KIRAN ATMA: Upanayana

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Hinduism - ACARYA

Who Is An Acarya?

A teacher is referred to as Acarya in Sanskrit.

It is derived from acara, 'course,' according to Nirukta 1.4, although Katyayana and maybe also Panini regarded it as 'the one to be approached' (Scharfe 2002: 90f.).

The upanayana in the Veda creates a link between the acarya and the brahmacarin, who resides in the teacher's home (acarya-kula, later called gurukula).

Normally, an acarya had a small number of pupils, although some reports record huge groups, with assisting instructors (Scharfe 2002: 220).

Acarya also refers to a master artisan who instructs a student (Scharfe 2002: 265).

Although the terms guru and acarya are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to the same individual, acarya denotes his authority in his field, whilst guru denotes the respect and adoration owed to him (Hara 1980).

Acarya may be appended to any name, such as Dron-acarya (Drona), Sankaracarya, and so on (Sankara).

Dignaga, a Buddhist logician, is simply known as Acarya by his disciples.

Acarya, or 'minister' in English, is the title given to Brahmo Samaj preachers.

~Kiran Atma

References And Further Reading:

Hara, Minoru. 1980. ‘Hindu Concepts of Teacher: Sanskrit guru and acarya’. In M. Nagaromi, B.K. Matilal, J.M. Masson and E. Dimock, eds, Sanskrit and Buddhist Studies: Essays in Honour of Daniel H.H. Ingalls. Dordrecht: Reidel, 93–118.

Scharfe, Hartmut. 2002. Education in Ancient India. (Handbuch der Orientalistik, Section 2, vol. 16.) Leiden: Brill.

Hinduism - What Is Upanayana?

Upanayana (“bringing-near”) Samskara.

The eleventh of the life cycle rituals (samskaras), in which a young man got a religious initiation that served as a symbolic "second birth," bestowing new powers and duties on him.

This ceremony symbolizes the end of childhood and the beginning of a new social identity, as with many other rites of passage.

After this process, the novice becomes a brahmacharin, the first of the "twice-born" man's life phases (ashramas).

This initiation confers the right and responsibility to study the Vedas, the oldest and most authoritative Hindu holy writings, and the young man would have done so while living in his guru's home, according to the traditional practice.

With this privilege came obligations, notably the need to follow purity regulations, which were not imposed on younger children.

If nothing else, this process is a need for marriage since without it, the young man is still regarded a kid, and it is still conducted before the wedding in certain modern circumstances.

This ceremony was only performed by young males from the three highest traditional social classes (varnas), namely brahmins, kshatriyas, and vaishyas, according to dharma literature.

Indeed, it is the right to this ceremony that distinguishes these three groups as "twice-born." Each group was assigned a different age for beginning and a different length of study, with brahmins being the first to begin and the last to finish.

The holy thread (janeu), which he must wear from that day forward, and teaching him the sacred formula known as the Gayatri mantra are at the center of the upanayana samskara.

This rite is still important and widely practiced, though brahmins are the ones who emphasize it the most.

This is unsurprising, considering their long-standing role as educators and academics, and their desire to maintain that position, even in current times.

See Pandurang Vaman Kane (trans. ), A History of Dharmasastra, 1968, and Raj Bali Pandey, Hindu Samskaras, 1969, for further information.

Despite their antiquity, they remain the greatest sources on traditional Hindu customs.

The former is encyclopedic, while the latter is more approachable.

~Kiran Atma

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