A sant (Sanskrit: सन्त्; IAST: Sant; [sɐn̪t̪]) is a human being revered as a "truth-exemplar" for their abnormal of "self, truth, [and] reality" in Indic religions, particularly Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism.[1][2] In Sikhism it is used to describe a being who has attained spiritual enlightenment and divine knowledge and power through union with God.[3]
"Sant" 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,[4] which can mean "truth, reality, essence", while "saint" is derived from the Latin word sanctus, which means "holy, sacred",[1] derived from Indo-European root sak-, "to sanctify".[5]
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".[6][7] William Pinch suggests the best translation of sant is "truth-exemplar".[1]
Sant differs from saint not merely in the etymological sense but also in usage. The word is used in various contexts:[2][6][8]
In Hinduism, a saint has an important place in the life of a devotee. Hindu scriptures also tell the importance of a saint.[10] According to the Hindu scriptures, worshipers are freed from the disease of birth and death by taking refuge in a true saint and doing devotion according to the scriptures. The identity of the true saint is also stated in the holy scriptures of Hinduism that one who is a true saint will have complete knowledge of all the holy books and will initiate three types of mantras (names) thrice.[11]