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How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?

10.06.2025 01:39

How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?

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.

Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

Is it okay if I sleep with my brother without my husband knowing?

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.

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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.

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If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

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My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325

I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.

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Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;

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Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

Sain (a barber)

What is your favourite true story to tell at a party?

Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.

Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;

Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!

How many girls or guys keep extra pantyhose in their glove box or console of their vehicle?

So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!

I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),

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I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||

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ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||

Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know

How can I control my daily masturbating habit?

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

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ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

What are your thoughts on a Russian poetry prize banning entries from transgender people? Why is Russia so transphobic?

I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

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Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,

Is it painful for men to wear bras, panties, and tampons?

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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92

— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

Now here in this verse

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥

then who is there to know what happens without?

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.

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.

I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||

I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.

The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.

Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.

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!

I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325

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.

Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||

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.

यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,

Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||

But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.

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…

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

Kabir (a weaver)

ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.

Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?

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

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

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.

Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.

All the men and women of the world are His living forms.

That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

You are totally pervading and permeating in all.

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||

At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||

With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||

Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.

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.

ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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.

My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||

Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,

We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,

That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||

I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.

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.

CONCLUSION:

I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

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.

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥

ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

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.

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.

The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||

ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

I am like a fish out of water,

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

NOW…

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.

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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

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?

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.

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195

I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.

He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.

These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?

Raamaanand Jee, First House:

As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,

There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!

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.

Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||