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ON THE USAGE OF THE TERM “SANT MAT” AND THE SANT TULSI SAHIB CONNECTION, by James Bean

Very much like “Buddhism” or “Sufism” are terms used by many to refer to any number of organizations or spiritual paths, “Sant Mat” is a fairly widely used general term for a certain kind of Eastern spirituality, gnosticism or mysticism. Even as there are hundreds of Sufi Orders and diverse forms of Hinduism, there are millions of people and satsangs, thousands of ashrams, and scores of teachers or organizations in, and outside of, India that describe themselves with the label “Sant Mat”.

“Sant Mat” can be defined as: “The Teachings (‘Mat’) of the Saints (‘Sants’) or Sages” or “Path of the Masters”. In India it’s common knowledge that the term “Sant Mat” was coined or adapted by Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras during the 19th-century. “Sant Mat” was adopted and popularized by Tulsi Sahib as a new name for this spiritual path or genre of mysticism, but the Sant tradition, with its many guru-lineages or branches, is a spiritual movement that dates back many centuries to ancient India.

Sants of Antiquity Long Before the Time of Kabir

It’s unknown who the first Sant was in ancient times. There are references in Krishna/Vaishnava texts to Sants. A few of the Rishi Sages who authored certain Upanishads pertaining to the Formless God, Inner Light and Sound Meditation or Nada/Shabda Yoga (some dating back many centuries B.C.E.) also seem to be at the same level as Sants. In somewhat more recent times, in some circles associated with the Tulsi Sahibis, Gorakhnath, a 11th-century Nath Yogi, is considered to be a Sant. Baba Gorakhnath did teach Surat Shabd Yoga. The Kabir Panth tradition of northern Sants includes much Nath Yogi terminology and apparently was somewhat influenced by the Nath tradition. The 15th century poet-mystic and spiritual master Kabir can be credited with helping to expand greatly the influence of the Sants in India, but Kabir was not the first Sant, and it is unknown who his guru was. (Some traditions describe Baba Ramananda as the guru of Kabir, but not everyone agrees with this view.) The first Masters formally called Sants that are usually mentioned in Sant literature are the 12th-century poet Jayadeva, author of the Gita Govinda, and, Visoba Khechar, who was Sant Namdev’s spiritual Master (Sant Satguru).

Seeing references in Krishna/Vaishnava Hindu scriptures, Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras was of the opinion that the Sant movement dates back to the time of Krishna thousands of years ago, that Krishna knew of Sants during his day.

An Example of Sants Mentioned in a Hindu Scripture Called the Bhagavad Purana

“Such individuals who have achieved the unity of atman (soul) and Param-atman (Supreme Soul, God) are known as Sants. According to the Bhagavad Purana there is no one greater than a Sant in the eyes of the Divine. Lord Krishna says to his disciple Uddhava Ji: ‘All devotees like you are very dear to me. They are dearer to me than Lord Brahma, Lord Shankara, my brother Bal Ram, Goddess Lakshmi and even my own soul. Therefore, I walk behind these Sants hoping that the dust arising from their holy feet would touch my body and purify me.’” (Hindu scripture quoted by Swami Vyasanand of the Tulsi Sahib/Maharshi Mehi Sant Mat lineage in his book, “The Inward Journey of the Soul”, new Amazon Kindle e-book)

“There is no end to the number of Sants who appeared in the Yugas [Epochs] of Sat, Treta, Dvapar, and Kali [Yuga]. I sing of the celebrated one I have heard of, and bow my head to all the others.” (Jan Gopal, disciple of Sant Dadu Dayal of Rajasthan in, The Life Story of Dadu Dayal — The Book of Janma, translated into English by the scholar Winand M. Callewaert, in, “The Hindi Biography of Dadu Dayal”, Motilal Banarsidass.)

Of course, mere references to “Sants” in antiquity doesn’t really shed light on the specifics of what their teachings and meditation practices might have been, though it can be said that all the elements of Sant Mat are to be found in various older Hindu scriptures. In the section below titled: Vedic Dharma vs. Santana Dharma, see the link to the research of Maharshi Mehi Paramhans.

Commonly used words like “Sant”, “Sat”, and “Mat”, with their roots in Sanskrit, are found in the literature of many spiritual paths originating in India. “Santmat”, as a single word referring to the efficacy of following the teachings of Sants does turn up on a couple of occasions in Sant literature during the centuries prior to the time of Tulsi Sahib. It is present in a few verses of Kabir, and is in at least one verse of a poem of Sant Goswami Tulsidas, author of the epic Ramcharitmanas: “Ihaan na pachhapaat kachhu raakhaun. Ved puran santmat bhaakhaun”. Clearly however, “Sant Mat” or “Santmat” as the universal name or label for this school of spirituality or Sant tradition begins with Tulsi Sahib during the 19th Century in Hathras, and now has been embraced by millions of souls and scores of spiritual paths based in India.

“The teachings of all Saints are essentially the same. They speak of the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ which is within. They show the path and impart instructions to attain it. They do not claim to teach something new or different from what other Saints have taught. Tulsi Sahab declared that he was giving the same teachings as those of Kabir Sahab, Nanak Sahab, Dadu Sahab and other Saints. Tulsi Sahab, for the first time, used the expression ‘Sant Mat’ or ‘the teachings of Saints’ to stress the basic unity of the teachings of all Saints.” (From the entry for Sant Tulsi Sahib in, “RadhaSoami White Paper on the Religion of Sants and RadhaSoami Faith”, published by Dayal Bagh in Agra)

“While the title of Sant Mat (translated as ‘Teachings of the Sants’) was not coined until the late 19th century by Tulsi Sahib, the philosophical mindset was indeed prevalent for many centuries.” (Andrea Diem-Lane, Ph.D., “Lions in the Punjab: An Introduction to the Sikh Religion”, from Chapter One, The Sikh — Sant Connection)

Param Tulsi Sahib of Hathras originated the term “Sant Mat” as recorded in the Ghat Ramayan also according to the scholar Parashuram Chaturvedi in his book “Sant Parampara”, cited by Mark Juergensmeyer. (See footnote 23, in the chapter titled, “The Radhasoami Revival”, by Mark Juergensmeyer, on page 337 in, “The Sants, Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India”, Edited by Karine Schomer and W.H. McLeod, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1987)

“One thing that all factions agree upon, though, is that Tulsi Sahib consolidated the teachings of nirguna bhakti, expounded the path of surat shabd yoga, and was largely responsible for the popular usage of the term Sant mat. His teachings are embodied in Ghat Ramayana, Ratan Sagar, and Shabdavali.” (David C. Lane, “The Radhasoami Tradition, A Critical History of Guru Successorship”, Garland Publishing, 1992 edition, page 39)

“Tulsi Sahib, for the first time, used the expression ‘Sant Mat’ or ‘teachings of Saints’ to stress the basic unity of the teachings of all Saints. Swami Ji later adopted the same expression, ‘Sant Mat’, in his works.” (Janak Raj Puri and V. K. Sethi, “Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras”, 1981 edition, Mystics of the East Series, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Book Department, page 18)

“For all the religious traditions of India, the nineteenth-century was an age of rationalistic reform, during which the attempt was made to systematize beliefs and make practices consistent with doctrines. Tulsi Sahib of Hathras (ca 1760–1843) was at once heir to certain esoteric tendencies in later Sant tradition and a precursor of the new spirit. Stressing the unity of the Sants as a parampara, he taught what he believed to be the common core of doctrines implicit in all the Sants (‘sant mat’), and tried to reverse the spread of saguna beliefs and practices among the followers of nirguna panths. Heavily indebted to him was Shiv Dayal Singh (1818–1878), founder of the modern Radhasoami movement.” (Karine Schomer, “The Sants”, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, page 7)

“Tulsi Sahib, a Sant of Hathras from the nineteenth century, recognized that Sants drew upon the teachings of other Sant figures as spiritual resources. Pointing out the common spiritual roots, he identified this movement as a coherent religious tradition, which he called ‘Sant Mat’, simply meaning a ‘Sant faith’.” (Andrea Diem-Lane, “The Gnostic Mystery, a Connection Between Ancient and Modern Mysticism”, Mount San Antonio College Press, Walnut, CA, 1992 edition, page, 29)

Said Tulsi Sahib: “The principles and tenets of Sant Mat are one and the same, only there is a difference in terminology. Since the same principles have been stated using different names, you become confused and do not understand them. Sat Saheb, that is, Sat Purush, has been described as Sat Nam. And Sar Shabd (True Shabd) has been called A-Nam. The name Nirgun has been given to Niranjan and it is the mind which has been called Ram. What Kabir had said, has been said by other Sants, too. Kabir explained Sant Mat in his own way, other Sants in other ways. The religion of all those who have gained access within is one and the same. Those who lack true understanding, adhere to dogmas and blind beliefs. Those who have spoken on the basis of inner experiences, have sung of the same Panth or path for reaching the Lord.”

“Listen, O Phool Das, I have given out the same true secrets which Sants like Kabir Saheb, Dadu Saheb, Rai Das Ji, Darya Saheb, Guru Nanak, Soor Das Ji, Nabha Ji and Mira Bai have spoken of. They, too, have composed similar hymns describing the bliss of the highest spiritual region, whose glory I also have sung, blessed by the grace and the dust of the holy feet of Sants”. (Ghat Ramayan, “Param Sant Tulsi Sahib”, translated by Sant Das Maheshwari, Agra)

– Excerpted from my article, The Origins of Sant Mat, The Five Names, and the Identity of Tulsi Sahib’s Guru:
http://SantMatRadhasoami.Blogspot.com/2015/11/the-origins-of-sant-mat-five-names-and.html