How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 20.06.2025 08:58
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Do you know a good lawyer joke?
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Has your mother ever walked in on you at an inappropriate time?
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.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
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.
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!
Do most narcissists have good intentions as long as you are under their control?
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Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
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.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
What is the opposite personality type of someone with ASPD (antisocial personality disorder)?
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
How do you know if your husband loves you truly and deeply?
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
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Why do a lot of autistic people not know how to style their hair?
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
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.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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…
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
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.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
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.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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.
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
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.
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.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
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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He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
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.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
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.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Now here in this verse
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
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.
NOW…
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
Kabir (a weaver)
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
I am like a fish out of water,
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
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.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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Sain (a barber)
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
CONCLUSION:
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
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