How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
12.06.2025 12:47
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
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Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
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ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Which current F1 drivers should switch teams based on historical patterns?
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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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Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
I am like a fish out of water,
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
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Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
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.
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Sain (a barber)
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The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
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
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
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Kabir (a weaver)
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
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.
CONCLUSION:
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Now here in this verse
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
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…
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
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.
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.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
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.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
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ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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.
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ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
NOW…
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
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.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
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.
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ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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, unto whom should I tell this?
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
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.
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!
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know