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.

Famous Acharyas

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Among the famous acharyas in the Vedic and Vaishnava traditions are:

• Adi Sankara
• Ramanuja
• Madhva
• Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Within 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.

External Links

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• Scriptural References to 'acarya'

Jain Acharyas | Education in India | Titles

Acharya | Acharya