Vallabhacharya’s path is marked above all by its doctrine of Śuddhādvaita, or pure non-dualism, and this gives his teaching a distinctive flavor among Vaiṣṇava traditions. Brahman alone truly exists, and the world is not treated as an illusory projection of māyā but as a real manifestation of Kṛṣṇa’s own divine energy. Individual souls are understood as parts of Brahman, distinct yet not ultimately separate, so that their difference from Kṛṣṇa is not absolute. This stands apart from Śaṅkara’s emphasis on illusion, from Rāmānuja’s qualified non-dualism, and from Madhva’s dualism, by insisting on a more radical non-difference between jīva and Brahman. On this basis, the world is not something to be negated, but a field in which divine play (līlā) and divine emotion (rasa) can be tasted.

Within this framework, the path to liberation is conceived as Pushti Mārga, the “path of grace,” where divine grace (pushti) is primary and decisive. Liberation is attained not chiefly through rigorous asceticism, elaborate ritual, or even personal effort in knowledge and discipline, but through surrender to Kṛṣṇa’s uncaused and freely given grace. Devotional life is thus centered on bhakti that arises from grace rather than from fear, calculation, or the pursuit of merit. This gives the tradition a distinctive interiority: the heart of practice lies less in external austerity and more in the inner transformation that grace brings about.

The devotional orientation of this school is shaped by an intimate focus on Kṛṣṇa as Pūrṇa Puruṣottama, especially in his child form as Bāla Kṛṣṇa or Śrīnāthjī. Worship is expressed through elaborate seva, in which the deity is cared for as a living child—woken, bathed, dressed, fed, and delighted with music, poetry, and the arts. Love (prema) in its sweetest modes becomes the highest form of devotion, surpassing distant reverence; the devotee’s relationship is suffused with the moods of divine play and emotional relish. Rather than emphasizing public chanting or severe renunciation, this tradition sacralizes the ordinary rhythms of life as occasions for loving service.

Finally, Vallabhacharya’s teaching is notably householder-oriented and socially distinctive. Renunciation of the world is not held up as the ideal; instead, legitimate worldly pleasures, family life, and even wealth are accepted when consciously offered to Kṛṣṇa through seva. Temple life develops in the form of havelis, with a hereditary line of ācāryas guiding the community, and there is a relatively inclusive stance toward different social groups, with inner eligibility grounded in grace rather than birth alone. In this way, spiritual life is woven into the fabric of daily existence, so that the devotee learns to see all of life as participation in Kṛṣṇa’s real and joyous presence.