How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 18.06.2025 03:54
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
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One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
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.
Isn't it a turn on to have sex with a girl in a skirt or in a tight spandex?
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Which bands became massively popular for covering songs rather than recording originals?
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
I am like a fish out of water,
How much stronger is an average man than an average woman?
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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.
What trains transport cars and passengers near Pompano Beach, Florida that goes to New York?
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Why, after a divorce, would one still want to ruin the other one’s life?
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Why do I feel worthless most of the time?
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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.
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.
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.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
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.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
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
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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Kabir (a weaver)
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
Now here in this verse
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
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 spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
NOW…
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
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ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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.
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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…
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
then who is there to know what happens without?
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
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.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
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ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
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!
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Sain (a barber)
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
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.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
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.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
CONCLUSION:
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,