The founder of the Brahma Kumaris was a successful middle-aged jeweler, Lekhraj Koobchand Kripalani, residing in Hyderabad (in pre-Partition India). He was of the Bhaiband caste and born into a family who were devotees of (1479-1531), a Hindu theologian and philosopher. Vallabhacharya taught Shuddha (pure) Advaita (non-dualism), an interpretation of Vedanta that rejected asceticism and monastic life, suggesting that through loving devotion to God any householder could achieve salvation. This understanding influenced the early teachings of the Brahma Kumaris and may be at the heart of its role as a social reform movement.