment of his wife Rádhá and three hundred millions of gopis or female companions, each gopi having a separate palace of her own, with three millions of female attendants. Two of these gopis, named Priyá and Chandrávati, once quarrelled about Krishna. Priyá sent for Krishna to spend a night with her; and as Krishna was, according to engagement, going to her palace, he unfortunately met Chandrávati, who, knowing his intention, contrived to seduce him to her own palace, telling Krishna that she saw Varshabhánu, Priya's father, going along the road. Krishna, fearing the anger of Priya's father, went with Chandrávati. When this came to the knowledge of Priya, the two gopis quarrelled, and cursed each other, their imprecations being to the effect that they should fall from

heaven to the earth with all their retinue and everything belonging to them. Upon this Krishna, out of affection to both of them, promised that he would descend as a man to work out their salvation, and restore them to their original abode in the highest of heavens. Priya, who was the

first to fall from heaven, appeared on the earth as a new born babe at a spot called Champáranya. The fall of Chandravati followed, and she made herself known as a child at Charanádiri. Krishna followed them both, and appeared first incarnate in the person of Vallabháchárya, at Champáranya, and at the moment of his birth effected salvation for Priya. In his second incarnation, in the person of Vithalnáthji, Vallabháchárya's son, at Charanádiri, he effected salvation for the second gopi, and thus restored them both to their former state of bliss in the highest of heavens. Each of the gopis had, previous to their descent to the earth, three millions of attendants in the heavens, some of whom accompanied their mistresses at the time of their fall; while, of those who remained behind, multitudes are daily descending, one after the other, in the persons of the followers of the sect, to secure whose recovery to the heavenly abode the successive generations of Vallabháchárya are born as incarnations of the god Krishna. They redeem their followers by sending them to Gouloka, where the disciple, if a male, is changed into a female, who obtains the everlasting happiness of living in sexual intercourse with Krishna in the heavens.

We now come to the doctrines promulgated by Vallabháchárya, and which constitute his claim to be the founder of the sect. He condensed his teachings into the compact form of the Pushti Márga, or the way of enjoyment, a sort of creed for the convenience of those of his votaries who had neither leisure, education, nor inclination to study his doctrines in detail, and who were satisfied to adopt the faith in which they had been brought up.

According to Dwárkesh, there are ten principles of the Pushti Márga, or the sect of Vallabháchárya. They are known as DAS MARAMS, meaning ten principles or ten sects, and are as follows :

(1.) To secure the firm support of Vallabháchárya.

(2.) To exercise chiefly the worship of Krishna.

(3.) To forsake the sense of public or Vaidik opinion, and be supplicant to Gopisha (Krishna).

(4.) To sing praises with feelings of humility.

(5.) To believe that I am a gopi * of Vraj.

(6.) To swell the heart with the name of Krishna.

(7.) To forsake not his commands for a moment.

(8.) To put faith in his words and doings.

(9.) To adopt the society of the good, knowing them divine. (10.) To see not the faults, but speak the truth.

Whether the Siddhanta Rahasya be intended as a commentary upon this Pushti Márga or not, it is evidently an amplification of some of the tenets of the sect; Vallabháchárya gives it as a direct revelation with which he was inspired. The text and the translation of it are as follows:

श्रावणस्यामले पक्षे एकादश्यां महानिशि । साक्षाद्भगवता प्रोक्तं तदक्षरश उच्यते ॥ १ ॥ ब्रह्मसंबंधकरणात्सर्वेषां देहजीवयोः । सर्वदोषनिवृत्तिर्हि दोषाः पंचविधाः स्मृताः ॥ २ ॥ सहजा देशकालोत्था लोकवेदनिरूपिताः । संयोगजाः स्पर्शजाश्च न मन्तव्याः कदाचन ॥ ३ ॥ अन्यथा सर्वदोषाणां न निवृत्तिः कथंचन । असमर्पितवस्तूनां तस्माद्वर्जनमाचरेत् ॥ ४ ॥ निवेदिभिः समप्यैव सर्वे कुर्य्यादिति स्थितिः । न मतं देवदेवस्य स्वामिभुक्तिसमर्पणम् ॥ ५ ॥ तस्मादादी सर्वकार्ये सर्ववस्तुसमर्पणम् । दत्तापहारवचनं तथा च सकलं हरेः ॥ ६ ॥ न ग्राह्यमिति वाक्यं हि भिन्नमार्गपरं मतम् । सेवकानां यथा लोके व्यवहारः प्रसिध्यति ॥ ७ ॥ तथा कार्य समयैव सर्वेषां ब्रह्मता ततः । गङ्गात्वे सर्वदोषाणां

* Female companion of Radha, one of Krishna's wives.

गुणदोषादिवर्णनम् ॥ ८ ॥ गङ्गात्वेन निरूप्यं स्यात्तद्वदत्रापि चैव felell

"At midnight on Ekádashi, in the month of Shráwan-shud, God visibly uttered the (following) words which are here repeated word for word:

"By entering into relation with BRAHMA, all persons' sins of body and mind are washed away. These sins are said to be of five kinds, viz., those which are congenital; those which owe their origin to time and place; those described in profane works and in the Vedas; those which are results of intimate association, and such as are produced by contact. These sins are not, and are never believed in, (after the above relation has been established). Otherwise (that is when such a relation has not been contracted) expiation of sins never takes place. That which has not been in the first instance dedicated should not be accepted. Offerers, after making their offerings, should do with them what they like; such is the rule. That offering which has (in the first instance) been enjoyed by its owner is not acceptable by the God of gods. Therefore in the first instance, in all doings, all things should be dedicated. That that which is given should not be taken, because the whole comes to belong to Hari, is the doctrine of other sects. (With us) the relation which subsists in the world between (a master and his) servants holds good; and everything should be done accordingly; that is, after dedicating, it should be enjoyed: hence it is that the Brahmatva, or the quality of BRAHMA, is obtained. As when all merits and demerits obtain the quality of Gangá, all of them promiscuously have the quality of Gangá; so now such is the case here. Thus is concluded, in Siddhánta Rahasya, composed by Vallabháchárya."

*

Here we have the doctrine of the origin of sin, and its mode of expiation or absolution; and here is the first insinuation of

the

paramount importance of the Gosáinji, or Guru, as the direct mediator.

In the next extract we give will be found the punishments awarded by the doctrines of this sect to those who neglect due respect to their spiritual teachers, which is enforced as a paramount duty, the neglect of which involves fearful consequences.

The sacred river (Ganges).

The extracts given are translations of some of the articles of a work in Brijabháshá, written by Harirayaji, the work itself being entitled "The sixty-seven sins and atonements, and their consequences."

32. Whoever holds (his) spiritual guide, and Sri Thákurji (or god) to be different and distinct, shall be born a Sicháná.*

34. Whoever disobeys the orders of (his) spiritual guide, shall go to Asipátrat and other dreadful hells, and lose all his religious merits.

37. Whoever divulges the secrets of (his) spiritual guide, or of Sri Thákurji, shall for three births be born a dog.

39. Whoever, before his spiritual guide, or Sri Thákurji, sits in the posture called Padmásan, shall be born a serpent.

54. Whoever displays (his) learning before his spiritual guide, shall for three births be dumb. For three births he shall be a dog (or) an ass.

55. Whoever displays activity before his spiritual guide shall be born a jarakha.

56. Whoever, without paying his respects to his spiritual guide, performs worship, (his worship) shall become entirely fruitless.

59. Whoever shows the soles of his feet to his spiritual guide, or to Sri Thákurji, shall be born a serpent for ten years.

The next extract we shall give is a sort of commentary upon the Pushti Márga, enforcing its tenets, with the penalties attached to the neglect of them. It is written by the celebrated Śri Gokulnáthji, the fourth son of Vithalnáthji, whose followers are so exclusive as to avoid all intercourse with other sectaries. The work is written in Brijabháshá, and is entitled "Vachnámrat (Precept as sweet as nectar) of the Pushti Márga."

"He who, getting angry in his heart, maligns (his) Guru, and utters harsh terms towards his Guru, becomes dumb, and after that he becomes a serpent. He is then born a creature of the region of the vegetable kingdom, and after that he is born a creature of the region of the dead (or ghost). As he (Vaishnava) remembers Sri Bhagván (god), in the same way he remembers and repeats in his †The name of a dreadful hell.

A kind of bird,