Acharyaji Jain dharma mein ek bahut uparla sthaan ke muni ya guru hote hain. Seedha arth mein: Acharya ek samudaay ke mukhya spiritual teacher hote hain, jo sangh (monastic order) ko netritva, shikshan, ane kadi niyam ki palna aur anek dharmik karyaon ki yojana karte hain.

Mukhya baatein:

• Acharya sangh ke pramukh hote hain: ve alag-alag parampraon (digambar, swetambar, aur unke gaccha-sangat) mein alag-alag hotey hain.
• Ve chaar shreniyon ki sangh (muni, upadhyaya, sadhu, bhikshu) ki anushasan, uchit path-pradarshan aur dharma ki vyakhya ke liye jimmedar hote hain.
• Acharya ko samudaay ke dharmik jeevan ki disha deni hoti hai, naye shishyon ki diksha ki swikriti karna, aur prachaar-vidhi (jaise teerth, shikshan, ahimsa abhiyan) ki netritva karna inki zimmedariyon mein aata hai.

Dharm ke do mukhya dharohar (Digambar vs. Śvetāmbara) ke hisaab se thoda farq ho sakta hai:

• Śvetāmbara samudaay mein kai sanghon ke apne-apne Acharyaa hote hain (udaharan ke taur par Terapanth, Sthanakvasi, ya anya gaccha). Ve dharmik niyamon ki rekh-rakhaav, pravachan, aur sangh ki karyapranaliyon ki aguvaai karte hain.
• Digambar parampra mein bhi kai sakhayon (lineages) ke Acharyaa hote hain; har lineage ki api apni sant-bhagwan aur siddhant ki vyakhya rakhti hai.

Agar aap chahen to mai kisi vishesh sangh ya gaccha ke adhik vishesh Acharyaa ke baare mein saaf-saaf jankari de sakta hoon.

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