Santmat, translated variously as The Point of View of Sants, Teachings of Mystics, or the Way of Sages etc. has a long history of its own. References to it may be found even in Goswami Tulsidas ji's Ram Charit Manas:

"Ihaan na pacchapaat kachhu raakhaun |

Ved puraan santmat bhaakhaun ||"

[Here we don't entertain any sort of partisan attitude; we state the ideas contained within Vedas, Purans and Santmat].

What we call as `sants' in modern times were known as `rishis' of Vedic age. Some regard Lord Buddha as the first sant of modern times. Kabir Sahab, Guru Nanak Sahab, Goswami Tulsidas ji, Sant Mira Bai, Sant Surdas ji, Sant Ravidas ji, Sant Dadu Dayalji, Sant Paltoo Sahab, Sant Dariya Sahab, Sant Charandas ji, Sant Sahjo Bai, Sant Tukaram ji, Sant Namdev ji etc are only a few of sants to name that belonged to modern times. But the formal usage of the term `Santmat' is traced to Sant Tulsi Sahab of Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. Subsequently, several branches of Santmat came into existence such as those after the names of Sant Radhaswami of Agra, Baba Devi Sahab of Muradabad, Baba Jaimal Singh of Beas (Radhaswami Satsang (Beas)) etc. all of which have played key roles in propagating the ideals of Santmat to the different parts of the world.

Maharshi Mehi {Paramhans ji Maharaj (28.04.1885 – 08.06.1986)}, one of the most eminent disciples of Baba Devi Sahab, was one of the greatest ever exponents of Santmat. His greatest contribution was that he very meticulously & diligently examined the quintessence, the underlying postulates of Vedas, Upanishads, Shrimad Bhagwad Gita, literature of various sants, commentary of contemporaries such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekanand etc., and came up with a sound conclusion that there is no inconsonance whatsoever between the wisdom of the Ancient Scriptures and the Sermons and discourses of modern saints, that both unequivocally convey the same central idea or message. He wrote several books to lend credence to his inferences.

As the gist of the whole of his intensive research into literature and his own direct experience, he made a loud & confident proclamation that the scriptures and saints are essentially in unison and that any view to the contrary is wholly unfounded and worthy of rejection. He firmly opines that one has to accept the Upanishads as the base, the foundation of the Santmat because the most sublime and the loftiest of the techniques of meditation known as Naadaanusandhaan or Surat Shabd Yoga (The Yoga of Divine Sound) in which Santmat takes utmost pride, have been scintillating in all their splendour resting, since times immemorial, on this very terra firma called the Upanishads.

Thus, the greatest and most unique contribution of Maharshi Mehi was that he brought together, bridged the gulf that had come to separate not only the Holy Scriptures and the Santmat but also the different traditions or sects of sants from each other.

He very diligently drafted the definition and principles of Santmat which are included in his book "Mehi Padavali" consisting of his own compositions mostly in verse form. Presented below is an English translation of the definition and principle of Santmat, as drafted by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans ji Maharaj, excerpted from his above book.

-Translated by Pravesh K. Singh 

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sant_santati
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/praveshksingh ).

Definition:

· `Shanti' or phonetically`Shaanti' , (meaning `Peace') is defined as stillness, equability, calmness, or motionlessness.

· Those who have attained `shaanti' are called sants.

·The views or the virtuous ways of sages are known as `Santmat'.

· The urge or impetus to acquire `shaanti' is so natural to human heart. Inspired by the same urge, the `rishis' or sages (who are said to have visualised the mantras - which were later compiled in the form of Vedas & Upanishads - during their meditation) in ancient times, made all-out attempts in search of `shaanti' and described the ideas or ways to obtain it (`shaanti') in Upanishads for the beneficence of common people. Sants such as Kabir Sahab, Guru Nanak Sahab etc. also expounded thoughts or ideas resembling or identical to these (ideas expressed in the Upanishads) in their local languages such as Bhaaratee (Hindi), Punjabi etc. These very ideas or thoughts are termed as `Santmat'. However, the sacred verses of the Upanishads particularly have to be acknowledged to be the basic foundation or the bedrock of the Santmat, for the highest knowledge or wisdom and the precise principal means to attain that wisdom namely, the 'naadanusandhaan' or 'surat shabd yoga' (the subtler and the subtlest meditation of Santmat, in which the practitioner meditates upon the Divine Sound/Vibration that springs directly from the God), in which Santmat takes so much of pride have been dazzling brilliantly eked or engraved on this very terra firma since times immemorial. Because of the appearance of sants in different times (ages) and different countries, and because of different nomenclatures of Santmat sects after the different names of these sants by their followers, the views of sant might appear to be different or separate from each other. However, if the views of all the sants are analysed dispassionately, discarding the grosser & outer drapes or coverings and the sectarian thoughts, and the essence of the teachings of sants is gleaned or extracted, it would emerge that there is an essential underlying unity in the views of all the sants (of all times, of all regions & of all religions the world over).