Hindu saints

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There is no formal canonization process in Hinduism, but over time many men and women have reached the status of saints among their followers and among Hindus in general. Hindu saints have often renounced the world, and are variously called gurus, sadhus, rishis, swamis, muni, yogis, yoginis and other names. [1]

Many people conflate the terms "saint" and " sant ", because of their similar meanings. The term sant is a Sanskrit word "which differs significantly from the false cognate, 'saint'..." Traditionally, "sant" referred to devotional Bhakti poet-saints of two groups: Vaishnava and a group that is referred to as "Saguna Bhakti". [2] [3]

Some Hindu saints are given god-like status, being seen as incarnations of Vishnu, Shiva, and other aspects of God, sometimes many years after their deaths. This explains another common name for Hindu saints, "godmen". [4]

Hindu saints have come from many walks of life including the blind (Bhima Bhoi, Surdas, and Tulsidas [5] ), orphaned (Andal, [6] Kabir [7] ), former criminals (Kaladutaka , Valmiki) and former concubines (Kanhopatra and Shatakopa). [8]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhajan</span> Singing of poems or hymns in Indian traditions

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Sant Dnyaneshwar, also referred to as Dnyaneshwar, Dnyanadeva, Dnyandev or Mauli or Dnyaneshwar Vitthal Kulkarni (1275–1296), was a 13th-century Indian Marathi saint, poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath and Varkari tradition. In his short life of 21 years, he authored Dnyaneshwari and Amrutanubhav. These are the oldest surviving literary works in the Marathi language, and considered to be milestones in Marathi literature. Sant Dnyaneshwar's ideas reflect the non-dualistic Advaita Vedanta philosophy and an emphasis on Yoga and bhakti towards Vithoba, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. His legacy inspired saint-poets such as Eknath and Tukaram, and he is one of the founders of the Varkari (Vithoba-Krishna) Bhakti movement tradition of Hinduism in Maharashtra. Dnyaneshwar undertook samadhi at Alandi in 1296 by entombing himself in an underground chamber.

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Namdev, also transliterated as Nam Dayv, Namdeo, Namadeva, was a Marathi Vaishnav saint from Narsi, Hingoli, Maharashtra, India within the Varkari tradition of Hinduism. He lived as a devotee of Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur. He is widely regarded as the founder of Varkari tradition.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravidas</span> 16th-century Indian mystic poet-sant of the Bhakti movement

Ravidas or Raidas (1267–1335) was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a guru in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, he was a poet, social reformer and spiritual figure.

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References

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  2. Karine Schomer; W. H. McLeod (1 January 1987). The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 2–3. ISBN   978-81-208-0277-3 . Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  3. Jacqueline Jones (2009). Performing the Sacred: Song, Genre, and Aesthetics in Bhakti. p. 7. ISBN   978-1-109-06430-8 . Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  4. Kenneth L. Woodward (10 July 2001). The Book of Miracles: The Meaning of the Miracle Stories in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Simon & Schuster. p. 267. ISBN   978-0-7432-0029-5 . Retrieved 3 June 2013.
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