Vallabhācārya’s Bhaktivardhinī

The Enhancement of Loving Devotion

Abstract

This article explores Bhaktivardhinī, the eleventh of Vallabhācārya’s Ṣoḍaśagranthāḥ (Sixteen Works), which outlines the progressive stages of devotional love (bhakti) in the Puṣṭimārga tradition. Composed in the early 16th century, this brief yet profound text delineates the cultivation of divine love (prema), passionate attachment (āsakti), and ultimate devotional absorption (vyasana), framed within Vallabhācārya’s śuddhādvaita (pure non-dualist) philosophy. The study examines the concept of bījabhāva (the "seed of devotion") and its maturation through disciplined practice (sevā), scriptural engagement (śravaṇa-kīrtana), and divine grace (anugraha). Drawing on classical commentaries—particularly those of Puruṣottama and Harirāya—the paper highlights the interplay between householder devotion and internalized renunciation, a distinctive feature of the Puṣṭimārga, which rejects formal asceticism. The discussion also engages with cross-cultural resonances in Christian and Sufi mysticism, illustrating universal themes in the phenomenology of divine love. Ultimately, the Bhaktivardhinī emerges as a pivotal text for understanding Vallabhācārya’s vision of bhakti as an all-consuming, grace-driven transformation of the self into a vessel of divine intimacy.