How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
12.06.2025 00:28
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
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I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
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NOW…
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
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Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
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ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
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.
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.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Now here in this verse
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
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My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
I am like a fish out of water,
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
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.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
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.
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
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!
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
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.
Sain (a barber)
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
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.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
then who is there to know what happens without?
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
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.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
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ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
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.
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.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
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…
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
CONCLUSION:
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
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.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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
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As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,