Achyuta (, ) is a Sanskrit epithet used in Hindu traditions - especially Vaishnava devotional traditions - to signify the divine quality of being 'not fallen', 'infallible', or 'immutable'. The epithet is applied to Vishnu and to Krishna in various scriptural and devotional contexts.
It appears as the 100th and 318th names in the Vishnu Sahasranama. It is also used frequently in the Bhagavad Gita as a personal name of Krishna. According to Adi Shankara's commentary on the 1000 names of Vishnu, Achyuta means 'one who will never lose his inherent nature and powers'. The name also means 'immovable' and 'unchangeable', and is applied to 'the one who is without the six transformations (beginning with birth).'
The Sanskrit term acyuta is formed from the negative prefix a- and the root cyuta (âÂÂfallenâÂÂ), yielding the literal sense âÂÂnot fallenâ or âÂÂunfallenâÂÂ. Classical lexicons describe meanings such as âÂÂfirmâÂÂ, âÂÂfixedâÂÂ, âÂÂimmovableâÂÂ, and âÂÂimperishableâÂÂ. These senses underpin the theological usage of the name as denoting the divine who does not fall from his nature or status.
The epithet appears in the Bhagavad GëtÃÂ, where Arjuna addresses Krishna as Acyuta. Notable occurrences include Gëtà1.21âÂÂ22, 11.41âÂÂ42, and 18.73. In these contexts, commentators gloss Acyuta as âÂÂO infallible oneâ or âÂÂO one who never fallsâÂÂ. <blockquote>Arjuna uvÃÂcha
Senayor ubhayor madhye rathaá¹ sthÃÂpaya me âÂÂchyuta; YÃÂvadetÃÂn nirëká¹£he âÂÂhaá¹ yoddhu-kÃÂmÃÂn avasthitÃÂn; Kairmayàsaha yoddhavyam asmin raá¹Âa-samudyame
Arjun said: O Infallible One, please take my chariot to the middle of both armies, so that I may look at the warriors arrayed for battle, whom I must fight in this great combat.
- Bhagavad Gita 1.21-22 </blockquote><blockquote>Sakheti matvàprasabhaá¹ yad uktaá¹Â, He ká¹Âiá¹£há¹Âa he yÃÂdava he sakheti
AjÃÂnatàmahimÃÂnaá¹ tavedaá¹Â, MayàpramÃÂdÃÂt praá¹Âayena vÃÂpi
Yach chÃÂvahÃÂsÃÂrtham asat-ká¹Âito âÂÂsi, VihÃÂra-à ÂhayyÃÂsana-bhojaneá¹£hu
Rko âÂÂtha vÃÂpy achyuta tat-samaká¹£haá¹Â, Tat ká¹£hÃÂmaye tvÃÂm aham aprameyam
Thinking of You as my friend, I presumptuously addressed You as, âÂÂO Krishna,â âÂÂO Yadav,â âÂÂO my dear Friend.â I was ignorant of Your majesty, showing negligence and undue affection. And if, jestfully, I treated You with disrespect, while playing, resting, sitting, eating, when alone, or before othersâÂÂfor all that I crave forgiveness.
- Bhagavad Gita 11.41-42
Arjuna uvÃÂcha
Naá¹£há¹Âo mohaḥ smá¹Âitir labdhàtvat-prasÃÂdÃÂn mayÃÂchyuta, Sthito âÂÂsmi gata-sandehaḥ kariá¹£hye vachanaá¹ tava
Arjun said: O Infallible One, by Your grace my illusion has been dispelled, and I am situated in knowledge. I am now free from doubts, and I shall act according to Your instructions.
- Bhagavad Gita 18.73 </blockquote>
Acyuta appears in traditional lists of VishnuâÂÂs names, such as the Vishnu SahasranÃÂma. It is cited in commentarial traditions and devotional recensions as a name signifying the divine who never deviates from his essence.
In the PÃÂñcarÃÂtra samhitas and related Agamic texts, Acyuta designates one of the divine emanations (vyà «has) of Narayana. Scholarship notes that variant lists occur across samhitas, and the term carries specific theological and ritual connotations in these contexts.
The name Achyuta is widely used in bhakti poetry, stotras, and kërtanas to evoke KrishnaâÂÂs or VishnuâÂÂs steadfastness and perfection. One of the best-known examples is the Achyuta Shataka by Vedanta Desika, a hymn entirely devoted to this epithet.
In the Vishnu Sahasranama, the name Achyuta is listed among the thousand names of Vishnu, and by extension to Krishna. The name is traditionally interpreted as "one who does not fall" â from his essential nature, from truth, or from eternal dharma.
Commentarial and devotional literature interpret Achyuta in keeping with its etymology: âÂÂone who does not fall,â âÂÂinfallible,â âÂÂunchangeable,â and âÂÂimperishable.â These interpretations recur in lexica and theological commentaries.
According to Adi ShankaracharyaâÂÂs commentary on the Vishnu Sahasranama (Sahasranama Bhashya), Achyuta means 'one who will never lose his inherent nature and powers.' Shankaracharya emphasises that the Lord remains unchanging, unaffected by time, circumstance, or illusion, and cannot fall from his divine status or knowledge.
According to the Pancaratra, Achyuta is one of the twenty-four forms of Vishnu through which Narayana manifests himself. He is accompanied by a counterpart emanation of Lakshmi who goes by the name Vijaya.
The name is frequently used in devotional literature to highlight the infallible and unalterable nature of the deity, especially in Vaishnavism.
The element Achyuta or Acyuta is also found as a personal name among historical figures, rulers, and scholars, showing its use as both a divine epithet and a personal name.