SHRI MAHAPRABHUJI AND HIS ANCESTORS

The ancestors of Shrimad Vallabhacharyaji (Shri Mahaprabhuji), Shri Gusaiji and Shri Gokuleshji were orginated from town called Kankar Pallu (Kankerwad), of the South of the Krishna rever, near the mountain called yom Stambh, in South India, Where they resided for a long . By tradition they were pure Velnadu. (Velanati) brahmains following with the Vishnu faith. They were attached to the Krishna Yajurveda branch and Teitarriya branch and were descendents in the Bharadwaj Gotra (family line) and the deity of their family was Renuka.

The chief person of the family was Shri Govindacharya. Shri Vallabh Dikshit followed him and Shri Yagnanarayana Bhatt followed Shri Vallabh dikshit in the tradition. Following the tradition of the familly he observed celibacy for many years and then married to Narmada, a daughter of a brahmina called Sudharma of Devapur. Yaganarayana Bhatt had special affection to receive an almupt visitor with warm heart. Once a detached teacher called Bilvamangal of Dravida region happened to drop in to his place as an abrupt visitor. Yagnanarayana prayed to him to show him the way by which he would have in his heart devotion to god. That teacher blessed him with the Gopal Mantra. And also commanded him to perform the Soma Yagna. Hence Yagnanarayan commenced the Yagna. At the beginning of the rituals Shri Purushottam Himself appeared from among the alter ablaze with fire in the form of Shri Madanmohanji and blessed him with promise that He will be born as incarnation of Shri Purushottam (God) Himself in his family on the completion of the hundredth Yagna.

Yagnanarayan Bhatt then, could accomplish thirty four Yagnas during his life span. It is said that whenever he was Congronted with any doubt or difficulty about the Veda, he used to go to the river., take bath and then performed meditation of the Veda. At that time Lord Veda appeared before him in his usual form personally and cleared his doubts. Hence , he is also known as the incarnation of the Veda . once some disillusioned brahmins thought of testing Him. . They brought a buffalo and challenged him that they would approve him as the incarnation of the Veda only if he proved his effediency by preaching the Veda to the buffalo. At this Yagnanarayan asked the buffalo to utter stanzas from the Veda. On hearing it, the buffalo’s mind is illuminated with the knowledge of the Veda and it replied all the questions raised by all.

Yagnanarayan had a son called Gangadhar. He was married to Kachi, a daughter of Chitdrumal of Bonipur. He performed other twenty eight “Soma Yagnas” He also wrote a book exposing the secrets of the Scriputres, Poorva Mimansa and Uttar Mimansa. He is considered to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Once multiple streams of the holy Ganga were seen to be emerging out of his hair.
Gangadhar Bhatt had a son called Ganapat Bhatt. He is known as the incarnation of Lord Ganesh. He was married to Ambica , A daughter of brahmin called Keshav of South Mathura. He performed thirty “Soma Yagnas”. He travelled across the southern region of India with many disciples and won the scholarly discourses against Shaktas , scholars following the Shakta sect and Tantrikas, scholars following the Tantra Sect.

He wrote a book called "Swatantra Nigrah". Besides Ambica, Ganapat Bhatt had two other wives. Each of his wives gave birth to three children each and thus he had in all nine sons. The eldest of his sons born of the eldest of his wives was Vallabh Bhatt. He was married to Poorna, a daughter of Kashinath of Dharmapuri. He was an excellent scholar and earned the fame as "Dash Granthi" by deliverint number of discourses on the Dash Granth. He performed five Soma Yagnas. He wrote a book called Bhaktideep. He is known to be the incarnation of Lord Soorya (Sun). He also proved his power of the sun by showing people a midday at the morning hour.

Vallabh Bhatt had two sons: Lakshman Bhatt and Janardan Bhatt. Of the two, Lakshman Bhatt was a bright scholar. He was considered as the incarnation of the Akshar Brahma, the Eternal soul and Lord Shiva himself. Laxman Bhatt was married to Yallamagaru (Illamagaru), a daughter of Susharma, the royal priest to the king of Vidyanagar. Hence, Laxman Bhatt went and resided at a town called Agrahar. At his family house, were born a son, Ramakrishna and two daughters, Saraswati and Subhadra. He performed five Soma Yagnas. In this manner a course of one hundred Soma Yagnas initiated by Yagnanarayan Bhatt and carried on thenafter by his descendents was accomplished at the hands of Shri Lakshman Bhattji in his time. The last Soma Yagna was accomplished on the nineth day of the bright half of the Chaitra month in V.S. 1532. At the conclusion (Completion ) of the Yagna, there emerged from the alter a Supernatural utterance addressing to Lakshman Bhatt: "At your auspicious family (house), Lord Poorna Purushottam himself will descend by birth". At that time, Lakshman Bhatt took a vow to offer dinner to one Lakh twenty five thousand brahmins at Kashi. Then Lord Poorna Purushottam descendend in the Bhatt family in the form of Shri Vallabh and, thus fulfilled the promise he had granted to Yagnanarayan Bhatt. He was known on the earth by the name of Shri Vallabhacharyaji - Shri Mahaprabhuji. His marriage was held in V.S. 1556 with Shri Mahalaxmiji, a daughter od Deven Bhatt of Kashi. Shri Vallabhcharyaji had two sons : Shri Gopinathji who is believed to be the incarnation of Shri Baladevji, and Shri Gusaiji, who is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vitthalnathji of Pandharpur. At this great, scholarly, renowned and pious family, Shri Gokuleshji was born at one hour and fifty six minutes at midnight, on Thursday, on the seventh day of the bright half of the Magashar month in 1552. The season was Hemant, a part of winter, when the sun was soaring southward. According to astrology , the time was the Poorva Nakshatra when the moon was in the Zodiac and the Lagna was Mithun. The year was V.S. 1608 and 1473 of the Shaka calandar. The age was the Kali, the fourth one, the 28th of the Veiswat Manvantar, in Shweta varan Kalpa, in the second half of the Brhma year.

In the fifteenth century of Vikram Era a great man was born. He became famous as Jagadguru Shrimad Vallabhacharyaji. The ancestor of His Holiness was Yagnanarayan Bhatt. Who belonged to Velnadu of Andhra province. He was a Brahmin by caste and was very learned. He began performing "Som Yagna".

Once the Lord of Lords, the Bhagawan Himself came out from the altar and gave him a boon. He emphatically declared that when the 100th Yagna would be finished, he would appear again at his place.

Thus from Yagnanarayan Bhatt to Gangadhar Bhatt, Ganapati Bhatt, Vallabh Bhatt and his son Laxman Bhatt, 100th "Som Yagna" was completed. Then in V.S. 1535 Shri Vallabhacharyaji was born fulfilling the promise given by the Bhagawan, His Holiness Established the Shuddhadwait Pushtimarg.
His Holiness had two sons. Shri Gopinathji and Shri Vitthalnathji (Shri Gunsaiji). Shri Gopinathji had one son named Shri Purushottamji. Shri Vitthalnathji had seven sons and four daughters. They were Shri Girdharji, Shri Govindraiji, Shri Balkrishnaji, Shri Gokuleshji, Shri Raghunathji, Shri Yadunathji, Shri Ghanshyamji and four daughters named Shri Shobhabetiji, Shri Kamlabetiji, Shri Yamunabetiji and Shri Devakabetiji.