षोडश ग्रन्थाः (महाप्रभु वल्लभाचार्य - पुष्टिमार्ग सिद्धान्त एवं सान्वय हिन्दी व्याख्या)

was the Grace Divine, which in its turn generated love towards the Supreme
Deity and non-attachment towards the allurements of Veda and Loka. This
could be achieved only by a complete self-surrender to the Supreme Deity.
Hence this vow of ‘Samarpana’ the Sadhaka had to take at the time of
initiation. Taking this vow was the beginning, and realisation of the
Supreme was the end of this Pushti-Mārga, while the stage between the
two ends was to be passed through the process of what are called तनुजा
and वित्तजा सेवा. This process gradually eliminates the objectionable
features of अहन्ता and ममता, and generates a mental attitude in which
the presence of the Supreme Deity is always experienced.
To distinguish this Pushti-Marga from the Marya'da' and the
Prava'ha, Vallabhacharya first explains the existence of these Margas.
The existence of Bhaktimarga-Path of devotion, pre-supposes the
existence of Pushti which itself is the finest flower of the Bhakti-Marga.
The observance of the Vedic rites and Vedic Jnana proves the existence
of Maryada-Marga. Those who follow only worldly pursuits are
said to follow the Prav'aha-Marga. ‘अत्रैवं स्वरूपनिश्चायनेन यावन्तः पुष्टिप्रयुक्ता मार्गा
भक्तिरूपास्ते पुष्टिमार्गेऽन्तर्भवन्ति, ये लौकिकाः सर्गपरंपरां न विच्छन्दन्ति, ते प्रवाहेऽन्तर्भवन्ति, ये वेदनियमं
नातिवर्तन्ते, ते मर्यादायामन्तर्भवन्ति।’. The bhajana in Pushti-Marga is due to
love alone. This bhajana is not based on the injunctions of the
Veda, nor on worldly selfishness. Hence the devotee who becomes
the recipient of the singular grace of the Supreme Deity gives
up his faith ( A'stha' ) both in Loka and Veda. The soul elect
attains his status through Divine Grace alone un-fettered by Vedic
rules and worldly demands. Such a soul is the specially favoured
one and naturally he is considered to have reached the highest stage.
The difficulty to reach this stage is emphasized by Krishna in ‘कश्चिदेव
हि भक्तो हिं’.
Thus the Pushti Soul is distinct from the Maryada Soul as well
as Pravaha Soul. The distinction was first inferred from the fact
that the Pushti Soul’s sole dependance is on the grace of the Supreme
Deity, that of Mary'ad'a Soul on Vedic injunction, that of Pravaha Soul
on worldly pursuit. This distinction is due to difference in the mode
of creation of each of these Souls. The Highest Deity is Sat-Chit-
Ananda. He creates Pravaha Srishti through Manas, Maryada Srishti
through Vachas, and Pushti Srishti through Kaya or Ānanda S'rianga.
Pravaha Srishti is Sadans'a-Pradhana, Maryada Srishti Chidans'a
Pradhana, while Pushti Srishti is Anandāns'a Pradhana. The Pushti
Soul is guided by the dictates of love of God, Maryada Soul by