Hindu saints
Encyclopedia
Saints are recognized in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 although it does not require canonization
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...

 or similar formal process to acknowledge a person as one. Generally a holy or saintly person is referred to as a mahatma
Mahatma
Mahatma is Sanskrit for "Great Soul". It is similar in usage to the modern Christian term saint. This epithet is commonly applied to prominent people like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Jyotirao Phule and Branch Rickey...

, paramahamsa
Paramahamsa
Paramahamsa , also spelled paramahansa or paramhansa, is a Sanskrit religio-theological title of honor applied to Hindu spiritual teachers of lofty status who are regarded as having attained enlightenment. The title may be translated as "supreme swan," and is based on the swan being equally at home...

, or swami
Swami
A swami sometimes abbreviated "Sw." is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by Adi Sankara, or to a religious teacher.The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as...

, or given the prefix Sri
Sri
Sri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...

 or Srila before their name.

The term "Sant" is derived from the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 sat (सद) (truth, reality) has overlapping usages, its root meaning being "one who knows the truth" or "one who has experienced Ultimate Reality". It differs from the false cognate
False cognate
False cognates are pairs of words in the same or different languages that are similar in form and meaning but have different roots. That is, they appear to be, or are sometimes considered, cognates, when in fact they are not....

 "Saint" as it is often translated. The term Sant has taken on the more general ethical meaning of "good person", but is assigned specifically to the poet-sants of medieval India.

An incomplete list of Hindu saints

(In no particular order)
  • Jagadguru Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhacharya, a great saint who was the follower of Vishnuswami Sampradaya (Vaishnavism). He proved the principle of "Shuddha Adwaita Brahmavada" meaning pure adwaita Brahmavada based on Veda. He showed the path of devotion to the world and taught that in this time of "Kaliyuga" self-less surrender to the lotus feet of Lord Krishna is the only thing a soul should do.
  • Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankardeva
    Srimanta Sankardeva
    Mahapurusha Srimanta Shankardeva , was the greatest Assamese saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer and a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India...

     (1449–1568) (Assamese: মহাপুৰুষ শ্ৰীমন্ত শঙ্কৰেদৱ), saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer, is a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India. He is credited with providing a thread of unity to Assam straddling two major kingdoms (Ahom and Koch kingdoms), building on past literary activities to provide the bedrock of Assamese culture, and creating a religion that gave shape to a set of new values and social synthesis. The religion he started, Mahapuruxiya Dharma, was part of the Bhakti movement then raging in India, and he inspired bhakti in Assam just as Ramananda, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Basava and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu inspired it elsewhere.
  • Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
    Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
    Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a Vaishnava saint and social reformer in eastern India in the 16th century, believed by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to be the full incarnation of Lord Krishna...

     (1486–1534), famous Bengali
    Bengali people
    The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...

     Saint known for his ecstatic devotion to Krishna
    Krishna
    Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

    . Original founder of the modern Hare Krishna
    International Society for Krishna Consciousness
    The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...

     movement
  • Baba Keenaram
    Baba Keenaram
    Baba Keenaram was a great saint. According to Research Scholars and Historians ,Baba Keenaram is the founding father of the ancient Aghora and supposed to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Aghoracharya Baba Keenaram was born on Aghor Chaturdashi in 1601 A.D at Ramgarh village of Varanasi district...

    jee (1601–1770) Supposed to be the incarnation of lord Shiva
    Shiva
    Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

    . Born at Ramgarh village of Varanasi
    Varanasi
    -Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

     District. Lived for 170 years. His Taposthali (work place) Baba Keenaram Sthal
    Baba Keenaram Sthal
    Baba Keenaram Sthal or Baba Keenaram Sthal-Kreem Kund is a world fame spiritual center and Headquarter / pilgrim of Aghora sect. across world, situated at Ravindrapuri in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh, India...

    , at Varanasi, regarded as the Headquarter and world fame pilgrim of Aghora
    Aghora
    Aghora can refer to:*The Hindu god Bhairava, a form of Shiva.*Aghora , a particular school of Hindu Tantra*Aughar or Aghor sect, subsect of the Aghora lineage.*Aghora , a Floridian progressive metal band...

    .
  • Paramahansa Yogananda
    Paramahansa Yogananda
    Paramahansa Yogananda , born Mukunda Lal Ghosh , was an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his book, Autobiography of a...

     (January 5, 1893 – March 7, 1952), a modern day saint who brought the spiritual science of Kriya Yoga to the west, successfully disseminating eastern wisdom all over North America and Europe, and personally initiating many thousands of spiritual aspirants. Disciple of Sri Yukteswar Giri
    Sri Yukteswar Giri
    Sri Yukteshwar Giri is the monastic name of Priyanath Karar , the guru of Swami Satyananda Giri and Paramahansa Yogananda. Sri Yukteshwar was an educator, astronomer, a Jyotisha , a yogi, and a believer in the Bhagavad Gita and the Bible...

    .
  • Raghavendra Swami
    Raghavendra Swami
    Raghavendra Theertha was a Hindu saint and philosopher who served as the head of the Sri Mutt in Kumbakonam from 1624 to 1636. He wrote a commentary Sudha Parimala on the Nyaya Sudha, an exposition of Dvaita philosophy...

    , one of the most famous Hindu saints was believed to have performed miracles during his lifetime and continues to bless his devotees. He espoused Vaishnavism
    Vaishnavism
    Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....

     monotheism
    Monotheism
    Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...

     (worship of Vishnu
    Vishnu
    Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

     as Supreme God) and Dvaita
    Dvaita
    Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....

     philosophy.
  • Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
    Ramakrishna
    Ramakrishna , born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay , was a famous mystic of 19th-century India. His religious school of thought led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda – both were influential figures in the Bengali Renaissance as well as the Hindu...

  • Shirdi Sai Baba
    Sai Baba of Shirdi
    Sai Baba of Shirdi , also known as Shirdi Sai Baba , was an Indian guru, yogi, and fakir who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim devotees as a saint....

     (c. 1838 - October 15, 1918) was a Muslim Indian
    Indian
    Indian may refer to:On the Indian subcontinent:*Indian cuisine**Anglo-Indian cuisine* Indian people* A person belonging to one of the ethnic groups of India or South Asian ethnic groups * Languages of India...

     fakir
    Fakir
    The fakir or faqir ; ) Derived from faqr is a Muslim Sufi ascetic in Middle East and South Asia. The Faqirs were wandering Dervishes teaching Islam and living on alms....

    /guru
    Guru
    A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...

     who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim followers as a saint.
  • Bhagwan Ramji (1937–1992) A great saint and social reformer of 20th century. Born in 1937 at Gundi village of Bhojpur
    Bhojpur district, Bihar
    Bhojpur district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in eastern India. Arrah town is the administrative headquarters of this district.-History:...

     district of Bihar
    Bihar
    Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

    . Later at the little age of 9 , he moved to Baba Keenaram Sthal
    Baba Keenaram Sthal
    Baba Keenaram Sthal or Baba Keenaram Sthal-Kreem Kund is a world fame spiritual center and Headquarter / pilgrim of Aghora sect. across world, situated at Ravindrapuri in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh, India...

      ( Headquarter of Aghora
    Aghora
    Aghora can refer to:*The Hindu god Bhairava, a form of Shiva.*Aghora , a particular school of Hindu Tantra*Aughar or Aghor sect, subsect of the Aghora lineage.*Aghora , a Floridian progressive metal band...

     ).
  • Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi
    Ramana Maharshi
    Sri Ramana Maharshi , born Venkataraman Iyer, was a Hindu spiritual master . He was born to a Tamil-speaking Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After experiencing at age 16 what he later described as liberation , he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus...

  • Chandrashekarendra Saraswati (Sage of Kanchi)
    Chandrashekarendra Saraswati
    Jagadguru Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal or the Sage of Kanchi was the 68th Jagadguru in the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam...

     (1894–1994) Jagadguru Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Revered by many as an avatara of Adi Sankara http://www.srikanchimahaswami100.org/
  • Akkalkot Niwasi Shree Swami Samarth
    Swami Samarth Maharaj
    Akkalkot Niwasi Shri Swami Samartha also known as Swami Samartha Maharaj, Swami Maharaj is a household name in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh....

     (around 1856 A.D) considered to be the Guru of Great Saints, supposed to be the direct manifestation of the supreme power—God.
  • Bhagavan Sri Swami Jai Sathya, originally known as Sri Suryanarayana Jayanthi Kumaraswami of Chennai. Her Holiness is a Universal Avatar of God and seen in many form by Her followers including as Surya (Sun), Mother Durga, Mother Mary, Lord Vishnu.
  • Tukaram
    Tukaram
    Sant Tukaram was a prominent Varkari Sant and spiritual poet during a Bhakti movement in India.Sant Tukaram was born and lived most of his life in Dehu, a town close to Pune in Mahārāshtra, India. He was born to a couple with the family name "More", the descendent of the Mourya Clan with first...

     was a great saint who was believed to have performed miracles and was a devotee of Krishna
    Krishna
    Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

    .
  • Brahma Chaitanya
    Brahma Chaitanya
    Shri Brahma Chaitanya , born on 'Maagha Shuddha Dwadashi' of 'Shake 1766' in Gondavale Budruk, Taluka Maan, District Satara.A Hindu...

    , the saint of Gondawali who was a great devotee of Rama
    Rama
    Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

    .
  • Sant Shiri Nunuram Sahib (1898–1973), a great saint whose aashram is situated in Islamkot city of Sindh Province in Pakistan
    Pakistan
    Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

    .http://www.santnenuram.20m.com
  • Tibbetibaba
    Tibbetibaba
    Tibbetibaba , Hindi:तिब्बती बाबा, also known as Mahasadhak Tibbetibaba or Paramhamsa Tibbetibaba, alternative spellings Tibbatibaba, Tibbati Baba, Tibbeti Baba,Tibbotibaba or Tibboti Baba originally named Nabin Chattopadhhyaya or Nabin or Nabin Chandra, Tibbetibaba , Hindi:तिब्बती बाबा, also known...

     was a great saint whose life was based on both Advaita Vedanta
    Advaita Vedanta
    Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...

     and Mahayana
    Mahayana
    Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...

     principles.
  • Shri Siddheshwar Maharaj of Solapur
  • Nisargdatta Maharaj
  • Sant Dnyaneshwar
    Dnyaneshwar
    Dnyāneshwar , also known as Jñanadeva , was born into a Deshastha Brahmin Kulkarni family.He was a 13th century Maharashtrian Hindu saint , poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition whose works Bhavartha deepika teeka ,...

  • Sant Ramdas
    Samarth Ramdas
    Ramdas was a prominent Marathi saint and religious poet in the Hindu tradition in Maharashtra, India. Samarth Ramdas was a devotee of Lord Hanuman and Lord Rama...

  • Sant Tulsidas
  • Sant Gora Kumbhar
  • Swami Krishnananda
    Swami Krishnananda
    Sri Swami Krishnananda Saraswati Maharaj was a Hindu saint. He was a foremost disciple of Swami Sivananda and served as the General Secretary of the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India from 1958 until 2001...

  • Swami Sivananda
    Swami Sivananda
    Swami Sivananda Saraswati was a Hindu spiritual teacher and a proponent of Yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He studied medicine and served in Malaya as a physician for several years before taking up monasticism...

  • Neelakanta Gurupadar
  • Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi
    Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi
    Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi also known as Chenkottukonam Swamiji, was a Hindu spiritual teacher, orator, historian and religious scholar. He was the founder of Hindu Aikya Vedi, and remained its chairman until his death....

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