How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 01.07.2025 00:30
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
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 am like a fish out of water,
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
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Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
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Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
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Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
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ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
Sain (a barber)
How do I remove frizz from hair?
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Where can I get sure fixed matches on Instagram?
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
NOW…
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
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One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
then who is there to know what happens without?
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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.
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
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.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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.
CONCLUSION:
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.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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.
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
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.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
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.
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
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
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I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
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Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
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.
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.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
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.
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 wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
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ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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…
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
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.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Kabir (a weaver)
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
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.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Now here in this verse