How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 29.06.2025 05:21
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
What is a fun psychological trick to try on someone?
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.
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!
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
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Kabir (a weaver)
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
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Sain (a barber)
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
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ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
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.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
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Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
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But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
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.
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So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
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.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥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.
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||
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
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Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
NOW…
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
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.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
=======================================================
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
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…
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Now here in this verse
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
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ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
I am like a fish out of water,
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
CONCLUSION:
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
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.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
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
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
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.
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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.
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
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
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
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
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.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
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Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
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!
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
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We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
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.