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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY
It is true that there are some statements in the Gita such as, " dhyanat karmaphalatyagah '" ...i. e., " the abandonment of the fruit of the action ( i. e., Desireless Action ) is superior to the meditation on the Paramesvara ( i. e., Devotion ) " etc. which are inconsistent with this doctrine ; but, says the Madhvabhasya on the Gita, such sentences are not to be understood literally but as mere expletives and unimportant [1]. The fourth school is the school of Sri Vallabhacarya (born in Saka 1401 i. e. 1479 A. D.) This is also a Vaisnava School like those of Ramanuja and Madhvacarya. However, the opinions of this school Regarding the Conscious Ego (jiva) Cosmos (jagat ), and Isvara are different from the opinions of the Qualified-Monism or the Dualistic Schools. This school accepts the doctrine that the Conscious Ego (jlva) when pure and unblinded by Illusion (maya) and the Parabrahman are one, and are not two distinct things ; and that is why, this school is known as the pure Non-Dualistic (suddhadvaita), school.
Nevertheless this School differs from the Samkara school on account of the other doctrines pertaining to it, namely that, the Conscious Ego (jiva) and the Brahman cannot be looked upon as one and the same in the same sense as is done by Sri Samkaracarya but that the varioup Souls are particles of the Isvara, like sparks of fire ; that the Cosmos, which is composed of Illusion, M not unreal ( mithya ) but Illusion is a Force which has separated itself from the Isvara at the desire of the Para- mesvara, that the Conscious Ego (jiva) which has become dependent on Illusion, cannot acquire the knowledge necessary for obtaining Release except by divine pleasure ; and that, therefore, Devotion to the Blessed Lord is the most important means of obtaining Release. This pleasure of the Paramesvara is also known by the other names of ' pusti ' ' posana ' etc. and, therefore, this cult is also known as ' pusti-marga '. In the books of this school on the Gita, such as the Tattvadipika and others, it is laid down that in at; much as the Blessed Lord has, after first preaching to Arjuna the Samkhya philosophy and the Karma-Yoga, ultimately made him perfect by treating him with the nectar of the philosophy of Devotion, Devotion but above all, the Devotion included in 'pusti-marga' — which entails the abandonment of home and domestic ties — is the most concentrated moral of the Gita and that on that account the Blesssd Lord has in the end given the advice : — " sarra- dharman parityajya mamekrm saranam vraja " — i.e.," give up all other religions and surrender yourself to Me alone " [2]. Besides these, there is .another Vaisnava cult, entailing the worship of Radhakrsna, which was promulgated by Nimbarka. Dr. Bhandarkar has established that this Acarya lived after the date of Ramanujacarya and before the date of Madhvacarya ; that is to say about Saka. 1084
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