what is the difference between the Guru and a true saint. does a true saint can not be your Guru?

Answer 1

A Guru:

Gur Dhobi Sikh Kapda, Saboo Sirjan Har |
Surti Sila Pur Dhoiye, Nikse Jyoti Apaar ||

Meaning:
Guru the washer man, disciple is the cloth. The name of God liken to the soap. Wash the mind on foundation firm to realize the glow of Truth.

And
A Saint:
According to Mahan Kosh (P. 243) the term 'Sant' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Saant' or 'Shaant', meaning spiritually poised i.e. keeping mental as well as physical feelings under control.
Twenty-four hours a day, he knows the Lord to be near at hand; he surrenders to the Sweet Will of God. The One Name is the Support of the Saints; they remain the dust of the feet of all. Their company is cherished even by the gods and the angels. Blessed is their Darshan, and fruitful is their service. With his palms pressed together, Nanak offers his prayer: O Lord, Treasure of Excellence, please bless me with the service of the Saints.

Saint are free they always think of god and it is very difficult to persue a saint to be your guru. Although, guru is also saint, but a saint can only be persued by the will of GOD.

Answer 2

"Saint" means different things to different people. I think that the meaning you mean is an enlightened man or woman.
Guru means a spiritual teacher who one devotes their life to. So if you are going to devote your life to a Guru, that person should be a saint, or enlightened being. For example, Ramakrishna was a Guru and also a saint. Nissargadatta, Vivekenanda etc are other examples of Guru/saints.

Answer 3

A true Saint:

" a highly elevated pure devotee, sees the lord everywhere, as well as within the heart of everyone. this is possible for devotees who have developed elevated devotional service to the lord. As stated in the brahma-samhita (5.38),
premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena: Only those who have smeared their eyes with the ointment of love of godhead can see everywhere the supreme lord face to face; it is not possible by imagination or so-called meditation."

Premanja-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santa-sadaiva-hrdyesu-vilokayanti
yam syamasundaram..

See the mentioning of the word santa - saint by Lord Brahma, intermediary creator of this creation himself saying that one whose eyes are anointed with the ointment of loving devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is a santa - saint......

GURU:

"In the Padma Purāṇa, the characteristics of the guru, the bona fide spiritual master, have been described:

mahā-bhāgavata-śreṣṭho brāhmaṇo vai gurur nṛṇām
sarveṣām eva lokānām asau pūjyo yathā hariḥ
mahā-kula-prasūto 'pi sarva-yajñeṣu dīkṣitaḥ
sahasra-śākhādhyāyī ca na guruḥ syād avaiṣṇavaḥ

The guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class. The first-class devotee is the spiritual master for all kinds of people. It is said, gurur nṛṇām. The word nṛṇām means "of all human beings." The guru is not limited to a particular group. It is stated in the Upadeśāmṛta of Rūpa Gosvāmī that a guru is a gosvāmī, a controller of the senses and the mind. Such a guru can accept disciples from all over the world. Pṛthivīḿ sa śiṣyāt. This is the test of the guru.

In India there are many so-called gurus, and they are limited to a certain district or a province. They do not even travel about India, yet they declare themselves to be jagad-guru, the guru of the whole world. Such cheating gurus should not be accepted. Anyone can see how the bona fide spiritual master accepts disciples from all over the world. The guru is a qualified brāhmaṇa; therefore he knows Brahman and Parabrahman. He thus devotes his life for the service of Parabrahman. The bona fide spiritual master who accepts disciples from all over the world is also worshiped all over the world because of his qualities. Lokānām asau pūjyo yathā hariḥ: the people of the world worship him just as they worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All these honors are offered to him because he strictly follows the brahminical principles and teaches these principles to his disciples. Such a person is called an ācārya because he knows the principles of devotional service, he behaves in that way himself, and he teaches his disciples to follow in his footsteps. Thus he is an ācārya or jagad-guru. Even though a person is born in a brahminical family and is very expert in performing sacrifices, he cannot be accepted as a guru if he is not a strict Vaiṣṇava. A guru is a brāhmaṇa by qualification, and he can turn others into brāhmaṇas according to the śāstric principles and brahminical qualifications.
Brahmanism is not a question of heredity. In ŚrÄ«mad-Bhāgavatam (7.11.35) ŚrÄ« Nārada Muni tells Mahārāja YudhisÌ£tÌ£hira what a brāhmanÌ£a is. He states that if brahminical qualifications are observed in ksÌ£atriyas, vaiśyas or even śūdras, one should accept them as brāhmanÌ£as. In this regard, ŚrÄ«la ŚrÄ«dhara SvāmÄ« has commented: śamādibhir eva brāhmaṇādi-vyavahāro mukhyahÌ£, na jāti-mātrādÄ«ty āha — yasyeti. yad yadi anyatra varṇāntare 'pi dṛśyeta, tad-varṇāntaraḿ tenaiva laksÌ£anÌ£a-nimittenaiva varnÌ£ena vinirdiśet, na tu jāti-nimittenety arthahÌ£: "The most important criterion for deciding whether to deal with someone as a brāhmanÌ£a or as a member of another varnÌ£a is the presence or absence of self-control and similar brahminical qualities. We should not judge primarily according to superficial characteristics like birth. This is stated in the verse beginning yasya [Bhāg. 7.11.35]. If the qualities of one varnÌ£a are seen in someone born in another, he should be designated according to the varnÌ£a of his qualities, not that of his birth."

There is a similar statement made by Nīlakaṇṭha, a commentator on the Mahābhārata: śūdro 'pi śamādy-upeto brāhmaṇa eva brāhmaṇo 'pi kāmādy-upetaḥ śūdra eva. "Although one may be born in a śūdra family, if he is endowed with the brahminical qualities, beginning with śama [control of the mind], he is to be accepted as a brāhmaṇa. Although one may be born in a brāhmaṇa family, if he is endowed with the qualities beginning with kāma [lust], he is to be considered a śūdra." No one should present himself as a brāhmaṇa simply on the basis of being born in a brahminical family. One must be qualified by the brahminical qualities mentioned in the śāstras, particularly the Bhagavad-gītā (18.42):

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaḿ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
jñānaḿ vijñānam āstikyaḿ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam

"Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness — these are the natural qualities by which the brāhmanÌ£as work."

Unless one is qualified with all these attributes, he cannot be accepted as a brāhmaṇa. It is not a question of simply taking birth in a brāhmaṇa family. In this regard, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura remarks that Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and Śyāmānanda Gosvāmī, although not born in brāhmaṇa families, are accepted as bona fide spiritual masters because they were brāhmaṇas by qualification. Personalities like Śrī Gańgā-nārāyaṇa, Rāmakṛṣṇa and many others, who were actually born in brāhmaṇa families, accepted Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and Śyāmānanda Gosvāmī as their spiritual masters.
When one has attained the topmost position of mahā-bhāgavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru. However, if one is highly qualified but is not a Vaiṣṇava, he cannot be accepted as a guru. One cannot be a brāhmaṇa unless one is a Vaiṣṇava. If one is a Vaiṣṇava, he is already a brāhmaṇa. If a guru is completely qualified as a Vaiṣṇava, he must be accepted as a brāhmaṇa even if he is not born in a brāhmaṇa family.
The caste system method of distinguishing a brāhmaṇa by birth is not acceptable when applied to a bona fide spiritual master. A spiritual master is a qualified brāhmaṇa and ācārya. If one is not a qualified brāhmaṇa, he is not expert in studying the Vedic literatures. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau. Every Vaiṣṇava is a spiritual master, and a spiritual master is automatically expert in brahminical behavior. He also understands the Vedic śāstras.

Similarly, a disciple's qualifications must be observed by the spiritual master before he is accepted as a disciple. ......"

So, that is the difference between a Guru and a saint. Actually a true saint is also a guru. In absolute platform, there is no difference. But a guru can accept disciples and has a big responsibility of sending all of his disciples back to the Land of SriKrishna, Goloka Vrindavana, the HeadQuarters of Vaikunta

Regards,
Srinivas Kumar
www. radhashyamsundar.com
www.folknet.in

Answer 4

Only a true saint can be somebody's Guru because he has been through everything and reached that destination which the saadhak aspires to reach

Answer 5

Saints are -

The real saints conceal themselves. We have to have eyes to spot them. Real saints do not grow like mushrooms in a forest...they are very very rare. If you are attracted to a real saint, you will know it in a way that you know your own mother. That is the kind of familiarity that people have with a real saint. A sincere teacher may not have that kind of quality...but he/she will be kind and sober-minded and humble and good. Mahapurush like Swami Vivekananda, Ramana Maharishi, Aurobindo, etc, are true Saints. Saints renounce everything in life and do not have any attachments.

Whereas a GURU is A mere teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters. Some Gurus are turned out to be fake and freak with some ulterior motive. We should have eyes for Spotting such gurus and move with them carefully. -