is it impossible to remain saint in modern times?  

I think it is not possible to remain saint in this modern times... because now times have changed.. and every where you find corruption.. so if you are want to living as a saint then persons don't let you to living in this society.. because it is the need of time to have some strictness.. so it is not possible to remain as a saint in this time..have a nice day and keep mylotting always..

By saints if you mean sanyasis i.e renunciates, who are required to follow vows of celibacy, and the like then there are two things happening now which was not happening in good old times esp.in respect of those saints who had commanded and still do, the respect and reverence of the multitudes.

This was possible because in good old times a person was granted the ochre robes only after a long period of "test". Today we don't even know "who" granted the ochre robes to the present day "sadhus".

A second importnat thing for a sanyasi is: stay at a place more than 3 nights is not advised. They are supposed to be parivrajakas, meaning "wanderers". Even the most controlled could develop all those negative attitudes of the mind like attachment to places and people, if someone remains in continuous contact.
sa~gAt sa~njAyate kAmaH says Krishna in the Gita. Being together or in contact bears the seed of passion/lust. You see the presentday "gurus" have ashrams where they almost live permanently. Having an ashram is ok, but never venturing out of it and having a captive group of followers who keep surrounding them is not very conducive to the dipping of ego, which is the source of the "Atmabala"[or the divinity] of these people.

If you remmeber or have read well, Adi Sankaracharya was always on the move! Even for the disciples he had installed as Pontiffs of Mutts, he established in the four quarters of India, he had prescribed a necessarily wandering ritual. They were supposed to spend only what is called as the Chturmaasya(the four rainy/autumn months at one place).

One thing more: Saints are supposed to spend several hours in solitary meditation(Dhyanayoga). How many of them are doing this as a routine? Solitude is an essential feature of a Saint.

Violating everyone of the above principles nowadays there are a very very few good gurus these days.

Adi Shankaracharya says in his Prashnottaramaalikaa Who is a Guru. One who has had brahma-sAkShAtkAra = if he had had what is called God realization! Do we today have one such Guru? I am asking this question to the Popular Gurus? The New Age ones.

HI smita,

It is a bitter truth now the 'saints' are in news for wrong reasons. If anybody believed those they also think twice to believe these people again. If somebody believes in GOD then I don’t think they need any third party’s help to communicate with GOD. If the trust is strong and true then anybody can worship GOD without the help of a mediator. In fact People are encouraging this ‘saints’ and allow them to take advantages in the name of GOD.