| SHREE PUSHTIPRAVAHA MARYADA BHEDA
THE PATHS OF GRACE, MUNDANE FLOW AND LAWFUL LIMITATIONS
Now Shri Vallabhacharya brings us further into his grace-filled world by describing the different natures of beings. At the absolute level, everything is Brahman, but beings appear in this world with various temperaments. Their paths and rewards are all particular. By recognizing the variety of soul types, their origins and activities we can further understand and then develop our own. In the master’s words….
pushtipravahamaryada visheshana pruthaka pruthaka
jivadehakriyabhedai pravahena phalena cha
Beings belonging to the Paths of Grace, Mundane Flow and Lawful Limitations each have distinct souls, bodies, actions, movements and rewards.
vakshyami sarvasandeha na bhavishyati yacchruteh
bhaktimargasya kathanatpushtirastiti nischayah
I will explain their differences and whoever hears my teachings will have their doubts removed.The Path of Devotion has been mentioned in the scriptures and from those passages we comprehend that the grace of God exists.
dvau bhutasargavityukteh pravaho’pi vyavastitah
vedasya vidyamanatvanmaryadapi vyavasthita
In the Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, “In this world there are two types of souls, Godly and ungodly.” From this statement we can affirm the existence of ungodly souls who follow the worldly flow. The presence of the Vedas establishes the existence of the Path of Lawful limitations.
haschideva hi bhakto hi yo madabhakta itiranat
sarvatrotkarshakathanat pushtirastiti nischayah
na sarvo’tah pravahaddhi bhinno vedaccha bhedatah
yada yasyeti vachanannaham vedairitiranat
Shri Krishna says in the Gita, “My bhakta is very dear to Me.” Only certain souls are true bhaktas. Everywhere there are mentions of bhakti as being exalted and this proves without a doubt the existance of Grace. Grace-filled souls are distinct from souls in the worldly flow as well as from law-abiding Vedic practitioners. The Bhagavat confirms this with the statement, “When the Lord graces someone…they abandon the ways of the world and Vedas”. Shri Krishna also tells Arjuna, “This divine form of mine cannot be seen by knowing the Vedas.”
margaikatve’pi chedantyau tanu bhaktyagamau matau
na tadyuktam sutrato hi bhinno yuktya hi vaidikah
The Sutras, (sacred texts) have clearly explained the peculiarities of these three paths. Sacred Vedic texts do not support the views of those who believe that the three paths are really one and are all a part of devotion.
ivadehkrutinamcha bhinnatvam nityatasruteh
yatha tadvatpushtimarge dvayorapi nishedhat
According to the Srutis, the souls, bodies and actions of the three different types of souls are forever different.
pramanabhedadbhinno hi pushtimargo nirupitah
sargabhedam pravakshyami svarupangkriyayutam
From these proofs it is established that the Path of Grace does not contain the other two paths. Other valid scriptural passages also narrate the distinct nature of the Path of Grace. Now hear the differences in origin of the souls, bodies and actions of these different types of beings.
icchamatrena mansa pravah srushtavan harih
vachasa vedamartgam hi pushtinam kayena nischaya
The Blessed Lord created the Path of Worldly Flow with His mere wish, with His mind. With His speech He created the Path of Lawful Limitation and from His Bliss Form came the Path of Grace.
mulecchatah phalam loke vedoktam vaidike’pi cha
kayena tu phalam pushtau bhinnecchato’pi naikadha
Worldly-based desires bear worldly rewards. Lawful rewards are described in the Vedas while the grace-filled fruit arises from His own Bliss Form. These paths are never the same because of different desires.
tanaham dvishato vakyadbhinnajivah pravhinah
ata evetarau bhinnau santau mokshapraveshatah
Shri Krishna says in the Gita, “Those ungodly, cruel- hearted souls I repeatedly cast into demonical wombs.” This passage demonstrates that worldly souls are different from the souls who follow the paths of Law and Grace. Souls on the path of Law or Grace can ultimately attain freedom from rebirth.
tasmajjivah pushtimarge bhinna eva na samshaya
bhagvadrupsevartham tatsrushtinanyatha bhavet
Therefore souls on the Path of Grace are undoubtedly different from the other two types. The creation of grace-filled souls is strictly for the loving service of the Blessed Blissful Lord.
svarupenavatarena lingena cha gunena cha
taratamyam na svarupe dehe va tatkriyasu va
There is no remarkable difference between the Lord’s form, avatar, the markings on His body, His virtues and the bhakta’s souls, bodies and actions.
tathapi yavata karyam tavattasya karoti hi
te hi dvidha shuddhamishrabhedanmishrastridha punah
Still the Blessed One creates souls according to the types of activites they will undertake. The grace-filled creation is two-fold; mixed and pure. The mixed souls fall into three catagories .
pravahadivibhedena bhagvatkaryasiddhaye
pushtaya vimishrah sarvajnah pravahena kriyaratah
The Blessed One created them to fullfill His own purpose. Those who are grace combined with grace, ( pushti mixed with pushti) are all-knowing. Those who are souls of grace but are mixed with worldly flow are inclined towards action.
maryadaya gunajnaste shuddah prenatidurlabhah
evam svargastu tesham hi phalam tvatra nirupyate
The souls of grace who are mixed with law are knowers of God’s attributes. The one who becomes pure pushti through love alone is very rare. In this way understand how the grace-filled ones arise. Now hear about their rewards.
bhagvaneva hi phalam sa yathavirbhavedbhuvi
gunasvarupabhedena tatha tesam phalam bhavet
Krishna Himself is their reward and appears before them on earth with different forms and attributes to give them their particular rewards.
asaktau bhagvaneva shapam dapyati kvachit
ahamkare’thava loke tanmargasthapanaya hi
Sometimes the Blessed Lord may put a curse on a blessed follower who has become prideful in order to reestablish him or her back upon the path in this world.
na te pashandatam yanti na cha rogadyupadravah
mahnubhavah prayena shastram shuddhatvahetave
They do not act in a contrary way nor do they experience disease or complications. They generally become beings with profound experience and God’s teachings are given to them for purification.
bhagavattaratamyena tartamyam bhajanti hi
laukikatvam vaidikatvam kapatyatteshu nanyatha
Bhaktas worship the Blessed Lord according to the way He manifests. Their worldly and Vedic activites are only an outward show devoid of heart-connection.
vaishnavatvam hi sahajam tato’nyatra viparyayah
sambandhinastu ye jivah pravahsthastathapare
The loving path of devotion, the Vaishnava dharma is perfectly natural for them. Everything else appears to them as incompatible. There is yet another type of soul who, although being established in worldly flow, flirts with all the paths.
charshanishabdavachyaste te sarve sarvavartmasu
kshanatsarvatvamayanti ruchistesham na kutrachit
I call them wanderers. They jump from one path to another staying on each one for but a moment. They do not savor nor feel attachment anywhere.
tesham kriyanusarena sarvatra sakalam phalam
pravahasthan pravkshyami svarupanga kriya yutan
According to their scattered actions, they always receive partial rewards. Now I describe the worldly soul’s inner being, body, and actions.
jivaste hyasurah sarve pravrutim cheti varnita
te cha dvidha prakirtyante hyajnadurjnavibhedatah
durjnaste bhagvatprokta hyajnastannu ye punah
pravahe’pi samagatya pushtisthastairna yujyate
so’pi taistatkule jatah karmana jayte yatah
Krishna speaks of them in the Gita, “They do not know what to do or what not to do. They are devoid of purity, good conduct and truth.” These ungodly souls are of two types, ignorant and truly wicked. Shri Krishna has already described the nature of the purely wicked in the Gita. Those who are just ignorant emulate the ways of the wicked but are not really demonical. A divine soul who is born into a family full of worldly beings does not remain on the family’s path, but within the Path of Grace. Their previous karmas were responsible for their birth but not for their spiritual path. (24-25) (This treatise appears to be incomplete.)
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