Acharya
For the pen name of D. Murdock, see Acharya S.An
acharya is a prominent
guru, teacher and scholar who teaches by his own example (from
Sanskrit 'achara', behavior). Often head of a
sampradaya, philosophical school in the Indian tradition. It is given as a title of respect, often added at the end of a person's name, as in
Advaita Acharya.
Among the famous acharyas in the
Hindu traditions are:
*
Adi Sankara *
Ramanuja *
Madhva*
Caitanya MahaprabhuWithin Jainism
Among the
Jain Acharyas,
Sthulabhadra, Siddhsen Diwakar,
Haribhadra and
Hemachandra belonged to Svetambar orders, and
Kundakunda,
Akalanka,
Jinasena,
Nemichandra belonged the Digambar order. Modern Jain Acharyas include
Digambar Vidyasagar,
Vidyanand and
Svetambar Mahaprajna,
Sushil Kumar,
Padma Sagar Suri. In Jainism, an Acharya is one of the five revered
panch-paremeshtis.
*
Scriptural References to 'acarya'
