A ''sant'' (;

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

: ; ) is a human being revered as a "truth-exemplar" for their abnormal level of "self, truth, ndreality" in

Indian religions Indian religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions, which include Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism,Adams, C. J."Classification o ...

, particularly

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 ...

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

, and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. In

it is used to describe a being who has attained spiritual enlightenment and divine knowledge and power through union with

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

Etymology

"''Sant''" is sometimes translated as "

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

", but this is a

false cognate False cognates are pairs of words that seem to be cognates because of similar sounds or spelling and meaning, but have different etymologies; they can be within the same language or from different languages, even within the same family. For exampl ...

(there is no

etymological Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

commonality) as "''sant''" is derived from the

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 ...

root ''

sat The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...

'', which can mean "truth, reality, essence", while "saint" is derived from the Latin word , which means "holy, sacred",William Pinch (1996), Peasants and Monks in British India, University of California Press, , page 181 footnote 3 derived from

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

root ''sak-'', "to sanctify". Schomer and McLeod explain ''sant'' as preceptor of ''Sat'' or "truth, reality", in the sense of "'one who knows the truth' or 'one who has experienced Ultimate Reality', that is a person who has achieved a state of spiritual enlightenment or mystical self-realisation". William Pinch suggests the best translation of ''sant'' is "truth-exemplar".

Usage

''Sant'' differs from ''saint'' not merely in the etymological sense but also in usage. The word is used in various contexts:John Hawley and Mark Juergensmeyer (2008), Songs of the Saints of India, Oxford University Press, , pages 2-8 *In fifteenth- and sixteenth-century India under Islamic rule, it was used generally to describe teachers and poet-scholars who led worshippers and communities the praises of god or goddess within the

Bhakti movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of Bhakti, devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6t ...

. *In modern era, the term sometimes describes any holy man or woman who advocates a particular form of spirituality or members of the group that leads a ''

Sant Mat Sant Mat was a spiritual movement on the Indian subcontinent during the 13th–17th centuries CE. The name literally means "teachings of sants", i.e. mystic Hindu saints. Through association and seeking truth by following '' sants'' and their tea ...

'' (teachings of a spiritual congregation). *The term is also used in a generic sense and in this respect is similar to the usage of ''saint'' to indicate a morally good person. As such, it has been applied to a wide range of

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

s (not to be confused with

Sikh gurus The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...

) and other religious leaders.

Sikhism

*In Sikhism, a ''sant'', ''

brahmgiani ''Brahmgiani'' ( Punjabi: ਬ੍ਰਹਮਗਿਆਨੀ ) in Sikhism is a highly enlightened individual being who is one with Waheguru. In Sikhism, such a person has also been named a '' Gurmukh'', ''Sadhu'' or '' Sant''. Other derivations of ' ...

'', or ''

bhagat Bhagat is a term used in the Indian subcontinent to describe religious figures who have obtained high acclaim in their communities for their acts and devotion. It is also a term ascribed to one of the clans in the Mahar caste, with their clan ...

'' is any human being that has attained God realization and spiritual communion with God. Sikhs believe that the divine energy of God can be experienced by humans on Earth. This is attained through continual recitation and spiritual internalization of God's name (

Naam Japo In Sikhism, Nām Japō (, pronunciation: ), also known as Naam Japna or Naam Simran, is the remembrance of God or the Akal Purakh, Akal Purkh, the supreme formless power that is timeless and immortal, through the meditation or contemplation of ...

/''Naam Simran''). Sikhs commonly utilize

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of everything in existence; everything that is not imagination, imaginary. Different Culture, cultures and Academic discipline, academic disciplines conceptualize it in various ways. Philosophical questions abo ...

as the name of God which cannot be simply uttered by the mouth but must be lived thru truthfullness. * ''Sants'' can originate from any religion. Figures such as

Kabir Kabir ( 15th century) was a well-known Indian devotional mystic poet and sant. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Gar ...

Ravidas Ravidas or Raidas was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a ''guru'' (spiritual teacher) in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya P ...

Namdev Namdev (Pronunciation: aːmdeʋ, also transliterated as Nam Dayv, Namdeo, Namadeva, (traditionally, ) was a Marathi Vaishnava saint from Narsi, Hingoli, Maharashtra, Medieval India within the Varkari tradition of Hinduism. He was as a devo ...

Farid Farid (Arabic: فَرِيد ''fariyd'', ''farīd''), also spelt Fareed or Ferid and accented Férid, is an Arabic masculine personal name or surname meaning "unique, singular ("the One"), incomparable". For many communities, including in the Middle ...

, Bhikkan and others are known as ''sants'' or ''bhagats'', despite some being of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

faith. Divine knowledge is universal, and their knowledge after obtaining enlightenment through ''Naam Simran'' has been compiled and included in the holy book of Sikhism, the

Sri Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib (, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth (), its first rendition, w ...

. * ''Sants'' are holy persons of very exalted status, one of being the ideal human being. As such, Sikhs are encouraged to seek the company and holy congregation of ''sants'' (Sadh-Sangat), learn from them, and attain "santhood" through intensive reading and contemplation of Sikh scripture (

gurbani Gurbani (, pronunciation: , lit. the Guru's words) is a Sikh term, very commonly used by Sikhs to refer to various compositions by the Sikh Gurus and other writers of Guru Granth Sahib. In general, hymns in the central text of the Sikhs, the Gu ...

) and ''Naam Simran''. * The virtuous life associated with a ''sant'' or a ''brahmgyani'' (one who has a perfect knowledge of God) is strenuously defined in Sikh

, most notably in the ''Sukhmani Sahib'' passage of the

. Sikhism advocates for people of all faiths to realize and become one with God, and attaining union with God is the highest form of spiritual enlightenment.

Hinduism

, a Sant has an important place in the life of a devotee. Hindu

scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

also tell the importance of a sant. According to the

scriptures, worshipers are freed from the disease of birth and death by taking refuge in a true sant and doing devotion according to the scriptures. The identity of the true sant is also stated in the holy scriptures of Hinduism that one who is a true sant will have complete knowledge of all the holy books and will initiate three types of mantras (names) thrice.

References

Bibliography