The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (40 page)

(Skt., ‘one who knows or teaches the
c
ra
, the rules of right conduct’).
1
The title
c
rya is primarily applied to a Hindu teacher who invests the student with the sacrificial thread (
vajñopav
ta
) and instructs him in the
vedas
and the religious law (
dharma
). By extension it is applied to a spiritual preceptor, or to anyone learned in the Hindu tradition. This title is frequently affixed directly to the proper name, e.g.
a
kar
c
rya
.
2
In particular, a group of Tamil
Vai
ava
teachers regarding the
lv
rs
as incarnations of
Vi
u's