Vallabha, also known as VallabhÃÂcÃÂrya or Vallabha Dëká¹£ita (May 7, 1478 â July 7, 1530 CE), was the founder of the Kråṣá¹Âa-centered Puá¹£á¹ÂimÃÂrga sect of Vaishnavism, and propounded the philosophy of à ÂuddhÃÂdvaita.
His biography is depicted in several sectarian Puá¹£á¹ÂimÃÂrga hagiographies. Born into a Telugu Brahmin family, Vallabha studied Hindu philosophy from early age, then traveled throughout the Indian subcontinent, particularly the Braj (Vraja) region, for over 20 years. He became one of the important leaders of the devotional Bhakti movement. He won many philosophical scholarly debates against the followers of Advaita VedÃÂnta. He began the institutional worship of à Ârë NÃÂthajë on Govardhana Hill. He acquired many followers in the Gangetic plain and Gujarat. After his death, the leadership of his sampradÃÂya passed to his elder son GopënÃÂtha.
Vallabha's philosophy promoted the householder lifestyle over asceticism, suggesting that through loving devotion to the deity Kråṣá¹Âa, any householder could achieve salvation. He authored many texts including but not limited to, the Aá¹ÂubhÃÂá¹£ya (his commentary on the Brahma Sutras), á¹¢oá¸Âaà Âa Grantha or sixteen tracts and several commentaries on the BhÃÂgavata PurÃÂá¹Âa.
Events from Vallabha's life are recounted in several sectarian Puá¹£á¹ÂimÃÂrga texts. Among the Braj Bhasha sources include the CaurÃÂsë Vaiá¹£á¹Âavan kë VÃÂrtÃÂ, à Ârë NÃÂthajë PrÃÂkaá¹Âya kë VÃÂrtÃÂ, and CaurÃÂsë Baiá¹Âhak Caritra. According to Barz the most important Sanskrit source is the à Ârëvallabhadigvijaya.
According to Alan Entwistle, the CaurÃÂsë Baiá¹Âhak Caritra is a post-early 18th century text, due to internal references to other sectarian texts. According to Saha and Hawley, the CaurÃÂsë Baiá¹Âhak Caritra dates to the mid-18th century. Ṭaá¹Âá¸Âana, Bachrach, and several Puá¹£á¹ÂimÃÂrga leaders state the work was composed in the 19th century. Ṭaá¹Âá¸Âana also considers the Gharu VÃÂrtÃÂ, Nija VÃÂrtÃÂ, and à Ârë ÃÂcÃÂryajë kë PrÃÂkaá¹Âya VÃÂrtàto be 19th century texts which were based on the older CaurÃÂsë Vaiá¹£á¹Âavana kë VÃÂrtàand Do Sau BÃÂvana Vaiá¹£á¹Âavana kë VÃÂrtÃÂ. Bhatt states the Nija VÃÂrtàis "full of interpolations and shows the lack of historical sense", and if it was in fact originally the work of the traditionally accepted author, Vallabha's grandson GokulanÃÂtha, it was far removed from the original text. The CaurÃÂsë Baiá¹Âhak Caritra (attributed to HarirÃÂya) enumerates the 84 baiá¹Âhaks ("seats") of Vallabha across India where he sat and preached Puá¹£á¹Âimarga tenets. According to Saha, the text seeks to promote Vallabha as an exceptional philosopher and miracle worker who acquires converts wherever; the text does this by portraying Vallabha as a digvijayin ("world-conqueror") who establishes the superiority of his philosophy in the Char Dham.
The à Ârë NÃÂthajë kë PrÃÂkaá¹Âya VÃÂrtàin its current form was likely written in the 1860s, although its contents were orally known prior to the 19th century. The Vallabha Digvijaya or YadunÃÂtha Digvijaya claims to have been composed in 1610, however modern scholars state the text was composed around the turn of the 20th century.
Other Sanskrit texts include GadÃÂdhara Dviveda's SampradÃÂya-Pradëpa (colophon states A.D. 1552âÂÂ53, but according to Hawley, actually from the latter half of the 1600s), MuralëdharadÃÂsa's à ÂrëvallabhÃÂcÃÂryacarita (c. 1573), Prabhucaritaciá¹ÂtÃÂmaá¹Âi (attributed to Devakënaá¹Âdana, which is baseless according to Bhatt), and the Gujarati poem VallabhÃÂkhyÃÂna by GopÃÂladÃÂsa (c. 1580). Another Braj Bhasha work, Saá¹ÂpradÃÂyakalpadruma, which is claimed to be composed by Viá¹Âá¹ÂhalanÃÂtha Bhaá¹Âá¹Âa (a grandson of Viá¹Âá¹ÂhalanÃÂtha's second daughter YamunÃÂ) cannot be stated to be of old origin according to à ÂÃÂstrë. Other texts by GokulanÃÂtha's followers include KalyÃÂá¹Âa Bhaá¹Âá¹Âa's Kallola, Keà ÂavadÃÂsa's Gujarati Vallabhavela, and GopÃÂladÃÂsa VyÃÂrÃÂvÃÂḷÃÂ's Gujarati PrÃÂkaá¹Âya-SiddhÃÂá¹Âta.
According to scholars, the life of Vallabha as depicted in traditional sources contains many miracles, supernatural events, and "patently implausible features". Vallabha is considered by followers of the Puá¹£á¹ÂimÃÂrga to be an ideal divine incarnation who was born for a supernatural purpose, and his hagiographies mean to portray a living intimate relationship with Kråṣá¹Âa to serve as an example to devotees. Barz (1992) gives biographical account of Vallabha which includes these traditional elements. His biography has been criticized by Vaudeville for relying solely on English and Hindi Vallabhite sources and a lack of critical analysis of them typical of a Western Indologist. à ÂÃÂstrë, commenting on the presence of miracles in Vallabha's biographies, notes that the texts authored by the followers of GokulanÃÂtha, a grandson of Vallabha, contain no mention of miracles in relation to Vallabha and his second son Viá¹Âá¹ÂhalanÃÂtha (GokulanÃÂtha's father) making them valuable sources. This is due to the fact that these followers instead consider GokulanÃÂtha to be God in human form, with Vallabha and Viá¹Âá¹ÂhalanÃÂtha only being revered ÃÂcÃÂryas. No single text contains a full biography of Vallabha, and different sources contain inconsistent and contradictory information, likely due to internal fragmentation of the religious community from the 17th to 19th centuries.
According to tradition, Vallabha's family were VelanÃÂá¹Âa or VellanÃÂá¸Âu Telugu Brahmins who belonged to the BhÃÂradvÃÂja gotra and the Taittirëya branch of the Yajurveda. Their ancestral village was KÃÂá¹ karavÃÂá¸Âa on the southern bank of the GodÃÂvarë River. Keà ÂvararÃÂma KÃÂà ÂërÃÂma à ÂÃÂstrë identifies the village of KÃÂá¹Âkara (Kanker, Chhattisgarh) with KÃÂá¹ÂkarapÃÂá¹Âá¸Âhu or KÃÂá¹ÂkaravÃÂá¸Âa.
According to some sources such as the à Ârëvallabhadigvijaya, Vallabha's birth occurred in the forests of CampÃÂraá¹Âya, due to his parents fleeing VÃÂrÃÂá¹Âasë in fear of Muslim invasion. These sources depict his birth as miraculous, with his parents initially leaving the seemingly still-born infant beneath a à Âamë tree, before being recalled by a supernatural voice to see Vallabha alive and surrounded by fire. According to other hagiographies such as à Ârë NÃÂthajë PrÃÂkaá¹Âya kë VÃÂrtÃÂ, Vallabha appeared in the Agnikuá¹ÂḠ("Pool of Fire") in MathurÃÂ.
Most hagiographies date Vallabha's birth to Vaià ÂÃÂkha vada 11, 1535 V.S. (May 7, 1478 CE). Though conversion of this date into the Gregorian calendar is disputed among scholars (with some putting Vallabha's birth in 1478 and some in 1479), Hawley confirms the year 1478 after adjusting for the calendar used in Braj. The followers of GokulanÃÂtha, one of Vallabha's grandsons, consider Vallabha's year of birth to be 1473 CE. G.H. Bhatt, on comparing the two dates, states that the year 1473 CE is correct. In his view, the sources mentioning 1473 CE are older and more authentic than those mentioning 1478 CE.
Soon after Vallabha's birth his family moved back to VÃÂrÃÂá¹Âasë. His education consisted of learning Sanskrit texts such as the Upaniá¹£ads, Vedas, and PurÃÂá¹Âas.
According to the à Ârë GovardhananÃÂthajë ke PrÃÂkaá¹Âya kë VÃÂrtà(19th century), MÃÂdhavendra Purë (c. 1420âÂÂ1490) taught Vallabha in Varanasi, however this is considered "highly improbable" by Entwistle due to the dates of Vallabha's birth and MÃÂdhavendra's death. When asked what he would like as a fee for teaching Vallabha, MÃÂdhavendra asked to serve à Ârë NÃÂthajë, as he had a premonition that Vallabha would establish the formal worship of the deity. When MÃÂdhavendra Purë arrived at Govardhan Hill, the image was being already being worshipped as a snake deity by the local villagers, and as Kråṣá¹Âa by Saddu PÃÂá¹Âá¸Âe. MÃÂdhavendra Purë adorned à Ârë NÃÂthajë with a garland and turban decoration, and offered him milk (he was told by à Ârë NÃÂthajë that he would only accept solid food when Vallabha arrived). The text also claims that MÃÂdhavendra was appointed mukhiyàof the Bengali priests, which is also considered unlikely by Entwistle since the à Ârë NÃÂthajë temple was built after his lifetime. MÃÂdhavendra Purë later went to South India to get sandalwood, from which he never returned. Other Puá¹£á¹ÂimÃÂrga texts and texts othe Gauá¸Âëya Vaiá¹£á¹Âava tradition posit contrasting narratives surrounding the identity of MÃÂdhavendra Puri's students and the establishment of the Kråṣá¹Âa image on Govardhana Hill.
Nearing the end of his life, Laká¹£maá¹Âa Bhaá¹Âá¹Âa decided to take his wife and 10-year-old son along on a pilgrimage to southern India. They first stopped at the Vaishnava temple of JagannÃÂtha in Purë in 1489. The local ruler was sponsoring a great philosophical debate where four questions were posed to scholars: "What is the foremost scripture? Who is the foremost deity? Which is the most effective mantra? What is the easiest and best action?", to which Vallabha responded with the Bhagavad GëtÃÂ, Kråṣá¹Âa, any of Kråṣá¹Âa's names, and sevà(service) to Kråṣá¹Âa, whereupon JagannÃÂtha wrote a à Âloka in support of his response and condemning the supporters of Advaita VedÃÂnta.
In 1490, they reached the temple of Veá¹ kaá¹Âeà Âvara at Tirupati, where Laká¹£maá¹Âa Bhaá¹Âá¹Âa died, and IllammÃÂgÃÂrà « began to live with her brother in Vijayanagara.
When Vallabha was living in his ancestral village of KÃÂá¹ karavÃÂá¸Âa, he heard of a philosophical debate (à ÂÃÂstrÃÂrtha) being held in at the court of King Kråṣá¹ÂadevarÃÂya of Vijayanagara, and that the Vaiá¹£á¹Âava schools of thought were being beaten by Advaita VedÃÂnta philosophers. Vallabha immediately went to Vijayanagara to join the debate, and entered the Vaiá¹£á¹Âava camp led by VyÃÂsatërtha of the MÃÂdhva school. Vallabha through his erudition and debate skills defeated the Advaita philosophers, and was rewarded by Kråṣá¹ÂadevarÃÂya with large amounts of gold (most of which he distributed among Brahmins).
Vallabha was also offered the prestigious title of ÃÂcÃÂrya from the MÃÂdhva sampradÃÂya and the Viá¹£á¹ÂusvÃÂmë sampradÃÂya. Vallabha chose to become ÃÂcÃÂrya of the Viá¹£á¹ÂusvÃÂmë school. Very little is known of the Viá¹£á¹ÂusvÃÂmë school, and by Vallabha's time its followers were few. The majority view among sectarian followers is that Vallabha chose to become ÃÂcÃÂrya of that school in order to make his own doctrines more prestigious, and that there is likely no real connection between the ideas of Viá¹£á¹ÂusvÃÂmë and Vallabha. A minority of followers believe there is a connection between the philosophies of Viá¹£á¹ÂusvÃÂmë and Vallabha. Modern scholars hold there is no legitimate connection between the two philosophies. According to Keà ÂvararÃÂma KÃÂà ÂërÃÂma à ÂÃÂstrë, Vallabha himself did not claim to belong to Viá¹£á¹ÂusvÃÂmë's school. He notes that in the Subodhini, Vallabha claims Viá¹£á¹ÂusvÃÂmë's devotional path belongs to the tamÃÂsa guá¹Âa, while his own is nirguá¹Âa. Only later writers such as GosvÃÂmë Puruá¹£ottama, Yogë Gopeà Âvara, and GadÃÂdharadÃÂsa link Vallabha's and Laká¹£maá¹Âa Bhaá¹Âá¹Âa's philosophical school to Viá¹£á¹ÂusvÃÂmë. It is also stated in traditional biographies that Bilavamaá¹Âgala (a scholar of Viá¹£á¹ÂusvÃÂmë's school) waited 700 years for Vallabha to take his seat. Rather Vallabha himself states that despite Bilvamaá¹Âgala's MÃÂyÃÂvÃÂda tendencies, through his devotion he can achieve moká¹£a.
According to sectarian literature, this debate occurred shortly after Laká¹£maá¹Âa Bhaá¹Âá¹Âa's death in 1490 when Vallabha was only 13 years old; however, Kråṣá¹ÂadevarÃÂya only became king of Vijayanagara in 1509.
The debate is mentioned in the CaurÃÂsë Baiá¹Âhak Caritra and but is not found in independent historical sources. According to Saha, the Vijayanagara episode is meant to portray "the image of a victorious Vallabha winning the subcontinent for Kråṣá¹Âa". It is also mentioned in the SampradÃÂya-Pradëpa, whose narrative is described as "clearly counterfactual" by Hawley who posits the episode was written for the purpose of furthering the interests of the Puá¹£á¹ÂimÃÂrga in the late 17th century.
In 1493, Vallabha is said to have had a dream where Kråṣá¹Âa ordered him to go to Govardhana Hill and establish proper service (sevÃÂ) to his image (svarà «pa) that had appeared there years ago. When he arrived in Gokula in 1494, Vallabha had a vision where Kråṣá¹Âa appeared before him and bestowed upon him the Brahmasambandha mantra, which was to be used to clean the flaws of a human soul. The next morning, Vallabha administered the mantra to his companion DÃÂmodaradÃÂsa HarasÃÂnë, who became the first member of the Puá¹£á¹ÂimÃÂrga (Vallabha Sampradaya). Most sources state these events occurred in Gokula, except the à Ârë NÃÂthajë PrÃÂkaá¹Âya kë VÃÂrtàwhich states it happened in Jharkhand.
When Vallabha came to Govardhana Hill, he went to the house of Saá¸Âá¸Âu PÃÂá¹Âá¸Âe. Saá¸Âá¸Âu PÃÂá¹Âá¸Âe had received a vision from Kråṣá¹Âa years earlier that told him a stone that had appeared on Govardhana Hill was his own svarà «pa and that he should give offerings to it. The image was known as Devadamana; Vallabha announced that it was actually the svarupa of à Ârë GovardhananÃÂthajë (shortened to à Ârë NÃÂthajë) and initiated an ascetic named RÃÂmdÃÂs ChauhÃÂn to perform the regular worship. In 1499 a wealthy merchant from AmbÃÂlànamed Pà «rá¹Âamalla Khatrë began building a temple for Srë NÃÂthajë.
Vallabha may have intended to remain a lifelong celibate brahmacÃÂrë, but during his second pilgrimage of India between 1501 and 1503, he had gone to Paá¹Âá¸Âḥarapura to view the god Viá¹Âá¹Âhala or Viá¹Âhobà(a form of Kråṣá¹Âa). There Vallabha was ordered by Viá¹Âá¹Âhala to marry. Some sectarian sources assert this was because Viá¹Âá¹Âhala wanted to take birth as his son, and others say it was to create a line of descendants to preserve and promote Vallabha's version of bhakti-mÃÂrga. This episode is mentioned in the VallabhÃÂkhyÃÂna, Nija VÃÂrtÃÂ, and SampradÃÂya Kalpadruma and according to Entwistle is a later myth.
Following his caste traditions and practices, Vallabha married MahÃÂlaká¹£më (aka AkkÃÂjë) sometime between 1502 and 1504, a VÃÂrÃÂá¹Âasë girl of his own caste who began living with him upon maturity c. 1510âÂÂ1512. Vallabha had two houses, one at Aá¹Âaila on the Yamunàriver across PrayÃÂgarÃÂja, and at CaranÃÂá¹Âa near VÃÂrÃÂá¹Âasë. According to Saha, the location of his home provided a central location which allowed him to access to preach and convert throughout northern and central India.
His first son, GopënÃÂtha, was born in 1512 at Aá¹Âaila and according to sectarian tradition was the avatÃÂra of BalarÃÂma, elder brother of Kråṣá¹Âa. His second son, Viá¹Âá¹ÂhalanÃÂtha, was born in 1515 at CaranÃÂá¹Âa, and is considered the avatar of Viá¹Âá¹Âhala.
Vallabha made three pilgrimages throughout India which are documented in later sectarian sources. These pilgrimages are stated to have taken place between 1479 and 1530, although Saha doubts the accuracy of the dates. At pilgrimage sites such as DvÃÂrakÃÂ, Kannauja, Purë, MathurÃÂ, Gokula, and Govardhana, Vallabha had theological debates and attracted followers and devotees. He made extensive conversion campaigns in the Gangetic Plain and Gujarat, where he attracted converts from various castes including Bhumihars, Rajputs, Gurjars, Ahirs, Kurmis, and Vaniyas, Bhatias, Kanbis, and Patidars respectively. In the CaurÃÂsë Vaiá¹£á¹Âavan kë VÃÂrtÃÂ, the lives of eighty-four of Vallabha's most notable devotees are narrated. Of the 84 devotees, 39 were Brahmins, 36 were mercantile or landowning Kshatriyas, 5 were Vaishyas, and 6 were Shudras.
Only scholarly theory for why Vallabha's theology was attractive to these groups was that of social mobility. For agrarian castes, particularly in Gujarat, the emphasis on purity gave higher status. For mercantile castes, purity as well as the emphasis on restraint and frugality in daily life elevated their status, while wealth could then be funnelled toward religiously meritorious sevàto Kråṣá¹Âa.
Another reason was that Vallabha promoted a househoulder life-affirming, socially conservative view that appealed to castes that depended on social and political stability for their livelihoods, notably in the context of splintering Muslim sultanates in India.
In 1530, Vallabha took a vow of renunciation and withdrew to the banks on the Gaá¹ gàriver in VÃÂrÃÂá¹Âasë. After a month, he summoned his sons GopënÃÂtha and Viá¹Âá¹Âhalanatha, and designated the 18 or 19 year old GopënÃÂtha as his successor. According to sectarian accounts, he walked in the Gaá¹ gàand vanished in a flash of light. This event is said to have occurred on ÃÂá¹£ÃÂá¸Âha suda 3, 1587 V.S. (July 7, 1530).
Vallabha composed several texts during his lifetime (all in Sanskrit) most notable of which are:
There are also other texts attributed to Vallabha some of which are considered to be either lost or not actually composed by him. These includes Jaiminëyasà «trabhÃÂá¹£ya, PÃÂtrÃÂvalambanam, à Ârëpuruá¹£ottamanÃÂmasahasram, TrividhanÃÂmÃÂvalë, PremÃÂmrÃÂ¥tam, ParivrÃÂ¥ddhÃÂá¹£á¹Âakam, and MadhurÃÂá¹£á¹Âakam. Smith notes that it is possible for Vallabha's work to have been lost in the first twenty years after his death, as his family became embroiled in disputes until Viá¹Âá¹ÂhalanÃÂtha's final accession as head of the family and sect after the deaths of GopënÃÂtha and his son Puruá¹£ottama.
In the Aá¹ÂubhÃÂá¹£ya Vallabha provides formal philosophical proof for à ÂuddhÃÂdvaita; the text is highly intellectual in nature. Vallabha argues that the jëva ("individual soul") is inseparable from aká¹£arabrahman ("the absolute all-encompassing universe") yet dependent on God's grace. He argues that jëvas due to their svabhÃÂva ("personal nature") and adhikÃÂri ("eligibility") are either attracted to the religious path of knowledge or of devotion. He states the fruit of knowledge is moká¹£a, union with an abstract, absolute, impersonal aká¹£arabrahman. In contrast, the higher fruit of devotion is entrance into nityalëlà(both in life or after death), which is the state of observing and participating in God's spontaneous and creative nature.
This text is divided into three sections: à ÂÃÂstrÃÂrtha, Sarvanirá¹Âaya, and BhÃÂgavatÃÂrtha. In the à ÂÃÂstrÃÂrthaprakaraá¹Âa, Vallabha gives his view on the contents of the Bhagavad GëtÃÂ, which he considers to be highest à ÂÃÂstra due to it embodying the words of Kråṣá¹Âa. He discusses various topics including the nature of the universe and God and argues that bhakti ("devotion") is based on knowledge of Kråṣá¹Âa as depicted in the Bhagavad Gëtàand BhÃÂgavata PurÃÂá¹Âa. In the Sarvanirá¹Âayaprakaraá¹Âa, Vallabha surveys the philosophies of rival schools and asserts the superiority of his own views on devotion and the nature of souls to the universe. In the BhÃÂgavatÃÂrthaprakaraá¹Âa, Vallabha gives his view on the BhÃÂgavata PurÃÂá¹Âa as an entire text, its skandhas ("canto"), prakaraá¹Âas ("topical division"), and adhyÃÂyas ("chapter").
This commentary on the BhÃÂgavata PurÃÂá¹Âa is Vallabha's most esoteric work, and provides commentary on the text at a deeper level than the BhÃÂgavatÃÂrthaprakaraá¹Âa down to the vÃÂkya (sentence"), pada ("word"), and aká¹£ara ("syllable"). In this text Vallabha uses Alaá¹ÂkÃÂraà ÂÃÂstra (classical Indian aesthetic theory) to analyze devotional experiences.
This text has 16 short treatises.
Vallabha formulated the philosophy of à ÂuddhÃÂdvaita, in response to à Âaá¹ kara's ÃÂdvaita VedÃÂnta, which he called MaryÃÂdàMÃÂrga or Path of Limitations. Vallabha asserted that religious disciplines focusing on Vedic sacrifices, temple rituals, puja, meditation, and yoga held limited value. Additionally Vallabha rejected the concept of MÃÂyÃÂ, stating that the world was a manifestation of the Supreme Absolute and could neither be tainted nor change. The school rejects the ascetic lifestyle and cherishes householder lifestyle, wherein followers see themselves as participants and companions of Kråṣá¹Âa, viewing their daily lives as an ongoing raslila.
According to Vallabha, Brahman consists of existence, consciousness, and bliss (sat-cit-ÃÂnanda), and when manifested completely, as Kråṣá¹Âa himself. The purpose of this tradition is to perform sevà(selfless service) out of love for Kråṣá¹Âa. According to Vallabha, through single minded religiosity, a devotee would achieve awareness that there is nothing in the world that is not Kråṣá¹Âa.
According to Vallabha there are three kinds of souls: puá¹£á¹Âi, maryÃÂda, and pravÃÂha. The puá¹£á¹Âi and maryÃÂda souls are divine souls that have potential of upliftment or salvation. The puá¹£á¹Âi ("complete" or "well-nourished") souls rely on Kråṣá¹Âa's grace as the sole effective means to achieve devotion, and other efforts are insignificant without God's grace.
Vallabha distinguishes between two aspects of devotion: the maryÃÂda and the puá¹£á¹Âi. MaryÃÂda followers rely on their actions and God's judgment for spiritual rewards, aligning with scriptural injunctions. In contrast, Puá¹£á¹Âi followers rely solely on God's grace, prioritizing complete devotion and surrender without personal effort, embodying unconditional love and faith towards God. Vallabha also emphasizes that the path of pusti is open to all, regardless of caste or gender. He cautions against seeing this path as too focused on pleasure, saying it is about pure, divine devotion without being attached to worldly desires.
Vallabha viewed the world (jagat) as intricately linked to the belief that the world is an expression and manifestation of Brahman. He accepts the idea that Brahman manifested itself as both the individual souls (jivas) and the world. Vallabha argued that Brahman desired to become many to express His playful nature (lila) and hence created the world. Vallabha emphasizes that the world is not illusory but as real as Brahman itself, which manifests by temporarily suppressing its attributes of bliss and consciousness. When jivas, through ignorance, misunderstand or misinterpret the world as distinctly real and plural, they fall into the trap of samsara, which is unreal.
The Indian postal department of the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp bearing the image of VallabhÃÂcÃÂrya on April 14, 1977.