In Hinduism
In Hinduism, an acharya (आचार्य) is a formal title of a teacher or guru. In rare cases, the title may denote someone considered to be a mahāpuruśa (महापुरुश, divine personality) who is believed to have descended as an avatāra (अवतार, incarnation) to teach and establish bhakti in the world and write on the siddhānta (सिद्धांत, doctrine) of devotion to Bhagwan (भगवान्, lord, God, blessed one, see also iśvara).
Examples of acharyas in the Hindu tradition are:
- Adi Sankaracharya
- Ramanujacharya
- Madhvacharya
- Nimbarkacharya
- Vallabhacharya
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
- Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj – (Swaminarayan Sampraday – NarNarayan Dev Gadi)
- Acharya Shree Rakeshprasadji Maharaj (Swaminarayan Sampradaya – LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi)
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