Great Saints of India

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Saints, broadly speaking, are all people who follow Jesus Christ and live their lives according to His teaching. Catholics, however, also use the term more narrowly to refer to especially holy men and women who, by persevering in the Christian Faith and living extraordinary lives of virtue, have already entered Heaven. The word saint comes from the Latin sanctus and literally means "holy." Throughout the New Testament, saint is used to refer to all who believe in Jesus Christ and who followed His teachings. Saint Paul often addresses his epistles to "the saints of a particular city. Very early on, however, the meaning of the word began to change. As Christianity began to spread, it became clear that some Christians lived lives of extraordinary, or heroic, virtue, beyond that of the average Christian believer. While other Christians struggled to live out the gospel of Christ, these particular Christians were eminent examples of the moral virtues (or cardinal virtues), and they easily practiced the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity and exhibited the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Mataji Shelley Devi is a sannyasini, a writer, a teacher and a social worker, she has been studying and practicing Vedic philosophy and sadhana since 1970.In 1978 she moved into an ashram to engage exclusively in the study and practice of Vedic spirituality. She has actively worked at the translation and publication of the literary works of the founder or the movement, as well as at the personal service of the Deities in the temple and in preaching especially through radio programs at Radio Krishna Centrale. She has translated and compiled many religious and spiritual texts, regularly publishes articles and discussions on Internet and corresponds with her students of various nationalities.

Saints, broadly speaking, are all people who follow Jesus Christ and live their lives according to His teaching. Catholics, however, also use the term more narrowly to refer to especially holy men and women who, by persevering in the Christian Faith and living extraordinary lives of virtue, have already entered Heaven. The word saint comes from the Latin sanctus and literally means "holy." Throughout the New Testament, saint is used to refer to all who believe in Jesus Christ and who followed His teachings. Saint Paul often addresses his epistles to "the saints" of a particular city.

Very early on, however, the meaning of the word began to change. As Christianity began to spread, it became clear that some Christians lived lives of extraordinary, or heroic, virtue, beyond that of the average Christian believer. While other Christians struggled to live out the gospel of Christ, these particular Christians were eminent examples of the moral virtues (or cardinal virtues), and they easily practiced the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity and exhibited the gifts of the Holy Spiritin their lives. The word saint, previously applied to all Christian believers, became more narrowly applied to such people, who were venerated after their deaths as saints, usually by the members of their local church or the Christians in the region where they had lived, because they were familiar with their good deeds. Eventually, the Catholic Church created a process, called canonization, through which such venerable people could be recognized as saints by all Christians everywhere.

There is no formal canonization process in Hinduism, but over time many men and women have reached the status of saints among their followers and among Hindus in general. Hindu saints have often renounced the world, and are variously called gurus, sadhus, rishis, swamis, and other names. Many people conflate the terms "saint" and "sant", because of their similar meanings. The term sant is a Sanskrit word "which differs significantly from the false cognate, 'saint..." Traditionally, "sant" referred to devotional Bhakti poet-saints of two groups: Vaishnava and a group that is referred to as "nirguna bhakti". Some Hindu saints are given god like status, being seen as incarnations of Vishnu, Shiva, and other aspects of God, sometimes many years after their deaths. This explains another common name for Hindu saints, "godmen". Hindu saints have come from many walks of life including the blind (Bhima Bhoi, Surdas, and Tulsidas), orphaned (Andal, Kabir), former criminals (Kaladutaka Valmiki) and former concubines (Kanhopatra and Shatakopa).

A saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness or likeness or closeness to God. Depending on the context and denomination, the term also retains its original Christian meaning, as any believer who is "in Christ" and in whom Christ dwells, whether in Heaven or on Earth. In Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, and Lutheran doctrine, all of their faithful deceased in Heaven are considered to be saints, but some are considered worthy of greater honor or emulation; official ecclesiastical recognition, and consequently veneration, is given to some saints through the process of canonization in the Catholic Church or glorification in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

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