, literally meaning " of the universe", is a title used in . Traditionally, it has been bestowed upon or used for belonging to the school (among the six traditional schools of thought in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

) who have written

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

commentaries on the (literally, 'the three sources') – the (the original scripture of ), the (part of the ) and the principal . Historically, ''jagadguru''s have established a lineage () and an institution to spread ''

dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

.'' They bring forth a new and authoritative interpretation of the scriptures that can unify or redefine the spiritual understanding of generations.

Origin and history of the term

is of

origin where ''jagat'' means 'the entire world' and ''guru'' means 'spiritual master' (literally, 'dispeller of darkness'). In the classics and scriptures, the word has been used for several

Deva Deva may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Deva, List of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition monsters, an ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition monster * Deva, in the 2023 Indian film ''Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefir ...

s. In the ,

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

addresses as the 'Supreme Master of the entire world'.

Adi Shankaracharya Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedic scholar, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and his true impact lies in hi ...

uses the title for in his . The Sanskrit poet uses the word for in his great poem () titled . In the , the poet-saint uses the same word for . uses it for in his song . uses it for in his composition .

Traditional Jagadgurus

, the three great acharyas

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...

Ramanujacharya Ramanuja ('; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; 1077 – 1157), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavi ...

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; 1199–1278 CE or 1238–1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) school of Vedanta. Madhva called his philosophy ...

are combinedly known as "Acharyatraya" or "Triacharya". These three acharyas are considered to be the pillars of Vedantic tradition of spiritual India.

Acharyatraya

* (also known as "" or , founder of ' school of '. * ( 1017 – 1137), founder of ' school of '. * ( 1239 – 1319) (also known as "" or "", founder of the ' (

Tattvavada Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST: ''Tattvavāda''), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Veda ...

) school of '.

Other acharyas

* , founder of ' school of '. * Mahaprabhu ( 1479 – 1531), founder of ' school of ' * Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj ( – ), founder of '. He was honoured with the title Jagadguru by Kashi Vidvat Parishat on 14 January 1957.

Jagadguru as title

Traditionally the title Jagadguru is used by all the peetadhipathis of

Matha A ''matha'' (; , ), also written as ''math'', ''muth'', ''mutth'', ''mutt'', or ''mut'', is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism.

s founded by traditional Jagadgurus such as

Nimbarkacharya Nimbarka, also known as Nimbarkacharya, Nimbaditya or Niyamananda, was a Hindu philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the theology of Svabhavika Bhedabheda, Dvaitādvaita (dvaita–advaita) or dualistic–non-dualistic sometimes kn ...

, and

Vallabhacharya Vallabha, also known as Vallabhācārya or Vallabha Dīkṣita (May 7, 1478 – July 7, 1530 CE), was the founder of the Kr̥ṣṇa-centered Puṣṭimārga sect of Vaishnavism, and propounded the philosophy of Śuddhādvaita. His biography ...

. Jagadguru is also honoured as the title by

Kashi Vidvat Parishat Kashi or Kaashi most commonly refers to: * Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India Kashi may also refer to: Places **Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas **Kashi Vishwana ...

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

for the knowledge and value of particular guru. The title "Jagadguru Ramanandacharya" is used in the lineage of

Ramananda Jagadguru Swami Ramananda (IAST: Rāmānanda) or Ramanandacharya was an Indian 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet Sant (religion), saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the f ...

, founder of

Ramanandi Sampradaya The Ramanandi (), also known as Ramavats (), is one of the largest sects of Vaishnavas. Out of 52 sub-branches of Vaishnavism, divided into four Vaishnava '' sampradayas'', 36 are held by the Ramanandi. The sect mainly emphasizes the worshi ...

. * Traditionally, the title "Jagadguru" is used by the peetadhipathis of various mathas founded by renowned spiritual leaders such as

, and

. *

Rambhadracharya Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya (born Giridhar Mishra on 14 January 1950) is an Indian Hindu spiritual leader, educator, Sanskrit scholar, polyglot, poet, author, textual commentator, philosopher, composer, singer, playwrigh ...

, the founder of

Tulsi Peeth Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas (, literally ''Service trust at the seat of Tulsi'') is an Indian religious and social service institution based at Janki Kund, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, India. It was established by the Hindu r ...

within the

, was conferred the title "Jagadguru Ramanandacharya" by Kashi Vidvat Parishat on 24 June 1988.

References

Bibliography

* *{{cite book, title=Invention of Tradition and Syncretism in Contemporary Religions: Sacred Creativity, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D5s3DwAAQBAJ, first1=Stefania, last1=Palmisano, first2=Nicola, last2=Pannofino, publisher=Springer, year=2017, isbn= 9783319610979

External links

Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Divyanga University (JRDU; formerly Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University) is a public state government university in Chitrakoot district, Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established in 2001 by Ram ...

Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara Academy of Higher Education and Research

Spiritual master of the whole world

Jagatguru Das Brahmacari
Titles and occupations in Hinduism Hindu philosophical concepts