Acharya

Courtesy: Sri.Bala Iyer
Of all types of gurus, the scriptures (Shastras) of Sanatana Dharma
have recognized the Acharya as the most important form that the
principle of guru can take. Acharyavan puruso Veda,"Only one who has
an
Acharya can know the Truth." (Chandogya Upanishad, 6.18.2) It is only
under the guidance of an Acharya who knows the Truth that a seeker can in turn
know Truth.

The sad
guru is a spiritual teacher. The Acharya, moreover, is considered to
be a sad guru who has
attained a much higher stage of personal spiritual development, and who thus
has more responsibility in the realm of Dharmic leadership.An
Acharya is a spiritual preceptor who represents a living lineage
(sampradaya) of Sanatana Dharma, and who
embodies the teachings of Dharma in his own life, thus teaching the
world by his own personal living example.

While every Acharya fulfills the function of a guru, not every
guru can be considered an Acharya.

More than
merely being a teacher in the formal academic sense, however, the Acharya guru
is recognized as also being someone who possesses divine qualities due to his
own years of practice and inner realization, and who thus perfectly personifies
the fruit of spiritual teachings in his own life.

Acinoti yam sastrartham
acare sthapayaty api
svayam acarate yasma
acharyas tena kirtitam

"An Acharya is one who fully understands the conclusions of
the revealed scriptures. His own behavior reflects his deep realization, and
thus he is a living example of divine precept. He is therefore known
as an Acharya,
or one who teaches the meaning of the scriptures both by word and
deed." ~ (Vayu Purana)

The qualified and authentic guru is not merely someone who teaches
the Truth verbally, but who also lives that Truth perfectly, and who then
reflects that Truth to his students in a living and dynamic way.

In the present Age of Conflict (Kali Yuga), unfortunately, we often
encounter unqualified and self-anointed individuals who claim to be gurus while
often falling very far short of the true meaning of this term. Often such
unqualified persons do not possess the prerequisite qualities, training, and
characteristics necessary to call themselves a guru in the authentic and
scripturally- based sense of this term. The scriptures of Sanatana Dharma have
given us very clear and unambiguous guidelines of many of the most important
qualities necessary in order to recognize whether or not a person is in fact an
authentic and qualified guru. Some of these guidelines are outlined in the
Bhagavad Gita:

Duhkhesv anudvigna-manah
Sukhesu vigata-sprhah
Vita-raga-bhaya- krodhah
Sthita-dhir munir ucyate

"One who is not disturbed in spite of the three fold miseries,
who is not elated when experiencing pleasantness, and who is free from
attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind."
~(Bhagavad Gita, 2:56)

Thus, the sad guru (true guru) is inwardly detached and transcends
the sufferings of this world, accepting material pleasure and pain, suffering
and pleasantness with equal demeanor. It is as a result of the true guru's
transcendent status - and the consequent calm, peace, and gravitas that the
guru exudes at all times - that the true guru has the ability to help his
student to similarly transcend the darkness of ignorance.

More, the true guru exhibits certain necessary inherent qualities
that are a reflection of the fact that he is presenting the Divine in his own
life. Again, the Bhagavad Gita gives us several lists of these important
transcendental qualities of the true guru, or the liberated sage, including the
following important characteristics:

"The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one's
existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control,
performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity;
nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation, tranquility,
aversion to faultfinding, compassion and freedom from covetousness; gentleness,
modesty and steady determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness,
freedom from envy and the passion for honor--these transcendental qualities, O
son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature."~
(Bhagavad Gita, 16:1-3)

In this way, the guru personifies the fruit of a sattvic
(spiritually positive) lifestyle and of years of meditative practice.

A true guru is known, not merely by how much charisma they may
possess, or by what cheap supposed miracles they seemingly perform, or by how
popular they have become with the gullible masses due to well-formulated PR and
marketing campaigns. Rather, true gurus are known by whether or not they
personify the qualities of a guru that are clearly outlined in the scriptures
of Sanatana Dharma. Any person who claims to be a true guru, but who does not
exhibit all the qualities of a true guru that are revealed in the scriptures of
Sanatana Dharma, is a false guru and must be immediately rejected as a
charlatan if the student is going to make any progress toward the goal of
transcendental realization.

It is precisely because the true guru both personifies the very
highest philosophical teachings (siddhanta), as well as the moral and yogic
behavior described in our scriptures that the guru has the ability to deliver
us from ignorance to wisdom, from darkness to the light, and from bondage to
freedom.

According to our scriptures, when we find ourselves in the presence
of such an authentic guru, it is almost as if we are in the very presence of
God Himself; because like God, the sad guru has the ability to show us Truth,
and to thus set us free. In the Bhagavata Purana, Sri Krishna confirms this in
His instructions to His great devotee Uddhava:

Acharyam
mam vijaniyam
Navamanyeta
karhicit
Na
martya buddhyasuyeta
Sarva-deva
mayo gurum

[Krishna told Uddhava]
"Know the Acharya as My very Self. I am the Acharya. Never envy the
Acharya; never blaspheme him or consider him to be an ordinary man. Because the
Acharya channels the infinite, He is greater than the sum total of all the
finite. Thus, he is more important than all the gods."~ (Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.17.27)

Further, Sri Krishna explains in the same sacred text that to even
view the liberated Acharya as an ordinary man, and to not offer one's due
respects to such an exhalted guru, is considered by Him to be a great offense
(guru-maha-aparadha):

Yasya
saksad bhagavati
Jnana-dipa
prade gurau
Martyasad-dhim
srutam tasya
Sarvam
ku-jara-saucavat

"The guru must be considered to be like the Supreme Lord
Himself, because he bestows the light of transcendental knowledge upon his
disciples. Consequently, for one who maintains the material conception that the
guru is an ordinary human being, everything is frustrated. His attempts to make
progress in spiritual life - his Vedic studies and scriptural knowledge, his
penances and austerities, and his worship of the deity - are all as useless as
the bathing of an elephant who rolls in the mud after his bath."

~ (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.20.17)

Confirmation of these Vedic instructions on the nature of sad guru
is found throughout the length and breadth of the Hindu scriptures. For example,
in the Padma Purana it is explained that: gurus nara-matir yasya va naraki sam,
"One who thinks that the guru is an ordinary man is said to live in
ignorance." In this way, we see that the totality of the scriptures speak
in one, unified and authoritative voice on the importance of the guru and the
unique role of the guru is the life of one who claims the desire to know Truth.

Later in this same conversation, Uddhava replies to Sri Krishna's
instruction in the same vein:

Naivopayanty
apacitim kavayas tavesa
Brahmayusapi
krtam rddha mudam smarantam
Yo'ntar
bahis tanu-bhrtam asubham vidhunvann
Acarya-caittya
vapusa sva-gatim vyanakti

[Uddhava said to Sri Krishna] "O my Lord! Transcendental poets
and experts in spiritual science could not fully express their indebtedness to
You, even if they were endowed with the lifetime of Brahma, for You appear in
two features - externally as the Acharya and internally as the Paramatman, the
Supreme Self - to deliver the embodied living beings by revealing to them your
devotional service and teaching them how to approach you on the path of divine
love." ~
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.29.6)

In addition to explaining both the nature and the qualities of the
sad guru, the scriptures also explain that it is likewise very important to
understand the important qualities that must be present in a sincere and
qualified student. In the Katha Upanishad, for example, we read the following:

Sravanayapi bahubhir yo
na labhyam
Srnvanto 'pi bahavo na
vidyum
Acharyo 'sya vakta kusalo
'sya labhda
Acharyo jnata kushala
nushishtam

"Many cannot even hear about the soul, and even after hearing
about the soul, many cannot understand it; this is because it is hard to find
an Acharya who is a genuine seer of the truth. Such a qualified Acharya is a
great soul and is very rare. At the same time, realization of the truth can be
had only by those disciples who carefully follow the qualified Acharya's
teachings and become expert in the science of God. Such disciples are also very
rare. Thus it is that only a few ever come to know the soul in truth."

(Katha Upanisad, 1.2.7.)

To find a sincere and worthy student is thus explained as being
just as difficult as finding a qualified and worthy sad guru. The highest
attainment of transcendent Truth, and the personal spiritual liberation
(moksha) that results from such a realization, is the most difficult goal to
realize. Thus, Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita:

Manushyam
sahasreshu
Kashchid
yatati siddhaye
Yatatam
api siddhanam
Kashchin
mam vetti tattvatah

"Of
many thousands of men, one will attempt to reach perfection; and of the few who
reach this goal, only a rare soul will perhaps know Me as I am."

(Bhagavad Gita, 7:3)

When a sincere student and a qualified sad guru finally do find
each other, and unite in the eternal process of spiritual exchange – the guru
sharing his insight, instruction, and empowering presence with the student; and
the student learning and growing spiritually with humility, sincerity, openness
and eagerness – we then witness the perfect conditions necessary for the
celebration and living of Truth. If you are seeking Truth, then seek the
guidance of one who has seen the Truth. Seek the sad guru.

E.g. Shri Adi Shankara
finding his guru.