Hariray

(mid-17th c.) A noted disciple of
Gokulnath (1551–1640 C.E.), the third
guru of the Pushti Marg, a religious
community founded by his grandfather
Vallabhacharya.
Aside from being a disciple, Hariray
is considered Gokulnath’s scribe. He is
the commentator on a text called the
Chaurasi Vaishnavan ki Varta
(“Account of eighty-four Vaishnavas”),
and probably compiled the text itself
under Gokulnath’s direction. This text
describes the lives of eighty-four
Vaishnavas, or devotees (bhakta), of the
god Vishnu, all associates and disciples
of Gokulnath’s father Vitthalnath or his
grandfather Vallabhacharya. The text’s
real purpose is not to provide biographies of these figures, but to illustrate
the importance of the Pushti Marg and
its leaders. Besides the Chaurasi
Vaishnavan ki Varta, a number of poems
are also attributed to Hariray, but these
may be the work of a later figure.