More About Acharyas

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Dear Mohan and all Bhagavatars

 

Definition of an acharya

The term acharya means one-who-teaches-by-example and according to the

Pancharatra Agama all acharyas ‹ must be possessed of the following

qualities.

 

1. They must be strict followers of the Vedic tradition and therefore

faultless in conduct.

2. They must have unflinching faith in God.

3. They must be free of egotism.

4. They must understand the three sacred mantras along with the esoteric

meaning.

5. They must be able to explain the meaning of the Scriptures to others in a

skilful manner.

6. They can be living as a householder pursuing the Four Aims but should be

free of attachment.

 

The acharyas must be of unimpeachable conduct and above all, compassionate.

The prospective disciple should observe and test them until convinced of

their noble character, learning and compassion. The function of an acharya

is to interpret and explain the teachings of the Scriptures in harmony with

the teachings of the previous acharyas in the lineage (Sampradaya). The

acharya is not permitted to formulate and transmit personal theories and

indulge in arbitrary self-interpretation and speculation. All new

commentaries (bhashyas) on the Scriptures are backed up with copious

quotations from previous acharyas to prove that the present rendering is

true, in spirit, to the original.

 

The acharya once chosen and accepted should not be treated as an ordinary

person, but as a manifestation of the Mercy of God. The acharya is

presumably a selfless person dedicated to helping others without any selfish

motivation other than altruistic compassion for sentient beings. The acharya

is a direct link between the spiritual spirant and the Lord, and as such

deserves the highest respect and adoration. One should surrender completely

to such an acharya because it is only in a spirit of humility that one can

learn anything from another. As long as pride and ego have control over the

mind one can never absorb or assimilate and practice the teachings. With

self-discipline obtained from the service of the acharya one becomes fit

for the practice of the dharma.

 

It is important to note that the Advaitic concept of the acharya taking on

the balance of the disciple's karma has no place Srivaishnavism. In the

philosophy of Advaita it is taught that there is no difference between the

Guru and the disciple ‹ they are one in essence ‹ the difference is only

imagined, but the Guru is more enlightened than the disciple. By initiating

disciples the Guru takes on personal responsibility for their spiritual

advancement. If the disciple succeeds the Guru is benefited, if the disciple

fails the Guru is detrimented.

 

In Srivaishnavism the Guru and the disciple are separate entities united

only in the service of the Divine. The Guru acts as an intermediary between

the aspirant and God, the Guru links them together, the relationship is

essentially between the aspirant and the Lord. The disciple surrenders to

God through the Guru, but the surrender is not to the person of the Guru but

to the Guru as the personification of the Grace of God. God himself accepts

the aspirants and showers his Grace upon them and grants them Salvation. The

Guru has no personal advantage or disadvantage in the spiritual progress of

the disciple, nor should he ever think that is actually contributing to the

emancipation of the disciple. Any such feelings on the part of an acharya

are a violation of the three components of Surrender. .

 

 

The Reprehensible Delusions of Preceptorship

Pillai Lokacharya (13th century) has described in his work Srivachana

Bhushan (308 ­ 310) the three reprehensible delusions of preceptorship which

must be avoided by the acharya at all costs. These are:

 

1. The delusions of Œpreceptorship¹ ‹ thinking of oneself as the preceptor

‹ an acharya should think of himself as simply a conduit of the Lord¹s

Grace and never as a teacher of sacred lore, this awareness prevents the

acharya from developing the egotistical notion of being a great and learned

person and having custodianship of spiritual knowledge.

2. The delusions about the role of the disciple ‹ thinking of the disciple

as one¹s own personal adherent ‹ the disciple should rather be thought of

as a co-disciple of the same param acharya. Thus the acharya avoids the

potential for exploitation inherent in the relationship.

3. The delusions arising from the process of instruction are of four

categories:

a. seeking to gain financially from the tuition fees.

b. the delusion that one is actually facilitating the liberation of the

disciple.

c. the delusion that one is assisting the Lord in his salvific agenda.

d. seeking or expecting social companionship or service from disciples.

 

The obtaining of an Acharya.

In the wisdom tradition of the East it is axiomatic that the acharya will

only come when the disciple is ready. In order to obtain such an acharya,

the following 6 factors must be present in the aspirant:

 

1. Love of God

2. Freedom from animosity to any sentient being

3. Perpetual advancement towards the goal

4. Providential merit (good karma)

5. Frequent association with spiritually inclined people.

6. Divine Grace

 

When these factor are present then the acharya certainly appears in order to

mediate the act of Surrender The acharya then delivers the teachings by

means of the three wisdom tools.

 

Adiyen

 

Sri Rama