How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 22.06.2025 04:37
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
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.
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ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Sain (a barber)
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
What’s your idea of the perfect Saturday night?
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
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.
Why am I so triggered and depressed over a minor thing?
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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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!
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ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥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.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
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From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
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ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Does a person with schizophrenia hear voices?
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
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I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
What is something you want to "get off your chest"?
Kabir (a weaver)
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
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
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ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
then who is there to know what happens without?
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
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Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
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That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
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.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
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.
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ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
I am like a fish out of water,
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
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
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
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.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
NOW…
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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…
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Now here in this verse
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
CONCLUSION:
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326