Within the Sant milieu that emphasizes inner devotion and a turn away from mere ritual, several figures stand out alongside Kabir and Namdev. Ravidas (Raidas), a saint-poet from the leather-worker community, is remembered for devotional hymns that stress inner purity and the radical equality of all devotees, regardless of caste or social standing. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, also moves within this broad current: his teachings focus on devotion to the one formless Reality, the rejection of empty ritualism, and the insistence that authentic spirituality transcends social divisions. Dadu Dayal of Rajasthan similarly embodies this spirit, teaching nirguṇa bhakti, compassion, and non-sectarianism, and giving rise to the Dadu Panth as a living vehicle for these insights.

Other figures often associated with this devotional stream deepen and diversify its expression. Mirabai, the Rajput princess-saint, pours her inner devotion into songs of intense love for Krishna, giving voice to a bhakti that is at once deeply personal and socially defiant. Tulsidas, though primarily known for his Rāma-bhakti and the Ramcharitmanas, shares with the Sants a critique of hollow ritual and caste pretensions, and thus participates in the same reformist devotional ethos. Surdas, the blind poet-saint devoted to Krishna, and Sena Nhavi, the barber-saint who underscores that devotion is open to all, further illustrate how spiritual authority in this tradition often arises from marginalized or unexpected social locations.

In the Marathi-speaking world, figures such as Jñāneśvar (Jñānadeva), Eknath, Tukaram, and Chokhamela are frequently linked with the Sant label or seen as close kin to it. Jñāneśvar and Eknath bridge learned commentary and heartfelt devotion, making scriptural wisdom accessible while affirming the primacy of inner experience. Tukaram, through his abhangas, carries forward themes associated with Namdev, highlighting the immediacy of personal devotion and the presence of the Divine in everyday life. Chokhamela, from a marginalized caste background, embodies the Sant insistence that spiritual realization is not the preserve of social elites but is available wherever sincere devotion takes root.

Within the northern stream, later figures such as Sundardas and Malukdas continue the Sant critique of externalism. Sundardas, as a disciple of Dadu Dayal, is known for philosophical poetry that reflects on formless devotion and the inner path. Malukdas likewise uses verse to challenge ritualism and to call seekers back to direct, experiential engagement with the Divine. Taken together, these figures reveal a wide yet coherent constellation: poets, commentators, and mystics who, in different regions and idioms, converge on the same central insight that the heart’s inward turning is the true locus of bhakti.