Shri MahaPrabhuji

Seven hundred years ago in Andhra Pradesh, South India, there was a village near Krushna lake called Kankarvaad, where a very learned Telugu Brahman named Yagya Narayan used to live there.

He performed many “Som Yagya” and on completion of a “Som Yagya”
God appeared from the yagyakund and granted boon that God Himself
will appear in Yagya Narayan’s lineage when 100 “Som Yagya”
gets completed.

In his fifth lineage was born Lakshman Bhatt who completed 100th
Som Yagya and on completion of Som Yagya they went to Kashi to
perform Brahma Bhojan.

Lakshman Bhatt decided to reside in Kashi with his family but as there
was lot of trouble from the moghuls during those days they decided
to move south.

During their travel they came across a forest named Champaranya in
MadhyaPradesh, India. At that time his wife Ilamagaruji was child
bearing and she started experiencing pain. At midnight she gave birth
to a child and as the child was not moving at all they thought the child
is dead, and wrapped the child in a cloth and placed near a tree and started traveling ahead grievingly towards another village called Chouda.

At night, God appeared in Lakshman Bhatt’s dreams and told him that He has appeared in his family.
In the morning the whole family went back to Champaranya and saw that a divine child was encircled by fire.
Fire gave way to Ilamagaruji and she took child in her arms. This child is none other than “Shri Mahaprabhuji”. That was 11th day of the Chaitra month and Samvat year 1535.

Lakshman Bhatt returned to Kashi after everything got normalized from moghul terror and raised kids in Kashi.
He named his child as “Vallabh”, which means very dear.

During His childhood He never used to play with toys and instead play with Lord Krushna’s idol, cows and read books. His studies got initiated at a very tender age of five and within the age of 10, He was well versed in Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Granthas and many other things.

Shri Mahaprabhuji at a very young age of 11, started Parikrama of India by walking on bare foot and were only wearing a dhoti and uparnu. He traveled with His Sevya Shri Thakorji, always would make halts outside the village near a lake and under a tree, would cook food Himself and first offer to Shri Thakroji and then eat it. At holy places He would give pravachan on Shri Bhagavat and also accept divine beings under His refuge.

While traveling he reached Jagannath Puri and there was a big debate going on between the learned people (pundits) at King’s court that who is our main God, main Grantha, main mantra, and main karma. Even after a lot of debate the pundits were not getting convinced then Shri Mahaprabhuji place a pen and paper in front of Lord Jagannathji and closed the temple doors. After a while doors were opened and Lord Jagannathji wrote “Main God is Lord Krushna, Main Granth is Bhagavad Gita, Main Mantra is Shri Krushnah Sharanam Mam and Main Karma is
Seva of Lord Krushna”.

Shri Mahaprabhuji then proceeded towards Kashi, Ujjain and entered village called Odcha. Even there he defeated other pundits in debates and the King organized Shri Mahaprabhuji’s kanka-abhishek and conferred him the title of
“Acharya” means religious head and then He was called as “Vallabhacharyaji”.

He traveled to many places after visiting Odcha and then entered in Gokul, Vraj. On the 11th night of Bright moon of Shravan month, Shri Mahaprabhuji was deeply thinking how to uplift divine souls. At midnight, Shri Thakorji Himself appeared in front of Shri Mahaprabhuji and gave Him a mantra and ordered “I will accept all jeevas whom you offer surrendership by giving this mantra and also they will be free from all sins”. This mantra is called as Gadyamantra or Brahmasambandh mantra. Shri Mahaprabhuji granted His favorite sevak Damordas Harsani
first Brahmasambandh diksha.

Immediately 2 years after completion of His first Bharat Parikrama, Shri Mahaprabhuji started His second Bharat Parikrama. During his second parikrama, in Jharkhand, Lord Shrinathjji appeared before Shri Mahaprabhuji and informed Him about his appearance in Vraj. Our Gurudev, Shri Mahaprabhuji brought Shrinathji out,
from the cave in the Giriraj mountain known as “Girikandra” and placed ShriNathji inside the temple, which they had built so devotionally and initiated seva.

After visiting Vraj, Shri Mahaprabhuji entered Pandharpur. Lord ShriVithoba ordered Him to get married and informed that “He wants to appear as His son”. Obeying Lord’s orders, Shri Mahaprabhuji got married to Shri Mahalakshmiji at the age of 23.

After marriage, Shri Mahaprabhuji immediately started His third Bharat parikrama and he came across a town called Vijaynagar. At that time there was a big debate going on King of Vijaynagar Krushnadevray’s court and many learned people from other margas had arrived for the biggest debate. Shri Mahaprabhuji defeated
everyone and established “Shudhadvait Brahmavad” philosophy. All the learned people including the King of Vijayanagar were moved with admiration for his profound studies, power of expression, clarity of thought, lucidity of language, graceful deportment, and mental calm. It was after this debate King of Vijayanagar honoured Shri Vallabhacharya by the Kanakabhisheka ceremony and conferred him the title of “JAGADGURU SHRIMAD VALLABHACHARYA".

Constantly for 18 years, Shri Mahaprabhuji traveled across India and took many jeevas under His refuge and propogated His principles. After His parikrama Shri Mahaprabhuji lived in Adel, and then His first son Shri Gopinathji appeared. His second son Shri Vitthalnathji (Shri Gusainji) appeared in Charnat, India.

Shri Mahaprabhuji in his whole lifetime composed many literary works (Granthas), in which there are sixteen
independent granthas called as “Shodash Granth” (sixteen literary works). Shri Mahaprabhuji also wrote commentaries on Shri Bhagavatji and are famously known as Shri Subodhiniji, Anubhashya and other works.

Shri Mahaprabhuji appeareance is also a form of Shri Thakorji’s mukharvind and hence, He is called as
“Vaishvanar”. As He is also husband of Saraswatiji, He is also called as “Vakpati”.

Shri Mahaprabhuji at the age of 52, accepted an ascetic life and on the Samvant year 1587 on the bright half of the moon in Ashaad month, Shri Mahaprabhuji entered in flow of Ganges in Hanuman Ghat in Kashi and entered in
Golokdham forever.

Shri Mahaprabhuji is the founder of Pushtimarga and is Gurudev of all Vaishnavs. His main sevaks were 84 sevaks. Wherever he delivered lectures on Shri Bhagavatji those places are called as Baithakji, and there are total of 84 baithaks too.