acharya
/əˈtʃɑːɪə
/noun
1(In South Asia) a Hindu or Buddhist spiritual teacher or leader.Vaishnava acharyas, specifically Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, led the people on the path towards a realization of going back to Godhead....
- Such an acharya, or spiritual master, should be considered nondifferent from Krishna - that is, he should be considered the incarnation of Lord Krishna's potency.
- One satguru would be followed by the next satguru, swamis and acharyas by more swamis and acharyas, devoted families by more devoted families, generation after generation.
1.1An influential mentor.
Origin
Early 19th century: from Sanskrit ācārya 'master, teacher'.