How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 02.07.2025 12:38
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Now here in this verse
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
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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.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
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ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
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 325
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
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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…
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
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ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Quia perspiciatis sed qui quidem voluptas excepturi possimus.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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
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Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
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.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
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!
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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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.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
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
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
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.
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.
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.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
CONCLUSION:
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.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
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.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
I am like a fish out of water,
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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.
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I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
NOW…
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
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,
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
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.
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.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Sain (a barber)
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
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.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
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.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
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