How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 24.06.2025 04:09
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Cholesterol-lowering drugs help combat Alzheimer’s disease - The Brighter Side of News
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Why do you think Filipinos are conservatives?
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
———————————————————————————————————————
The dancing monk: Why mature people don’t chase total control - Big Think
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
What are some signs that a therapist may have poor boundaries with their clients?
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
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.
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.
2 shot outside Minnesota high school graduation, suspect in custody: Police - ABC News
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
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!
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Why do women change that much more with age?
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
United says it will slash Newark fares to win back travelers after airport chaos - NJ.com
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
What do you think of Andrew Tate's 'PhD' course?
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Is having white skin really that attractive?
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
then who is there to know what happens without?
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Iusto et ipsum nesciunt est qui.
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.
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
NOW…
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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;
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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.
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.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Kabir (a weaver)
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
=======================================================
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
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.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
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
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
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 God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
CONCLUSION:
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
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.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
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.
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.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
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…
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||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.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
================================================================
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Sain (a barber)
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
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.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
I am like a fish out of water,
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
———————————————————————————————————————
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
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.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
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
———————————————————————————————————————
Now here in this verse