How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
16.06.2025 10:46
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
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ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Why is Trump so disliked worldwide?
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Now here in this verse
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Do crossdressers like wearing pantyliners and tampons in their butts?
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
How far back into your childhood can your remember and what is your favorite memory of that time?
As mentioned above Guru Arjan Dev was talking from the perspective Sant Kabir whose views we have discussed much earlier here. We know that Sant Kabir continuing in the Ramanandi Sampradaya went further away from the mainstream ritualistic Hinduism and was journeying more towards a SEAMLESS Dharma.
Actually, this part of the Ang 326 is widely used by McSikhs to show that Sikhism considers Hindu pilgrimages as useless and thus drives home the point again that the “religion” has got NOTHING to do with Hinduism.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Ramanandacharya’s teachings were centered on pure and personal connection with the God Rama and didn’t believe in any kind of formal ritualism. He used the common vernacular language instead of Sanskrit so that everyone could understand.
Why is my ex still keeping in touch with me even though she dumped me?
Sain (a barber)
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
What are some good inspirational movies?
I am like a fish out of water,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
What is the Replika app, and how does it work?
Guru Nanak (right) and Bhai Mardana (foreground) with Bhagat Kabir (left). This painting is found in the B-40 Janamsakhi, written and painted in 1733. The painting was made by Alam Chand Raj
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Which city should one visit between Nice and Cannes? Why?
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
We can see that great saints like Kabir and Ravidas etc… descended from the Ramananda sampradaya which is still the largest ascetic order in India.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
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I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
For him Dharma was beyond everything physical including the desire for heaven because was fully into the NIRGUN . The last verse shows that according to him the company of the enlightened Sadhus is heaven which is again a typical teaching of Sanatana Dharma.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Kabir (a weaver)
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Bhakti movement began in South (Tamil Nadu to be precise) and slowly spread to Northern parts of India. This movement was extremely popular because of its simple fundamentals which could be understood by even commonfolk. Vaishnavism, Shaivism etc… were already connecting with commonfolk from a long time and this Bhakti movement reinforced it by making the devotee feel a personal connection with the deity.
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ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
The views of Kabir are very much in parallel to the Advaita philosophy and it is obvious that as the disciple of Ramanandacharya he will carry forward with his chosen NIRGUN BHAKTI.
The influence of Kabir is significant on Sikhism. The following Bani from Ang 1136 is attributed to GURU ARJAN DEV but if you observe at the end you can see that he was talking in the spirit of Sant Kabir.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
then who is there to know what happens without?
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Ramanandacharya was a 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet saint who amalgamated Advaita with Vaishnava Bhakti. He was the pioneer in validating NIRGUN and SAGUN Bhakti as parallel paths.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
The divergence of Kabir’s views from Vedanta is seen in the fact that he fully opposed religious symbolism of ALL KINDS and not just IDOLS.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
We can understand that Kabir despite being in favor of formless worship was very much embedded in the Dharmik fold but always preached in the spirit of the transcendental nature of Brahman to the point that HE LOST THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN HINDU AND MUSLIM.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
The Sant Sampraday of Sikh panth integrates the warrior spirit of the Nihangs and Khalsa, the service of Seva panth and the renunciation of Udasi/Nirmala saints.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
For a superficial McSikh who is interested only in separation and not enlightenment the views of Kabir can be easily shown as a denouncement of Hindu practices.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
From where did the word Maya come? Isn’t it a typical Vedantic concept discussed profoundly in Advaita? It definitely isn’t a concept pioneered by Kabir or even his teacher Ramanandacharya! It is ultimately from Sanatana Dharma!
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
CONCLUSION:
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Here ਰਾਮੈ is Rama and not just lord. Kabir died chanting the name of Rama DESPITE him not finding any result of penances done in holy cities in his previous birth. Another example to show how much Kabir valued personal devotion to Rama in his own NIRGUN style.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Sikhism is fundamentally rooted in BHAKTI tradition and thus ultimately in Sanatana Dharma. There is no doubt about it despite what modern McSikh acrobatics try to claim otherwise
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
NOW…
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
There is a reason why I mention ROOTED and thus NOT implying that it belongs to one of the numerous sects in Sanatana Dharma like Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Smartism etc…
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
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ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
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ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.