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 teachings, a movement was formed. Theologically, the teachings are distinguished by inward, loving devotion by the individual soul ( atma ) to the Divine Principal God ( Parmatma ). Socially, they are mostly ascetics except few householders. Sant Mat is not to be confused with the 19th-century Radha Soami , also known as contemporary " Sant Mat movement ".
26-522: The lineage of sants can be divided into two main groups: a northern group from the provinces of Punjab , Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh , who expressed themselves mainly in vernacular Hindi; and a southern group, whose language is Marathi , represented by Namdev and other sants of Maharashtra . The expression Sant Mat literally means "Teachings of the Saints" – the "Path of Sants (Saints)", "Path of Truth", "Right or Positive Path". As "point of view of
52-564: A Hindu satguru , is known to have had a family. Satguru Kabir had a son, Kamal, who was very devout. The words sant and satguru were prominently used in the spiritual ideology of Kabir in the 15th century. Kabir says " satpurush ko jansi, Tiska satguru naam ", meaning the one who has seen the supreme lord of truth ( satya purush ) is satguru . Kabir wrote " Devi dewal jagat mein, kotik poojey koye. Satguru ki pooja kiye, sabb ki pooja hoye ", meaning that worship of satguru includes in it worship of all deities. In other words, satguru
78-478: A Sant has an important place in the life of a devotee. Hindu scriptures also tell the importance of a sant. According to the Hindu 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
104-448: A common spiritual root. The poet-sants expressed their teaching in vernacular verse, addressing themselves to the common folk in oral style in Hindi and other dialects and other languages such as Marathi , Gujarati and Punjabi . They referred to the "Divine Name" as having saving power, and dismissed the religious rituals as having no value. They presented the idea that true religion was
130-431: A matter of surrendering to God "who dwells in the heart". The first generation of north Indian sants , (which included Kabir and Ravidas ), appeared in the region of Benares in the mid–15th century. Preceding them were two notable 13th and 14th century figures, Namdev and Ramananda . The latter, according to Sant Mat tradition, was a Vaishnava ascetic who initiated Kabir, Ravidas, and other sants. Ramanand's story
156-514: A new context". Sant (religion) A sant ( Sanskrit : सन्त् ; IAST : Sant ; [sɐn̪t̪] ) is a human being revered as a "truth-exemplar" for their abnormal level of "self, truth, [and] reality" in Indian religions , particularly Hinduism , Jainism , Sikhism , and Buddhism . In Sikhism it is used to describe a being who has attained spiritual enlightenment and divine knowledge and power through union with God . " Sant "
182-612: A satguru. In the language of the scriptures, whom can you call a satguru? Sat is the Atma (the Soul, the Self); so, whoever has attained the Soul, that guru is a satguru! Therefore, an 'Atmagnani (knower of the Soul, Self-realized) can be called a satguru, for he has experienced the Self. Not all gurus have Atma Gnan. So, the one who continuously remains as the eternal element - the Self - is a satguru! The Gnani Purush
208-612: Is Baba Gurinder Singh and Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh (Agra), situated on the banks of the river Yamuna, whose current Living Master is Param Guru Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi Sahab . According to Mark Juergensmeyer , that claim is also made by the Kabir-panthis , the Satpanthis , the Sikhs and other movements that continue to find the insights from the Sant tradition valid today. Prem Rawat and
234-427: Is Infinite, Eternal and Indivisible, then he is fully conscious of his individuality as God, and as such experiences Infinite Knowledge, Infinite Power and Infinite Bliss. Thus Man becomes God, and is recognized as a Perfect Master , Satguru, or Kutub . To worship this Man is to worship God. According to Dada Bhagwan , a satguru must maintain self-knowledge : It is very difficult to define and identify someone as
260-458: Is a title given specifically only to an enlightened rishi or sant whose life's purpose is to guide the initiated shishya on the spiritual path, the summation of which is the realization of the Self through realization of God . According to Sivaya Subramuniyaswami , a Hindu satguru is always a sannyasin , an unmarried renunciate, but not all writers include this stricture. Tukaram ,
286-485: Is considered the path to God-realization. In Sikh philosophy , Nanak , defines satguru as truth itself and not a physical entity. This truth emanates from reality and requires no blind faith. In the Japji Sahib he writes " Ek onkar , satguru prasad ", which means "there is one creator, this knowledge I have learnt from reality". The Sikh (student) learns from reality as presented by the creator. Truth ( sat ) itself
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#1732851129301312-534: Is sometimes translated as " saint ", but this is a false cognate (there is no etymological commonality) as " sant " is derived from the Sanskrit root sat , which can mean "truth, reality, essence", while "saint" is derived from the Latin word sanctus , which means "holy, sacred", derived from Indo-European root sak- , "to sanctify". Schomer and McLeod explain sant as preceptor of Sat or "truth, reality", in
338-464: Is the physical form of God ( sat purusha ). In one of Kabir's songs the satguru is described as the real sadhu : He is the real Sadhu, who can reveal the form of the Formless to the vision of these eyes; Who teaches the simple way of attaining Him, that is other than rites or ceremonies; Who does not make you close the doors, and hold the breath, and renounce the world; Who makes you perceive
364-518: Is the teacher (guru). The recommendation says that the first and the foremost qualification of the satguru is that he must have known the True Lord ( God ) himself. Meher Baba equated worship of the satguru with worship of God: Consciously or unconsciously, directly or indirectly, each and every creature, each and every human being — in one form or the other — strives to assert individuality. But when eventually man consciously experiences that he
390-515: Is told differently by his lineage of "Ramanandi" monks, by other sants preceding him, and later by the Sikhs . Sant Mat practitioners accept that Ramananda's students formed the first generation of sants . Sants developed a culture of concern for marginalized in the society. Some of the more notable sants include Namdev (d. 1350), Kabir (d. 1518), Nanak (d. 1539), Mira Bai (d. 1545), Surdas (d. 1573), Dadu Dayal (d. 1603), Tulsidas (d. 1623), and Tukaram (d. 1650). The tradition of
416-514: Is within is without: I see Him and none else. Vasishtha , Rama 's guru, was the satguru in the Treta Yuga . Swami Shankar Purushottam Tirtha quoted the Yoga Vasistha regarding the "real preceptor" ( satguru ): A real preceptor is one who can produce blissful sensation in the body of the disciple by their sight, touch, or instructions. In Sant Mat and Advait Mat , the living satguru
442-535: The Divine Light Mission ( Elan Vital ) are considered to be part of the Sant Mat tradition by J. Gordon Melton , Lucy DuPertuis, and Vishal Mangalwadi , but that characterization is disputed by Ron Geaves . The 20th century religious movement Eckankar is also considered by David C. Lane to be an offshoot of the Sant Mat tradition. James R. Lewis refers to these movements as "expressions of an older faith in
468-418: The sants ( sant parampara ) remained non-sectarian, although a number of sant poets have been considered as the founders of sects. Some of these may bear the sant's name, but were developed after them by later followers such as Kabir Panth , Dadu Panth , Dariya Panth, Advait Mat , Science of Spirituality and Radhasoami . Only a small minority of religious Hindus have formally followed Sant Mat, but
494-452: The Sants", the term Sant is pivotal. Derived from the Sanskrit sat ( सत ) and has overlapping usages (true, real, honest, right). Its root meaning is "one who knows(is) the truth" or "one who has experienced (merged into) Ultimate Reality." The term sant has taken on the general meaning of "a good person" but is properly assigned to the poet-sants of medieval India. The Sant Mat movement
520-531: The Supreme Spirit wherever the mind attaches itself; Who teaches you to be still in the midst of all your activities. Ever immersed in bliss, having no fear in his mind, he keeps the spirit of union in the midst of all enjoyments. The infinite dwelling of the Infinite Being is everywhere: in earth, water, sky, and air; Firm as the thunderbolt, the seat of the seeker is established above the void. He who
546-442: The holy books and will initiate three types of mantras (names) thrice. Satguru Satguru ( Sanskrit : सत्गुरु ), or sadguru ( Sanskrit : सद्गुरु ), means a "true guru " in Sanskrit . The term is distinguished from other forms of gurus, such as musical instructors, scriptural teachers, parents, and so on. A satguru has some special characteristics that are not found in any other types of spiritual guru. Satguru
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#1732851129301572-480: The poet-sants of Sant Mat. The Radha Soami movement in North India, also known as " Sant Mat movement ", is regarded as a repository of the tradition of the Sants and their teachings, as well as their approach to religious endeavours, and presents itself as a living incarnation of the Sant tradition. The most notable being Radhasoami Satsang Beas , situated on the banks of the river Beas, whose current Living Master
598-468: The religious teachings of the sants , which he describes as liberating. The Sant Mat tradition teaches the necessity of a living human master, who is referred to with honorific titles such as satguru , or perfect master. Classical Gnostics , medieval Sufi poets such as Shams Tabrizi , Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi or Hafez , as well as Sindhi poets, are considered to have many similarities with
624-424: 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". Sant differs from saint not merely in the etymological sense but also in usage. The word is used in various contexts: Traditional In Hinduism ,
650-539: The tradition has considerably influenced Hindus across sects and castes. Bhajans (devotional songs) attributed to past sants such as Mira Bai are widely listened to in India and in Hindu communities around the world. The sant tradition is the only one in medieval and modern India that has successfully crossed some barriers between Hindu and Muslim faiths. Julius J. Lipner asserts that the lives of many Hindus have been leavened by
676-460: Was heterogeneous , and consisted mostly of the sants own socio-religious attitudes, which were based on bhakti (devotion) as described in the Bhagavad Gita . Sharing as few conventions with each other as with the followers of the traditions they challenged, the sants appear more as a diverse collection of spiritual personalities than a specific religious tradition, although they acknowledged
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