Gokulnath

(1551–1640) The third guru of the religious community known as the Pushti
Marg. Gokulnath inherited the mantle
of leadership from his father Vitthalnath,
who was the successor to his father
Vallabhacharya, the community’s founder.
During his tenure Gokulnath helped
solidify the religious community and
paid particular attention to its organization. He is best known for compiling
several hagiographic works describing
the careers of his father and grandfather, to provide an appropriately reverent picture for their followers.
Gokulnath was also the moving force
behind a text named the Chaurasi
Vaishnavan ki Varta (“Account of
eighty-four Vaishnavas”), although the
actual text was probably compiled by
Gokulnath’s disciple Hariray. This text is
a sectarian hagiography describing the
lives of eighty-four paradigmatic
Vaishnavas, all of whom—at least
according to the text—were associates
and disciples of Vallabhacharya and
Vitthalnath. The text’s real purpose is
not to provide a biography, but to illustrate the importance of the Pushti Marg
and its leaders.