How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
12.06.2025 03:32
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
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.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
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ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
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There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
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Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
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Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Do you remember one day, you put a deep smile on someone's face and made them very happy?
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
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.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
CONCLUSION:
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
NOW…
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
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.
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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…
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
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ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
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.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
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ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
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,
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
I am like a fish out of water,
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.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
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!
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
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 ।
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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
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.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Now here in this verse
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
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.
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
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
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.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Sain (a barber)
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
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 am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
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.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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.
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,
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then who is there to know what happens without?
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥