How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
11.06.2025 03:25
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
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ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
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ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
What is one small habit that has transformed your life in unexpected ways?
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
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.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
I am like a fish out of water,
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
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I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Now here in this verse
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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.
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
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
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.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
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There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
CONCLUSION:
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
———————————————————————————————————————
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Sain (a barber)
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
then who is there to know what happens without?
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
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.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
NOW…
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
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.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
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My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
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.
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
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.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
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.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
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.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
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ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
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One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
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
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Kabir (a weaver)
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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 millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
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…