Meaning of Acharan, Achar and Achardharma

        Acharan provoking thought is Achar. A foundation that is fundamental and based on generation of chaitanya, about how to perform each and every activity from the time one gets out of bed in the morning till going to bed at night, is an easy to follow doctrine that displays the ideal way of leading a spiritual life of Hindus. It is referred to as Achar. Every act performed in day-to-day life which helps in moving closer to God is termed as acharan and the Dharma that teaches this is termed as Achardharma.

1. Acharan (The correctness of each and every act in our

life which has been carefully planned by sages and seers means acharan)

        Every act in our lives is an acharan. Acharan is that, which once followed takes us unto the feet of God. Once the seed of sadhana is sowed into the body, the individual learns to lead a harmonious life in accordance with the rules of Dharma. This is known as acharan. Hindu Dharma has carefully devised each and every movement in our lives from time immemorial, and in a way woven it in sattva -predominant ‘chain of restrictions’ with the assistance of Sages and Seers. This chain is referred to as acharan.

2.  Achar

A. Acharan provoking thought is Achar

        A foundation that is fundamental and based on generation of chaitanya, about how to perform each and every activity from the time one gets out of bed in the morning till going to bed at night, is an easy to follow doctrine that displays the ideal way of leading a spiritual life of Hindus. It is referred to as Achar. All activities that are conductive to the Governance of creation are termed as achar.

B. Achar is the Principal Dharma

        The definite set of duties in the form of Purusharthas (Four Basic pursuits’ of Life) prescribed by the Shrutis (Veds) and the Smritis to the four classes, namely Shudra, Vaishya, Kshatriya and Brahman.

C. Achars implemented with religious intent and

in a spirit of selflessness by venerable individuals are called sadachar

        While considering sadachar as a benchmark of Dharma, due consideration has been given to who can be considered cultured and venerable. Boudhayansmruti (105) states that ‘venerable are those who have an in-depth knowledge of the Vedas, have no ego, are not jealous and are stable; so also those who have won over hypocrisy, pride, greed, temptation, lust and anger’. The Venerable are those who can infer even that which not defined explicitly in the Vedas is. It is through the courtesy of the venerable that we keep getting actual knowledge of the Vedas. Hence, the venerable are referred to as श्रुतिप्रत्यक्षहेतवः in the Smrutis. The achars implemented with religious intent and in a spirit of selfness by venerable individuals are called sadachars.

D. The achar that has been a part of

tradition and is not opposed to the shrutis and smruti to be

accorded the status of sadachar according to the compiler of the scripture

        Jana pad dharma (Acharan by a specific group of people). Gram dharma (Acharan by people of a village), Kula dharma (Acharan by member of a Family) etc, are all included in sadachar. It is advised that certain achars be followed during instances like weddings, even though they are not propounded by the shrutis and smrutis. For example, the ritual of tying the Kankan (A thread salwar kurta) during wedding ceremony is not propounded by the shrutis and smrutis, but being a sadachar, it is included in the weddings rituals. Compilers of scriptures advise that the achar that has been part of tradition and that is not opposed to the shrutis and smrutis is to be accorded the status of sadachar.

3.  Achardharma is Spiritualization of Life

        When one speaks of Achardharma (Code of Righteous conduct) most people associate it with adhering to ideal conduct and ideology, fulfilling duties and following Righteous conduct. None should restrict the meaning of Achardharma merely to these aspects. Broadly speaking, every act performed in day-to-day life which helps in moving closer to God is termed as acharan and the Dharma that teaches this is termed as Achardharma. In short Achardharma is the spiritualization of every aspect of our day to day life; that is everything we come across sattvik and enriched with chaitanya (Divine Consciousness). Therefore, following of Achardharma helps in moving swiftly towards God realization. Achardharma includes a whole lot of aspects like sweeping the floor from inside to outside (meaning towards door), wearing kurta pyjama instead of pant shirt by men and for women, wearing of sari, women styling their hair in two plaits instead of one, etc

4. Achardharma means Karmabandhanyoga,

which is the same as Karma yoga (Path of Action)

        Karma yoga is a path of god realization through the medium of karma. Any achar in the form of physical activity, word or thought is karma and by following the achar, an individual begins his journey for God realization. It is in this sense that Achardharma is referred to as Karma yoga. When the acharan is result of the intense desire to reach God, it becomes Achardharma.

Reference : Sanatan’s Holy Text Introduction to Achardharma

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