How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 27.06.2025 02:17
———————————————————————————————————————
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
How do I convince my husband that a threesome is okay?
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
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.
Scottie Scheffler Calls US Open at Oakmont 'The Hardest Golf Course...Maybe Ever' - Bleacher Report
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
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.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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.
Why are Boomers so vehemently opposed to student loan forgiveness?
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Space pebbles and rocks play pivotal role in giant planet's formation - Phys.org
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.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
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.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
I can't stop thinking about this plotline in 'Materialists' - NPR
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Why is dating so frustrating and difficult for a guy?
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Sain (a barber)
Women like what they hear while men like what they see, it that true?
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
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.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
CONCLUSION:
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
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.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
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,
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
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
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
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
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
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…
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
———————————————————————————————————————
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Kabir (a weaver)
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
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.
———————————————————————————————————————
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
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.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
I am like a fish out of water,
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
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.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
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.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
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.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Now here in this verse
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
=======================================================
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
================================================================
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
NOW…
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: