A matter of synonyms?

[Guest guest]

Friends,

 

Is there a difference between "guru" and "AchAryA"?

 

My son posed me this question yesterday and while I vaguely explained the

difference to him I was wondering if any of you have a neat definition

bringing out the sharp difference between the 2 Sanskrit words.

 

Specifically my son wants to know from me why the word "AchAryA" cannot be

substituted as synonym for the word "guru" in the common couplet:

 

"guru-brahma guru vishnu, guru dEvo maheshvara ;

guru-sAkshAt para-brahmha tasmai sri guruvE namaha".

 

I told him that usually a "guru" refers to one's individual mentor while an

"AchAryA" is "everyone's guru". He turns around and asks me why if "guru"

does not qualify to be "everyone's mentor", why the Sikhs call their common

mentor as "Guru Gobind Singh"!

 

Then I tried another clever explanation: I told him that usually there can

be one superior "AchAryA" for several "gurus" but seldom is it that we have

one "guru" being the superior for several "AchAryA-s". My son promptly

turned back to me and asked,"If "guru-s" are in some ways inferior to

'AchAryA-s" why do you then refer to them as "guru sAkshAt parabrahmhA?! We

should then be saying "AchAryA sAkshAt parabrahmA" instead!".

 

At this point I gave up trying to clarify his queries.

 

I didn't tell him that I was having enough trouble as it is with

"bhakti-list" members clarifying the issue of "sandhyAvandanam" and

"sOmbhars" that I didn't have any appetite for more lofty debates on

doctrine or dispute... but on deeper thought I got the feeling that the 10

year old's question was intriguing enough to be put on the "list" for other

learned members to ponder over and respond!

 

So if any of you could please suggest a proper answer that I can convey to

my son, I would be very grateful. (Of course, please avoid being "verbose"

....er... if you know what I mean!")

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Sudarsan

 

So far as my knowledge goes -

The word "Guru" is made up of "Gu" + '"RuGu" means 'darkness' "Ru" means

destruction. The one who dispels the darkness of ignorance is a "Guru".

 

"Aacharya" is one who not only does this by precept but sets an example by

practice. He is the one who practices what he preaches and preaches what he

practices like the shining example of our Srimad Vedanta Desikar.

 

The word is derived from "AacharaNa" which means 'Conduct", "Practice",

"Behavior" etc. Another derivative is "AachAra' which also refers to

"blemishless conduct"

 

We need both people who can dispel our ignorance and those who could show us

the way to right conduct by their own personal example.

 

The presumption is that one who professes to preaches may also be expected to

set an example by personally following what he preaches. Hence, in normal

parlance, the two terms are used as synonyms.

 

In this sense, we are fortunate to have in our midst such illustrious

Acharyas like our Prakritam Azhagiyasinghar and Prakritam Srimad Andavan of

Poundarikapuram Ashramam, to mention a few.

 

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

[Guest guest]

On Sun, 8 Aug 1999, sudarshan madabushi wrote:

> Is there a difference between "guru" and "AchAryA"?

 

It had been explained to me that a guru is one who teaches deliberately

and primarily by instruction, while an acharya teaches by instruction and

example. You might say, to borrow theological terms, that a guru is an

"efficient cause" of his teachings while an acharya is a "material cause."

A guru lives by his teachings, while an acharya lives his teachings.

My understanding might not be complete, but I've had no trouble

with this definition thus far.

 

 

Peace,

 

Tom

 

"Being properly distracted for a moment is child's play; being

rightly distracted for a lifetime is an art."

-- Douglas Adams

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Sudarshan,

>

>Is there a difference between "guru" and "AchAryA"?

>

 

Sri Periyavaachchaan Piallai has dealt with the issue of "Who is

Acharya?" in his work, Manikkamaalai. I apologize, for this turns out to

be a bit longer email than I had planned.

 

----------------

 

AchArya means the one who is the foremost among the Vaidhikas

(vaidikAgresara), who has devotion to BhagavAn, who is without egoism,

who understands the tirumantram according to the correct meaning - that

tirumantram is the essence of all the Vedas, the case of all mantras,

the document for the inseparable relationship of the soul and the Lord,

the savior of Mumukshus-, who has no interest in artha and kAma but yet

lives within the world and follows the dharma, artha, kAma

(lokaparigraha) [and hence practices dharma, artha and kAma].

 

This definition of an AchArya establishes several important points. The

AchArya must strictly follow the Vedic traditions, and he can live

within the world as long as he has no specific interest in artha and

kAma. Sri PV Pillai illustrates this definition by referring to the

lives of RAmAnuja and KUrattAlvan. Next, PV Pillai describes the

different categories of AchAryas: father, maternal uncle, father-in-law,

the giver of SAvitrI mantra, the teacher of the Veda, the giver of any

mantra, or the giver of bhagavanmantra. But all these AchAryas cannot be

accepted as AchAryas for the prapannas. According to the tradition, the

AchArya who is eligible for initiating one into prapatti is the one who

instructs the individual on how to withdraw from any action that is

considered to be an obstacle for obtaining the Lord. This AchArya is

also the one who preaches (upadesa) that one should trust and be

fearless and understand the Lord, Who is the consort of Sri is alone our

protector". He encourages his disciple and tells him that by grace of

the Lord he came to the correct path as a Srivaishnava. The good

disciple (Sishya) will not become proud because of the AchArya's

affection; he will be grateful to his AchArya for making him worthy (of

prapatti), and he will always admit that whatever greatness that he

possesses comes through his AchArya's grace. PeriyavAcchAn Pillai next

quotes phrases from the AlvArs that usually denote the Lord but here

used to refer to the AchArya.

 

----------------

 

In conclusion, any Guru cannot become one's Acharya. This definition of

Acharya, by the way, is very specific to the Sri Vaishnava sampradhayam

and in this context the term Guru and Acharya are different. For more on

Manikkamaalai, please visit http://www.srivaishnava.org/sva.htm.

 

Sri Periyavaachchaan thiruvadikalE Saranam,

 

 

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