the wilderness of this entangled forest she gave birth to an eight-months' child, on Sunday, the 11th of Vaisakh Vddya, Samvat 1535 (A.D. 1479).

In a work called Nijvártá, it is stated that when Vallabha was born in Champáranya, a palace of gold sprung up on the spot, and the gods from the heavens showered down flowers, the houries danced around, and the Gandharvas (heavenly songsters) sang: divine music filled the air, and gods descended in vimán (celestial cars) to see the prodigy. Whether, embarrassed by the encumbrance of this offspring, or prompted by confidence in the promise of Krishna that this infant should be his incarnation, and so trusting to his providential intervention to protect it, they forthwith abandoned it, placing it gently upon leaves in the shade of a widebranched tree. Still pursuing their flight, they at length arrived at a place called Chowdá-nagar, where, after residing some time, intelligence at length reached them that quiet was completely restored at Benares, upon which they set out, to return to that place, and taking purposely the route by which they had come, they speedily reached the spot where they had deserted their helpless infant.

Here they found their faith in the promise of Krishna verified, for they beheld the little creature alive and well, and playing in the midst of a flame of sacrificial fire, in a pit sunk on the spot. This miracle exalted their hopes, and, after some short repose and refreshment they resumed their journey, taking it with them to Benares which they eventually reached. The name they gave the child was Vadtrabha, but who was afterwards called Vallabha, and acquired celebrity as the founder of a widely prevailing sect in Western India, but whose divergent corruptions which derogate from the doctrines on which he founded his teaching, he had not the prophetical inspiration to foresee. In the course of time, prompted by their zeal and love, his followers erected a

temple upon the spot of his birth, which is still in existence. His younger brother's name was Kesava.

When Vallabha had reached the age of six or seven years he was placed for instruction under the tuition of Nárayan Bhatt; and the legend of his life, written in Brijabháshá, asserts that the rapidity of his apprehension was so great and miraculous, that in the short space of four months he succeeded in learning the whole of the four Vedas, the six Śástras (schools of philosophy), and the eighteen Puráṇas— an accomplishment which a mature scholar cannot hope thoroughly to acquire by the prolonged labour of a whole life. But, of course, the supernatural attended him throughout, and the incarnation of Krishna would receive by intuition, and momentarily, what would be hopeless to the laborious application of the uncanonized throughout any time. Vallabha on attaining his eleventh year lost his father. The following year he took leave of his mother, and bidding farewell to Gokul, the village of his residence, on the left bank of the Jamuná, a short distance from Mathurá, he started on his pilgrimage through India.

On arriving at a certain town in the South of India, he became acquainted with the son of a rich and important man of the place, whose name was Dámodardás, and who by the force of his arguments, or the plausibility of his reasoning, was made a proselyte to his doctrines. For it is to be understood that Vallabha had already framed his tenets and scheme of tuition, and, with a view to their promulgation, had undertaken his pilgrimage. They then both proceeded together onward and arrived at the city of Vijayanagar, where the maternal parents of Vallabha resided. Krishna Deva was the king of this place, to whose court he was introduced. Here he was invited to a religious disputation with the Saivists, the followers of Siva, at the court of this king, who was so pleased with Vallabha for the ability he

displayed, that he bestowed upon him rich presents of gold and silver. A portion of these he devoted to the manufacture of a handsome golden waist-ornament with which to decorate the image of the deity in a temple of that city, and another portion he appropriated to the discharge of debts incurred by his father and left unpaid at his death. The fourth only of the presents did he reserve to himself to meet the possibility of his needs.

It was his success in this disputation with the Smártá Bráhmans which caused him to be elected by the Vaishnavas as their chief, with the title of Achárya, and thence dates the rise of his great influence. "He travelled to Ujayin, and took up his abode under a pipal tree, on the banks of the Siprá, which is said still to exist and is designated as his baithak, or station. Besides this we find traces of him in other places. There is a baithak of his amongst the gháts of Muttrá; and about two miles from the fort of Chanár is a place called his well, Áchárj Kuán, comprising a temple and math, in the court-yard of which is the well in question. The saint is said to have resided here sometime.”* He then pro

ceeded onwards to Alláhabád, and thence to Benares, where he remained to complete his studies, preparatory to inculcating the doctrines he had been always meditating. His pilgrimage still continued, and he went to Badri-kedár and thence to Haridwar.

He travelled for nine years throughout different parts of India, considered by the Hindus as exclusively comprising the world, twice circling this world, and in his peregrination passing over a space of twelve thousand miles. On his return to Brindavan, as a reward for his fatigues and for his faith, he was honoured by a visit from the god Krishṇa in person, who then enjoined him to introduce the worship of Bála Gopála or Bála Krishna, the infant Krishna, and found his faith, which became widely diffused throughout Western

* H. H. Wilson's Works, vol. i. p. 120.

India, under the sectarian name of Rudra Sampradaya. Owing, however, to the fearful corruptions which subsequently, and by degrees, crept in, through the perverted sensuality of his descendants, this worship is now declining, and it is hoped, for the sake of degraded humanity, approaching extinction, unless healthy reforms be introduced to restore it to comparative purity.

Vallabháchárya ultimately settled at Benares, and it was whilst dwelling there, either at first, or subsequently, or during his previous travels, that he is said to have composed the works which bear his name, and in the composition of which he is reported to have had the assistance of certain learned Bráhmans, paid by him as his amanuenses. Some of these are, however, reputed to be suppositious. The works thus written are chiefly the following, which, although styled works, consist in some cases of but a few pages, or even merely a few lines. They are

The fourth of these works, the Bhágavata Tíká Subodhiní, is the commentary of Vallabháchárya upon the Bhagavata, the chief source of the doctrines of the sect, and to which we shall have occasion subsequently to refer. But the most popular writings current in the sect, and which is also attributed to Vallabha, are the Vishņu padas, stanzas written in Brijabháshya in praise of Vishnu. It was at Benares, after the composition of several of these works, that Vallabha married a Bráhman girl of the name of Máh Lakshmi, shortly after which he went to Vraja, where he established an image of Śrí Náthji, in Samvat 1576, corresponding to A.D. 1520, on a sacred hill called Govardhan Parvata,* which had been removed by the Muhammadans.

It was at one of the former visits of Vallabháchárya to Benares that he is stated to have posted on the walls of the temple the challenge to a disputation, such as frequently took place in the universities of Europe during the middle ages, immediately after the invention of printing, and in which the learned men of the day or place participated. This invitation was responded to especially by the followers of Śankaráchárya, the great Hindu philosopher, whose comment on the Vedas is held in such high esteem; and the books of the Mahárájas narrate that they were all defeated. It is evident that Vallabháchárya derived considerable repute from this occurrence; and it is most likely that a man of such disputatious renown, and so prominent and esteemed for his sanctity and knowledge, would have frequently to enter into these discussions upon his arrival at any celebrated city, or seminary.

In Samvat 1567 (A.D. 1511) Vallabháchárya's first son was born, and was named Gopinatha. His second son, named Vithalnáthji, was born in Samvat 1572 (A.D. 1516), in the

* This hill is fabled to have been rendered sacred by the circumstance that on one occasion, while Krishna was playing there with his companions, it began to rain, and that he, to protect those who were with him from the shower, lifted the hill up on one of his little fingers as an umbrella over them.