Sant

This article is about teachers and spiritual leaders in Hinduism and Sikhism. For other uses, see Sant (disambiguation).

In Hinduism and other Indian religions, sant is a human being revered for his or her knowledge of "self, truth, reality" and as a "truth-exemplar".[1][2]

Etymology

Sant is sometimes translated to "saint", but this is a false cognate - there is no etymological commonality.[3] Sant is derived from the Sanskrit root sat, which among other things means "truth, reality, essence"; while saint is derived from Latin sanctus, which means "sacred".[1]

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".[4][5] William Pinch suggests the best translation of sant is "truth-exemplar".[1]

Usage

Sant differs from saint not merely in the etymological sense but also in usage. The word is used in various contexts:[2][4][6]

See also

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 William Pinch (1996), Peasants and Monks in British India, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520200616, page 181 footnote 3
  2. 1 2 Schomer & McLeod (1987), pp. 1-17
  3. Schomer & McLeod (1987), p. 3
  4. 1 2 Hawley (1987), p. 57
  5. Schomer & McLeod (1987), p. 2
  6. John Hawley and Mark Juergensmeyer (2008), Songs of the Saints of India, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195694208, pages 2-8
  7. Schomer & McLeod (1987), pp. 251-267

Bibliography

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