By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |
In recent times, a debate amongst Panthic circles has been brewing concerning the existence, role and status of “Sants”; a designation that has become increasingly common today amongst Sikhs. Though there is no definitive figure, it is often estimated that for almost every one of the 13,000 villages of Punjab, there is at least one and often many individuals claiming the status of Sant and/or Brahamgiani. One might speculate the number of self-proclaimed Sants in Panjab, and increasingly the wider Sikh diaspora, could be as much as 20,000, each with their own deras and loyal band of followers!
In religion generally, it is common to see a formal structure typically referred to as an ecclesiastical hierarchy. The Christian church deploys a wide range of titles, ascending to bishops, archbishops, and the pope. Similarly, Muslims have their Pirs and Fakirs, and Hinduism features a vast array of designations such as rishi, maharishi, sadhu, acharya, swami, and guru. In Buddhism, we see titles like Bhikkhu (monk), Lama (Tibetan spiritual teacher) and Rinpoche (revered teacher).
While there are many references in Gurbani to Sant and Brahamgiani (knower of the Divine), the reality of their make-up and status in Sikhi is not that simple. This is primarily because Sikhi explicitly rejects a formal clergy or priestly class. While we can all learn from and be inspired by any number of individuals, in Sikhi, it is the through the Guru that one can gain enlightenment, and given, the ultimate source of spiritual wisdom and authority is vested permanently in the Guru Granth Sahib; there can be no other.
WHEN IT ALL BEGAN
Looking back at Sikh history, it is not until the annexation of the Sikh Empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh by the British in 1849, that titles of Sants began to emerge. Before then, there is little evidence that self-declared Sants were widespread.
Kiranjeet Sandhu in her doctoral thesis, The Udasīs in the Colonial Punjab 1849 A.D. – 1947 A.D., (2012) asserts that British colonial administration asserted their control by validating lucrative, revenue-free land grants (dharmarths) and intentionally extending state patronage to traditional religious custodians, specifically the Mahants of the Udasi sect. While these sacred spaces and agricultural estates had historically been subject to community accountability, British land settlement officers upended indigenous traditions by registering these properties directly in the personal names of individual Mahants, effectively imposing Western private property laws onto communal institutions.
Richard Gabriel Fox in his book, Lions of the Punjab: Culture in the Making, (1985) argues that structural manipulation converted ‘spiritual caretakers’ into wealthy, hereditary landlords who depended entirely on British legal frameworks to shield themselves from community oversight. Consequently, as Harjot Oberoi in his study of the Singh Sabha Movement, The Construction of Religious Boundaries Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (1994) highlights, the colonial state successfully engineered an insulated, fiercely loyal class of religious elites, with the titles of Sant’s, whose material interests were bound to the preservation of the Raj, turning major shrines into key mechanisms of imperial pacification until this corrupt patronage network was violently challenged by the Akali Movement and the Singh Sabha Lehar in the 1920s.
To be clear, I am not arguing that Sants, as individuals who have reached such immense spiritual heights that they have broken through the illusion of separation and become one with the Divine, do not exist. Indeed, there are many references in Gurbani to the existence of such individuals, and therefore one must accept it is entirely possible to be a saintly person. In this true sense, “sant” is not being deployed as an institutional title or a badge of rank, but rather as a descriptive noun reflecting an inner reality.
SAINTS, GURU & DIVINE
Another complication is that often the word Sant is used as a synonym to the Divine. For example, in the following shabad Guru Arjan Dev Ji (Guru Granth Sahib, page 997) makes this clear, “ਭਾਗੁ ਹੋਆ ਗੁਰਿ ਸੰਤੁ ਮਿਲਾਇਆ ॥ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਘਰ ਮਹਿ ਪਾਇਆ ॥“By great good fortune, the Guru has united me with the Saint, the Divine Creator; I have found the Immortal Lord within the home of my own heart.” This union between Guru and Sant here is made cleart when considering the spelling of ਗੁਰਿ/Gur with the ‘sihari’ vowel which denotes the instrument or by/through the Guru, and Sant refers directly to the Divine. The Guru is the medium who bridges the soul to the Ultimate Saint, which is the Formless Lord.
Guru Ram Das Ji (GGS, p773) reinforces this precise usage of the term Sant in the following lines, ਗੁਰ ਸੰਤ ਜਨੋ ਪਿਆਰਾ ਮੈ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਮੇਰੀ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਬੁਝਿ ਗਈਆਸੇ ॥ਹਉ ਮਨੁ ਤਨੁ ਦੇਵਾ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੈ ਮੈ ਮੇਲੇ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਗੁਣਤਾਸੇ ॥ “The Beloved Guru, the Holy Saint, has met me, and my burning desires have been quenched. I dedicate my mind and body to the True Guru, who has united me with God, the Treasure of Virtue.”
Sometimes Sant is used as a the Sant Sabha/Saintly Assembly of the Guru, for example, in the following line, Guru Nanak Dev Ji (GGS, p1170) states: “ਗੁਰ ਸੰਤ ਸਭਾ ਦੁਖੁ ਮਿਟੈ ਰੋਗੁ ॥ ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਵਰੁ ਸਹਜ ਜੋਗੁ ॥ “In the Saintly Assembly of the Guru, suffering and disease are erased. O Servant Nanak, the soul easily attains union with her Husband Lord.”
In all these foundational contexts, “Gur Sant” highlights that the True Guru functions as the supreme saintly guide, strictly steering the seeker away from human worship and directing them toward the worship of the one Formless Creator (Akal Purakh).
Along with extolling the virtues of spiritually enlightened souls, Gurbani repeatedly emphasises that spiritual realisation has absolutely nothing to do with religious robes, specific colours, or trying to ‘look the part’. A true Sant is defined by the complete eradication of ego and the cultivation of divine virtues like compassion, truth, and humility. As Guru Arjan Dev Ji writes (GGS, page 926)
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਕੈ ਮਸਤਕਿ ਭਾਗੁ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹੀ ਗੋਵਿਦੁ ਰਵਿਆ ॥
ਮਨਿ ਤਨਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਉਦਿਆਨੁ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਸਚੁ ਸਬਦਿ ਥਿਰੁ ਥਵਿਆ ॥
“The Gurmukhs (Guru-oriented) have good fortune on their foreheads; they dwell upon the Divine of the Universe. In their minds and bodies, the Naam, the Name of God, shines forth in the wilderness of this world; through the True Word of the Shabad, they are permanently established.”
In Sukhmani Sahib, Guru Arjan Dev Ji dedicates an entire Ashtpadi (an eight-stanza canto) to defining what a Sant truly is. Every single marker provided is an internal, moral, and spiritual virtue; never a physical description or an external uniform. Indeed, in the final reckoning, Gurbani states that a there is not distinction between a true Sant, or Brahamgiani, and the Divine. In the 6th Pauri, for instance Guru Arjan states, “ਨਾਨਕ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਆਪਿ ਪਰਮੇਸੁਰ ॥੬॥ O Nanak, the God-conscious being is Himself the Supreme Divine God.”
It is important to note that Guru Ji uses the word ‘Aap’, which means “He, Himself” or “personified.” It indicates that the Brahmgiani isn’t a title or messenger/Prophet, or a highly smart person studying scriptures; rather, their consciousness has completely merged into the Divine. Just as a drop of water falling into the ocean loses its individual identity and becomes the ocean, the saint’s ego dies, leaving only God operating through that physical body
In the 8th Pauri, Guru Ji states, “ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਆਪਿ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੁ ॥The God-conscious being is himself the Formless Divine”. The key phrase here is ‘Nirankar’ which literally means the “Formless”. Here, Gurbani establishes that while the Brahmgiani has a physical human body form, their true, internal reality is completely non-physical, boundlessly vast, and identical to the Formless One.
In reality, very few individuals completely inculcate divine virtues leading ultimately to them breaching the veil of ego. Gurbani describes the separation between humanity and the Divine not as a vast physical distance, but as a thin, psychological wall of ego (haumai). The true Sant, hence, is the one who tears this wall down. Guru Ram Das Ji clarifies (GGS, page 205): “ਅੰਤਰਿ ਅਲਖੁ ਨ ਜਾਈ ਲਖਿਆ ਵਿਚਿ ਪੜਦਾ ਹਉਮੈ ਪਾਈ ॥ “The Unseen Divine dwells within, but He cannot be seen, because the curtain of ego stands between them.”
When a seeker of ultimate truth manages, through selfless service, honest living and continuous reflection on the Divine aspects of existence, this curtain is lifted; then they merge seamlessly into the Divine, just as a ripple dissolves back into the ocean. At that profound stage of consciousness, the distinction between the Creator and the servant disappears entirely. As written by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in the Dasam Granth: ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਜਨ ਦੁਇ ਏਕ ਹੈ ਬਿਬ ਬਿਚਾਰੁ ਕਿਛੁ ਨਾਹਿ ॥ ਜਲ ਤੇ ਉਪਜਿ ਤਰੰਗ ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਹੀ ਬਿਖੈ ਸਮਾਹਿ ॥ “The Divine and the Divine’s servant are both one; do not think there is any difference between them. Like a ripple arising from the water, it merges back into the water.”
Genuine spiritual beings are entirely liberated from the desire for praise, stages, or a flock of followers. Gurbani warns that seeking power, corporate titles, and bowing devotees is a dangerous trap of Maya (illusion). Bhagat Kabir Ji explicitly critiques the practice of wearing special clothes or gathering crowds just to project an aura of holiness:
ਗਜ ਸਾਢੇ ਤੈ ਤੈ ਧੋਤੀਆ ਰੇਖਾ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਅਕਾਰੁ ॥ ਗਲੀ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹਾ ਜਪਮਾਲੀਆ ਲੋਟੇ ਹਾਥਿ ਜੰਜਾਰੁ ॥ ਓਇ ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਸੰਤ ਨ ਆਖੀਅਹਿ ਬਾਨਾਰਸਿ ਕੇ ਠਗ ॥ “They wear loincloths three and a half yards long, and draw lines of rituals on their bodies. Around their necks are rosaries, and in their hands are sparkling jugs. They are not called Saints of the Divine; they are the thugs of Benares.” (SGGS, 476) Instead of showcasing their spirituality on a stage, a true Sant conceals their realization in deep humility, remaining detached from public opinion. Guru Arjan Dev Ji states on page 275: “ਮਾਨੁ ਅਭਿਮਾਨੁ ਮੰਧੇ ਸੋਈ ॥ ਤਾਸੁ ਪ੍ਰਗਟੁ ਸਭ ਲੋਈ ॥ “One who treats honour and dishonour as the same, their glory shines across the universe.”
Furthermore, true Sants do not need specific holy places because their own body becomes the temple, allowing them to experience God everywhere. Gurbani completely redefines what a “temple” is, clarifying that God does not live exclusively in stone buildings. The human body itself is the ultimate shrine, as Guru Amar Das Ji notes (GGS, page 1059): ਕਾਇਆ ਹਰਿ ਮੰਦਰੁ ਹਰਿ ਆਪਿ ਸਵਾਰੇ ॥ “This body is the temple of the Divine, which the Divine Himself has adorned.”
For a fully enlightened being, the external world loses its duality of “sacred” and “profane.” Because their mind is completely pure, everything they perceive is experienced as the Divine. Guru Ram Das Ji beautifully captures this omnipresent awareness (GGS, page 982): ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਜਹ ਦੇਖਾ ਤਹ ਹਰਿ ਇਕੋ ॥ “God is within, and God is outside as well. Wherever I look, there is only the One”
Bhagat Kabir Ji sums up this total transformation perfectly on page 1367. When the mind becomes completely pure, God does not wait for us to visit a physical building; the Divine presence naturally accompanies the pure soul wherever they walk: ਕਬੀਰ ਮਨੁ ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਭਇਆ ਜੈਸੇ ਗੰਗਾ ਨੀਰੁ ॥ ਪਾਛੈ ਲਾਗੋ ਹਰਿ ਫਿਰੈ ਕਹਤ ਕਬੀਰ ਕਬੀਰ ॥ “Kabir, my mind has become pure, like the waters of the Ganges. Now, God follows along after me, calling out, ‘Kabir! Kabir!’”
CAN SAINTS EXIST?
The question we need to consider is not whether saints can exist, but whether Sikhi authorises us to identify, market, or rank them. Gurbani leaves no ambiguity: the moment spirituality seeks recognition, authority, followers, or titles, ego has already triumphed, and where ego exists, sant‑hood cannot! A true Sant cannot be appointed, advertised, or self‑declared, because the defining feature of sant‑hood is the total annihilation of the self. The Sant does not stand apart from society to be revered; rather, they dissolve so completely into the Divine that no separate identity remains to be elevated.
As for ordinary Sikhs, Gurbani asks us to discover the Divine, or if you like the ‘Sant’ within, and this can only be done through confronting our own ego/haumai. The Guru never redirected Sikhs towards personalities or intermediaries dressed in holy garb, but to the permanently anchored spiritual authority in the Shabad Guru. And as for the true Sant’s, unlike those who are found in and around ‘religious’ places seeking followers, they certainly do exist. But are likely to be unknown, untitled and utterly unconcerned with status, fame or fortune.
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Gurnam Singh is an academic activist dedicated to human rights, liberty, equality, social and environmental justice. He is a Professor of Sociology at University of Warwick, UK. He can be contacted at Gurnam.singh.1@warwick.ac.uk
* This is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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