However, when Gopinātha died in 1542 with his son Puruṣottama still a minor, Viṭṭhalanātha emerged as the main leader of the religious sect established by his father.

[6] Kr̥ṣṇadāsa often had controversial relationships with women, and once allowed a wealthy kṣatriya woman named Gaṅgābāī Kṣatrānī to be present during the private offerings of food to Śrī Nāthajī.

Viṭṭhalanātha's eldest son Giridhara then petitioned with local Mughal authorities (specifically identified as Bīrbal) who had Kr̥ṣṇadāsa arrested.

[7][8] From 1543 through 1581, Viṭṭhalanāṭha went on six fundraising tours that had a primary focus on Gujarat, visiting the cities of Dvarka, Surat, Khambat, Ahmedabad, and Godhra.

[12] Viṭṭhalanātha was successful in securing royal and political patronage, such as with Rāṇī Durgāvatī, who arranged his second marriage and gifted him land and the Satghara mansion in Mathura.

In 1577, a grant was issued in the name of the emperor Akbar that Viṭṭhalnātha and his family would be exempt from tax and that his land in Gokul would be protected by the state.

In 1581, grant was issued that allowed Puṣṭi Mārga cows to roam freely through Gokul, including state property and Mughal noble's estates.

In 1588 Bahadur Khan issued a grant affirming the same right, as well as detailing that the cows could not be harassed by Mughal officials for herding or tax purposes.

These two claims are unattested outside of sectarian literature, which seek to show Viṭṭhalanātha's spiritual authority as greater than the worldly power of Akbar.

[16] In 1593 he was granted a firmān confirming his purchase of tax-free land in Jatipura, where he built gardens, worshops, cowsheds, and buildings for the worship of Śrī Nāthajī.

In his time, he reformed the sevā to recreate the daily routine of Kr̥ṣṇa, in which he was offered expensive clothing, jewelry, perfumes, and sumptuous meals.

Tulasīdāsa or Tulasīrāma was a Sārasvata brahmin from Sindh whose father had been put in charge of fetching water from the Yamuna for Śrī Nāthajī's service.