What is the difference between Rishi, Maharishi, Muni, Sadhu and Saint?

In India, sages have had special importance since ancient times because they were considered the guides of the society. Rishis and sages used to work for social welfare on the basis of their knowledge and penance and freed people from problems.Even today, many saints and sages can be seen in pilgrimage sites, forests and mountains. But do you know that sages, saints, sages, maharishis etc. are all different. Because most people understand their meaning to be the same. Let us tell you today what is the difference between Rishi, Maharishi, Muni, Sadhu and Saint and what are the beliefs about them…

Rishi
Rishi is a word of Vedic Sanskrit language. Only the authors of Vedic hymns have the status of sages. A sage is considered to have a high level of learning and understanding due to hundreds of years of tapas or meditation. In the Vedic period, all the sages came from householder ashrams. There is no restriction on the sage regarding anger, greed, attachment, ego and jealousy etc. nor is there any mention of any kind of restraint.The sage used to attain God through his yoga and helped all his disciples attain enlightenment. They were able to see physical matter as well as the energy hidden behind it. There is mention of seven sages in our Puranas, which are Ketu, Pulah, Pulastya, Atri, Angira, Vashishtha and Bhrigu.

Maharishi
A person who has reached the highest level of knowledge and penance is called Maharishi. Only Brahmarshi are considered above these. Everyone has three types of eyes. He is the eye of knowledge, the divine eye and the supreme eye. One whose eye of knowledge is awakened is called a sage. The one whose divine eye is awakened is called a Maharishi and the one whose supreme eye is awakened is called Brahmarishi.The last Maharishi was Dayanand Saraswati, who understood and interpreted the basic mantras. After this till date no person has become a Maharishi. Maharshi becomes detached from attachment and illusion and surrenders himself to God.

Saint
The person who does sadhana is called a sadhu. There is no need to be a scholar to be a saint because anyone can do sadhana. In ancient times, many people used to meditate on some subject either away from the society or while living in the society and gained special knowledge from it. Many times the word ‘sadhu’ is also used to differentiate between a good and a bad person.The reason for this is that through spiritual practice a person becomes straightforward, simple and positive thinking. Also he is always ahead to help people. Sathu means a gentleman in Sanskrit and its best meaning is that one gives up the six vices i.e. lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and lust. One who renounces all this is given the title of a saint.

Saint
The word ‘Sant’ is derived from the Sanskrit words ‘shant’ (peace) and ‘balance’ (balance). A saint is a person who practices truth and is enlightened. Like- Saint Kabirdas, Saint Tulsidas, Saint Ravidas. A devotee of God or a religious man is also called a saint. Many sages and saints cannot become saints because they leave their family and go to attain salvation, which means that they are living in extremes.The person who maintains a balance between worldly and spirituality is called a saint. Spontaneity resides in a calm nature within a saint. Being a saint is both a virtue and a qualification.

Muni
The word Muni means silence i.e. peace i.e. those who are sages speak very little. Sages take an oath of silence and acquire knowledge of the Vedas and scriptures. Those sages who attained spiritual practice and remained silent were given the status of sages. Some sages had the status of sages who chanted God and meditated on Narayana, such as Narada Muni. The sages chant mantras and create a business store with their knowledge.Sages compose scriptures and show the way for the welfare of the society. The person who, along with silent meditation, eats one meal once and has 28 virtues, is called a sage.