The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2

Pushyabhuti Dynasty
540
ultimate source of everything that exists.
The world, and human beings, thus
share in his divine nature, although only
in a limited fashion, and the human soul
is imbued with divinity as its inner light
and controller.
Since Krishna is the ultimate source
of everything and thus everything
depends ultimately on God, the school’s
primary religious emphasis is on the
importance of God’s grace. This grace is
seen as nourishing (pushti) the devotee
(bhakta) and is best attained by devotion
(bhakti), which is conceived of as
the only effective religious path. This
emphasis on grace and devotion has
meant that the Pushti Marg have put little
stress on asceticism or renunciation,
and the bulk of Vallabhacharya’s
followers came from affluent merchant
communities. The stress on devotion
was soon articulated in elaborately
arranged forms of image worship in the
Pushti Marg’s temples. Devotees would
visualize themselves as Krishna’s companions
during his daily activities—
waking, eating, taking his cows to
graze, coming home, etc.—and thus
gain the opportunity to take part in the
divine play (lila). This emphasis on
visualization and participation was fostered
through the development of vast
liturgical resources, which were composed
by eight poets (the ashtachap)
who were associated with Vallabhacharya
and Vitthalnath, his son and successor.
The third leader, Vitthalnath’s son
Gokulnath, further consolidated the
developing community, whose major
sacred site is now in Nathdwara in the
state of Rajasthan. For further information
see R.K. Barz, The Bhakti Sect of
Vallabhacharya, 1976.
Pushyabhuti Dynasty
(6th–7th c.) Northern Indian dynasty
whose capital was at Kanyakubja, the
modern city of Kanuaj in the Ganges
river basin, and whose territory ran
through the northern Indian plain from
the Punjab to Bihar. The Pushyabhutis
filled the northern Indian political
vacuum after the demise of the Gupta
empire and in some measure regained
its greatness. The dynasty’s greatest
ruler was the emperor Harsha
(r. 606–47), whose reign was chronicled
in panegyric fashion by the playwright
Bana, and perhaps more factually by the
Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Hsuan Tsang.
The latter’s journals give a detailed
picture both of Harsha himself, in whose
court Hsuan Tsang stayed for some time,
and of everyday life in Harsha’s
kingdom. See also Gupta dynasty.
Pustaka
A book, traditionally made of palm
leaves connected by a string running
through a hole punched in the middle,
with a wooden cover on top and bottom
to keep the leaves from being bent or
broken. In Indian iconography, the book
is most strongly associated with the
goddess Saraswati, in keeping with her
identity as the patron deity of the arts,
culture, and learning. It also commonly
appears as one of the objects held by the
god Brahma.
Putana
In Hindu mythology, Putana is one of
the demon assassins sent by Kamsa,
the king of Mathura, in an attempt to
kill his nephew, the child-god Krishna.
Through her magic powers, Putana
assumes the form of a beautiful young
woman and, after cooing over Krishna
for awhile, puts him to suckle at her poisoned
breast. When Krishna latches on,
however, it is Putana who is in dire trouble—Krishna
sucks at her breast so hard
that he sucks the life right out of her. As
she dies, she reverts to her original form,
gigantic and hideous, and the crash of
her falling body shakes the earth and
fells trees.
Putrada Ekadashi
Religious observance that occurs twice
per year: on the eleventh day (ekadashi)
of the bright (waxing) half of the lunar
month of Shravan (July–August), and