re: aachaaram and madi

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

On this word aachaaram, I have the following to place before you for your

consideration.

 

The word aachaaram has following meanings according to page 131 of Monier

williams samskrith to english dictionary.

Conduct

Good conduct

Manner of action

Behaviour

Good behaviour

Custom

Practice

Usage

Traditional or immemorial usage as a foundation of law

An established rule of conduct

Ordinance

Precept

Institute

 

So the person practicing such a good conduct or aachaara is the aachaarya.

 

To go for the meaning of the word "aachaarya" it is

Knowing or teaching aachaara.

Especially one who invests the student with the sacred thread and instructs

him the vEdhaas in the law of sacrifice and religious mysteries.

 

So the father of any boy, who generally conducts the son's

upanayanam [meaning -opening or offering the second eye or auxiliary eye] and

also gets him initiated into the brahma upadhEsam is the immediate aachaarya for

the ward.

[brahma upadhEsam means teaching the gayathri manthra and later initiates into

vEdhaas] [- provided the father knows as these days fathers are, including

myself]

 

Coming to the word aachara: [from which sri munitrayan has placed aa charyathE

ithi aachaara:] this has the meaning [verb]

to come to

to lead hither as a path

to address or apply

to proceed or manage or behave one self

to use

to apply

 

So one who is practicing aachaaram is aachaarya

or one who is well mannered, having good conduct etc can be said as a person

with good aachaaram - hence he is an aachaarya

[even though he may really not teach any body you do this, you do not do this

etc- but lives as a "role model" as these days management jargons state].

 

As explained above, aachaaram means all good behaviour.

 

There is no more classification of this 'aachaaram', calling some thing as good

aachaaram and some thing else as bad aachaaram.

 

Trust this clarifies. For further clarification at your service

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.