How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
08.06.2025 04:44

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