Upadhyay


Upadhyaya, also spelled Upadhyay, means Teacher or "Guru" in Sanskrit who taught students in Gurukula.

Notable people

In Jainism, an upadhyay is the second highest leader of a Jain ascetic order after an acharya. The Fourth Shloka of the Namokar Mantra says Namo Uvvajhayanam meaning bow to all upadhyayas.

In Buddhism

In Buddhism, an upadhyaya is a religious functionary responsible for guiding novices, hearing monastic vows and entrusting monastic precepts on ordinands. The word is usually translated either as abbot, preceptor or master of novices. An upadhyaya has customarily spent at least ten years in a Buddhist monastery before given this appointment.