Dadupanth, Varkari
Panth, or Nanak Panth—an ancient name for the Sikh community that has simply
been shortened to "Panth" by current Sikhs—are examples of general
terms used for a specific religious group.
The term is derived from the Sanskrit word for
"way," and it is used figuratively to refer to a set pattern of
thinking and conduct, frequently anchored in a specific individual's teachings.
There is some semantic overlap between the phrases panth and
sampraday, which both refer to religious societies, and there is no
hard-and-fast rule that distinguishes the two.
However, panth is more usually connected with movements in
the sant religious tradition that inclined toward revolt against the reigning
religious establishment, while sampraday is more frequently ascribed to
organizations that emerged inside these established religious communities.
