How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 17.06.2025 01:00
NOW…
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
How do you recognize when your mental health might need attention?
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Is it legal for an employer to ask why you are taking time off from work?
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
What is a real life example of the Streisand Effect?
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Why is it so hard to date nowadays?
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
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.
Why are there so many girls and not enough boys to follow?
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
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.
What is it like to have an insanely beautiful girlfriend?
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Why are you a Muslim? Why is it Islam for you and not something else?
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
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.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
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.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Now here in this verse
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Sain (a barber)
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
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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.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
CONCLUSION:
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
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.
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!
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
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There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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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 am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
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ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
I am like a fish out of water,
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.
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.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
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.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
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),
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
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…
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.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
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.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
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
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.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,