Sant Mat was a spiritual movement on theIndian subcontinent during the 13th–17th centuriesCE. The name literally means "teachings of sants", i.e. mystic Hindu saints. Through association and seeking truth by followingsants 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, itsegalitarianism distinguishes it from the caste system, and fromHindus andMuslims.[1][2] Sant Mat is not to be confused with the 19th-centuryRadha Soami, also known as contemporary "Sant Mat movement".[3]
The lineage ofsants can be divided into two main groups: a northern group from the provinces ofPunjab,Rajasthan andUttar Pradesh, who expressed themselves mainly invernacular Hindi; and a southern group, whose language isMarathi, represented byNamdev and other sants ofMaharashtra.[1]
The Sant Mat movement washeterogeneous, and consisted mostly of thesants own socio-religious attitudes, which were based onbhakti (devotion) as described in theBhagavad Gita.[4] Sharing as few conventions with each other as with the followers of the traditions they challenged, thesants appear more as a diverse collection of spiritual personalities than a specific religious tradition, although they acknowledged a common spiritual root.[5]
The poet-sants expressed their teaching invernacular verse, addressing themselves to the common folk in oral style inHindi and other dialects and other languages such asMarathi,Gujarati andPunjabi. 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 a matter of surrendering to God "who dwells in the heart".[4]
The first generation of north Indiansants, (which includedKabir andRavidas), appeared in the region ofBenares in the mid–15th century. Preceding them were two notable 13th and 14th century figures,Namdev andRamananda. The latter, according to Sant Mat tradition, was aVaishnava ascetic who initiated Kabir, Ravidas, and other sants. Ramanand's story is told differently by his lineage of "Ramanandi" monks, by othersants preceding him, and later by theSikhs. Sant Mat practitioners accept that Ramananda's students formed the first generation ofsants.[6]
Sants developed a culture of concern for marginalized in the society. Some of the more notablesants includeNamdev (d. 1350),Kabir (d. 1518),Nanak (d. 1539),Mira Bai (d. 1545),Surdas (d. 1573),Dadu Dayal (d. 1603),Tulsidas (d. 1623), andTukaram (d. 1650).
The tradition of thesants (santparampara) remained non-sectarian, although a number ofsant poets have been considered as the founders of sects. Some of these may bear thesant's name, but were developed after them by later followers such asKabir Panth,Dadu Panth, Dariya Panth,Advait Mat,Science of Spirituality andRadhasoami.[7]
Only a small minority of religious Hindus have formally followed Sant Mat, but the tradition has considerably influenced Hindus across sects and castes.Bhajans (devotional songs) attributed to pastsants such as Mira Bai are widely listened to in India and in Hindu communities around the world. Thesant 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 the religious teachings of thesants, which he describes as liberating.[4]
The Sant Mat tradition teaches the necessity of a living human master, who is referred to with honorific titles such assatguru, or perfect master.[8]
ClassicalGnostics,[9] medievalSufi poets such asShams Tabrizi,Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi orHafez, andSindhi poets, are considered to have many similarities with the poet-sants of Sant Mat.[10]
TheRadha Soami movement in North India, also known as "Sant Mat movement",[3] is regarded as a repository of the tradition of the Sants and their teachings, and their approach to religious endeavours, and presents itself as a living incarnation of the Sant tradition. The most notable beingRadhasoami Satsang Beas, situated on the banks of theriver Beas, whose currentLiving Master isBaba Gurinder Singh andRadhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh (Agra), situated on the banks of the river Yamuna, whose current Living Master isParam Guru Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi Sahab. Other offshoot ofDayalbagh andBeas includeBaba Jai Gurudev Satsang,Dinod,Anukul Chandra Satsang,Sachha Sauda,Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission etc. According toMark Juergensmeyer, that claim is also made by theKabir-panthis, theSatpanthis, theSikhs and other movements that continue to find the insights from the Sant tradition valid today.[11]
Prem Rawat and theDivine Light Mission (Elan Vital) are considered to be part of the Sant Mat tradition byJ. Gordon Melton, Lucy DuPertuis, andVishal Mangalwadi, but that characterization is disputed byRon Geaves.[12][13][14][15] The 20th century religious movementEckankar is also considered byDavid C. Lane to be an offshoot of the Sant Mat tradition.[16]James R. Lewis refers to these movements as "expressions of an older faith in a new context".[17]
