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Lohiya, Anishka Gheewala

Database of Religious History (DRH)

Pushtimarg was developed by Vallabhacarya (1479–1531 CE), a Vedic philosopher who emphasised the Bhagavad Purana (a religious text of Hinduism). As a form of North Indian bhakti (devotion), the sampradaya follows Krishna as Shrinathji (as well as his other forms though focus is on his childhood). Vallabhacarya did not preach a life of asceticism or renunciation. His monistic philosophy was called Shuddhadvaita (pure non-dualism) where the focus is on the Supreme Being as personal, with the potential of developing a relationship. The Pushtimarg is a householder sampradaya (community) and therefore generating wealth and having a family are important parts of Krishna's world that he created for his lila (play). Historically, the popularity of the bhakti movement in India was twofold; “One the one hand, bhakti bypassed the hierarchy and ritualism of the Vedic sacrifices, monopolised by Brahmans and sponsored by their wealthy twice-born patrons, by teaching that salvation was open to all, regardless of caste, wealth, or sex, through the sincere and spontaneous expression of love for the divine. On the other hand, bhakti provided a more practicable alternative to the disciplined path followed by the renouncer” (Bennett 1993; 2). The community is dispersed globally, from Mozambique to Australia. In the 1990s, Pushtimarg gurus (who are called goswamis and are descendants of Vallabhacharya) began to travel more frequently to the diasporas around the US and Europe though this trend came relatively late compared to other forms of North Indian Krishna worship (e.g. Hare Krishna or ISKCON and the Swaminarayan faith).

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eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0438212

Non UBC

Unreviewed

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