INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

GRACED GUIDES
Whereas the above-mentioned categories of performers imply occupational posts,
giani is an honorary title conferred to a person who has pursued and possesses
knowledge (gian) of Guru Granth Sahib, usually a religious scholar or learned exegete
who may work as a teacher for others. A granthi may be titled knowledgeable (giani)
by community members, but far from all considered giani will go into the vocational
field. The knowledge signified in this context does not merely involve intellectual
understanding pursued through studies or training, but spiritual insights that have
evolved from intense religious practices. When local people attempt to verify the giani
status of a particular person they often refer to his or her proven dedication to Guru
Granth Sahib which grants powers to provide other people religious guidance. A
middle-aged Sikh man, for instance, authenticated the giani status of his late father by
relating how he was immersed in recitation and contemplation on gurbani for sixteen
hours a day, in other words, all waking hours in a day. By internalizing the words of
the Sikh scripture his father was graced with power to guide others and even foresaw
his own death.
Another epithet used for a pious and deeply religious man is the term sant,
which etymologically is derived from the Sanskrit word for “truth” (sat) and signifies
a person who has achieved knowledge and a state of spiritual advancement. Historically
the word sant designated enlightened poet-saints in different bhakti groups of
India who attracted believers with various degrees of formal organization. Within the
Sikh tradition the word came to assume wider connotations in the twentieth century,
referring to men who have gained reputation for their piety and religious preaching
as well as preservers of Punjabi heroic traditions and political leaders. 368 In local usage
the term sant however seems to be more restricted to men or a collective group of
people (sant log) who are reputed for their extraordinary spiritual knowledge and live
as moral exemplars for others. By devotion and spiritual pursues people believe they
obtain spiritual powers (siddh) which can be used to benefit others. Several of my
interlocutors in Varanasi characterized sants as humble and simple living individuals
who had developed a close relationship with God and therefore possessed powers to
mediate and draw other devotees closer to the teaching of the Sikh Gurus. One Sikh
family asserted that a modern sant of Punjab had on a visit in the city cured a young
girl from cancer by providing her a particular hymn from the Guru Granth Sahib to
listen to. The family maintained that only gurbani has healing powers, but the sant
possessed knowledge to select the particular hymn to make the girl well. People may
speak of a sant as if he indeed was a personal Guru, even if most still maintain the
delicate distinction between the concept of a sant and that of a Guru. The former term
denotes a high grade of spiritual progression of a human who has been graced with
knowledge to mediate the true essence of gurbani ‒ the present Guru ‒ and thus can
be seen as the perfected devotee in service of the Guru and the community. A com-
368
For the pan-Indian understanding of the term sant, see Schomer & McLeod 1987. For a Sikh
interpretation of the word, consult McLeod 2000: 157.
191
Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008