Sri Bharatamata

Ashtottaram 76

 

 

76)OṀ NIṪYĀCHĀRYA SEVIṪA BHŪMYAINAMAH:

 

       OṀ (AUM) -NI-ṪYA- AA-CHAA-ARYA- SE'-VIṪA- BHOO- MYAI- NA-- MA- HA

 

(Nitya: means-Daily; Ācharya: means-Preceptor, a teacher; Seviṫa: means- Service,

homage, or worship)

 

In ancient India, education, the panacea for all maladies and problems of life, was imparted more by personal contact than by lectures and discourses. The student learnt more by observing the teacher's life than by hearing his teachings. Hence, the teacher had to 'be' that, which he wanted to 'make' of his student. First 'be' and then 'make'. It is this philosophy of education that is reflected in this word 'āchārya.' It is only he who successfully gathers (āchinoṫi) the essentials of dharma and wisdom from all sources and practices them (āchārati) in his own life that deserves the appellation 'āchārya.' In a more technical sense, the āchārya is the one who performs the upanayanam ceremony of the novice and imparts the Vedas to him, along with the accessories known as the Vedāngās.

 

Great stress was laid on the qualifications which the āchārya has to possess. Birth in a family known for its erudition and piety was always required to teach was expected as a matter of course. A pure and sinless life, serenity and composure, active interest in imparting knowledge were the other qualifications looked for in the āchārya. The word is also frequently used as an honorific to men of great erudition and learning, especially if they are the initiators of new schools of thought or the revivers of old ones, like Śankarāchārya, Rāmānuja, Madhva, Nimbārka, and others.

 

The term is also applied to an adviser or preceptor guiding sacrificial rites. The wife of a āchārya is called 'āchāryāṇī' where as a woman preceptor is designated 'āchārya.' From this we can infer the existence of women preceptors also like 'Gārgī'. The āchārya is one of the 'pancha pitās' (five fathers) and he also takes care of the student, feed him, protects him and also imparts worldly knowledge along with the spiritual knowledge until the student graduates from the gurukulam (house of guru). The students also show utmost respect and honor toward the āchārya in return. Āḋi Sri Śankarāchārya dedicated his 'Bhajagovinḋam' in his guru Govinda Bhagavadpāda's honor. The āchārya has the capacity to change and turn around his student's life completely. Our śāstrās say that when a student is ready for his teachings with pure heart and mind; the āchārya will show up in front of him. This happened in my life also. I was very skeptical about gurus, swamis, and āchāryās all my life because of bad experiences and my observation of them and one day I was in front of Late Swami Dayānanda Sarasvati in 1998, and I was his follower ever since then. He exactly knew what was in my mind and my quest for knowledge and guided me through very passionately.

 

Āchāryās are the ones, who not only just preach but practice dharma in their life and become an example to the students and the society. Our country is blessed with many āchāryās; and we respect and honor them. Our land is 'Nityāchārya Seviṫa Bhūmi.'