Who is a saint?

A saint is one who has attained supreme knowledge and become one with the Eternal. Due to his or her holy conduct, exemplary life of universal love and spiritual preachings, people become his devotees and feel initiated as disciples. But he is not necessarily canonised as a 8216;saint8217;. It is not like a university degree where he is certified. Jnyaneshwar and his family were ostracised and were denied the rite of the Brahmin8217;s sacred thread ceremony but the learned priests and authorities could not prevent him from becoming the greatest saint of Maharashtra. A saint becomes a saint when he worships God, becomes one with the Infinite either through Karma Yoga, humanitarian service or Jyan Yoga. He is not 8216;made8217; a saint. Wisdom and self realisation are not the monopoly of high priests or pontiffs.

We usually expect saints to perform miracles. But saints refrain from doing so unless it is inevitable. But many believe that by their yogic powers they have even brought dead persons back to life. Many a time it is due to God8217;s intervention, grace and help that miracles have rescued and saved the saints from difficulties and false allegations. Some have miraculously even merged with God as in the case of Sant Sakhu and Andal. Miracles are God8217;s benedictions on saints which leave the onlookers amazed. It is the firm faith and belief in Him that compels the superhuman power to rush to the saint8217;s aid. But, as Guru Nanak said, he was no wonder-worker and the only miracle he had was the Name of the Lord.

Saints by their greatness have inspired people. They never believed in rituals, sacrifices and fastidious religious ceremonies. Neither did saints say that one should retire to the forest and lead a life of a recluse to attain God. Gora Kumbhar, Tukaram and countless others like Thiruvalluvar and Vasuki who led the householder8217;s life, had attained God.

Again, some saints followed Shaivism, some Vaishnavism, Sufism, Virashaivism, mysticism and so on. Some worshipped God in the Nirguna formless way, some as Saguna, with form. But the sum total of their teachings and their experiences told us that there was only one Infinite Supreme God or Reality which was called by many names and that all the diverse paths led us to the same Ultimate Goal. Guru Nanak had said 8216;8216;Truth is above everything else and above truth is truthful living8217;8217;. In the words of Sri Ramakrishna 8216;8216;Saints are like big steamships which not only cross the ocean themselves but carry many passengers to the other shore.8217;8217;

Extracted from 8216;Rosary of Saints8217;, BVB 2004