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How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?

09.06.2025 04:10

How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

How do I build muscle easily with isometrics?

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.

To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325

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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.

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

What is your biggest mistake or regret?

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.

You are totally pervading and permeating in all.

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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.

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥

What do feminists mean when they say they want to ‘normalize’ menstruation and its discussion?

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

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

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ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

Sain (a barber)

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ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

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I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!

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ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

I am like a fish out of water,

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.

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That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.

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I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||

But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.

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NOW…

यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

Is the Donald Trump Bible any different from a regular Bible? Has Trump altered its contents?

Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?

At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

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ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

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then who is there to know what happens without?

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.

Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.

Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like

ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||

My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

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.

ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.

I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

Kabir (a weaver)

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?

I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||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.

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.

He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.

Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,

Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.

Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.

Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

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.

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

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.

As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,

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…

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?

Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.

How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||

I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||

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.

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CONCLUSION:

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

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

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92

Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;

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.

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Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||

I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.

Now here in this verse

We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!

Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

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

The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||

Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

All the men and women of the world are His living forms.

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195

I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

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.

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326

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.

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.

Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!

So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!

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 the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),

Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,

Raamaanand Jee, First House:

Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.

If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

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One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

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.

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That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||