How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 30.06.2025 00:39
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
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I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
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Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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.
What's the most valuable lesson you've learned in life, and how has it impacted your journey so far?
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
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I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
CONCLUSION:
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— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
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
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.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
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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.
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
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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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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 have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
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.
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.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
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.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Kabir (a weaver)
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
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
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Sain (a barber)
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Now here in this verse
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
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.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
then who is there to know what happens without?
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
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.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
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.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
NOW…
I am like a fish out of water,
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
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.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
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.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
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!
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…
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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 would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
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Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||