For the human mind to understand the scriptures we first must be introduced to the deepest knowledge of the world; the existance of Divine personalities. This planet is highly populated with Humans, no big secret. However we must understand our nature as humans as the unarguable fact that our minds are week, ignorant, and confused about Divine Things. All true knowledge of the scriptures, God, and His powers and past times is all Divine knowledge and the true essence of it stays within the realm of Divine, outside the human understanding. The human mind is material, made of the particles of matter to control the biological workings of the body, to take in sence information which is also material, and to relate to the world on a material level. Just like a computer cannot smell your perfume or do anything outside of it's programming. Our minds on their own cannot go beyond that material level of consciousness, not without help.
So if the human mind cannot grasp or understand the Divine, then all scripture and "word" of God, remains there in the Divine until a Divine personality (also called a Saint or Sage) decends to interpret the Divine knowledge, and impart His grace and Wisdom on the deserving Souls. This is what determins the proper teachings and revelation of all Divine Scriptures. The Hindu scriptures speak deeply of this relationship with the souls upon this earth and decensions of Divine Personalities. It stresses the need for spiritual aspirants to seek out the association of a Guru and surrender unto Him, who is a Divine personality, fit with a Divine mind to help one understand the scriptures, the path to Divine Love, and receive the vision of Godhead.
So where are these Saints and where do they come from. I would say the majority of the Saints are born in India, although a few Divine personalities have been born in America and other countries. However, you must look at the big pictures. All Divine Saints and Sages are decended souls from the Heavenly abodes, who throughout past lifetimes of great service and Surrender to God, has purified their own souls and have left the cycle of birth and taken their rightfull places in Heaven. By choice and spiritual nature to reveal Divine knowledge, they decend unto Earth when the time is right for their birth. Now if you were in Heaven and were to ascend upon the earth to teach, you would preferable pick the most appropriate place where your teachings will be appreciated and acknowledged. Where you could be of the greatest advantage to those souls who are already practicing Divine Love Consciousness. This decension place has for the majority of the last 5000 years, been Bharatvarsh (India).
The nature of a Saint is pure Divine Love. They decend upon this earth to reveal the Divine scriptures to deserving souls, to impart them with the truth of Divine Love Consciousness of our Beloved Lord, and to provide them with the means and ways of reaching perfection and Godhead. The personality of a Saint is purley Divine and cannot be interpreted by our material minds.
Although no Saint represents himself as a Saint, it is only His disciples and the devotees (society) that revealed His Divine personality to the world. A true Saint has no motivation in life other than to impart His Divine Love to a deserving soul. A true Saint is humble in His nature and every word He utters is filled with Divine Love for God. A true devotee or pious soul will immediatley recognize a Saint once he is in His presence, because a Saint is not a normal person but a decended Divine personality that radiats Divine Love and Bliss wherever He goes. Many Saints throughout the History of the planet have been said to Glow with a Heavenly Presence, and all Saints are joyous and filled with God's presence.
The powers of a Saint are Divine and miraculous, although by their Humble nature, are never revealed to a non-devotee. The power of blissfullness and Divine grace are however imparted on all souls seeking His association and Love. A Saint is a genius (Latin for Guardian Spirit), not only of Divine things but of both material and social things because His Divine mind is far beyond the reach of confusion and ignorance.
The intellectual skills of a Saint are easily seen in His youth as all Saints are masters of the Scriptures by very young ages.
