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

Last Updated: 02.07.2025 09:50

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

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

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

What are the easiest stores for shoplifting?

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

Raamaanand Jee, First House:

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

This Is How To Make Your Brain Act 4 Years Younger, According To Science - MindBodyGreen

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

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

How do I become a Buddhist, and can someone explain Buddhism to me?

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

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

———————————————————————————————————————

I'm British and feel ashamed of the crimes of British colonialism. What should I do?

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

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

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.

Thin, Light and Built to Last: The New Era of the Galaxy Z Series - Samsung Newsroom

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

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

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

Day One Highlights at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ - magic.gg

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

If there exists a “New York of Australia”, is it Sydney or Melbourne?

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

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

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

36-year-old sold her childhood home in Wisconsin to live and travel in a truck she spent $50,000 renovating: 'I don't have a single regret' - CNBC

ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

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

How do K-dramas like Cinderella at 2AM continue to captivate audiences with their blend of fantasy and romance?

Kabir (a weaver)

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

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

If You Can Perform These 5 Moves at 60, Your Body’s Decades Younger - Eat This Not That

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

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195

I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

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

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.

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.

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

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

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.

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

———————————————————————————————————————

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

then who is there to know what happens without?

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

You are totally pervading and permeating in all.

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

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

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.

ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥

Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

———————————————————————————————————————

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.

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

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

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

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

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

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

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

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

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

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

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

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

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

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

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

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

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

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.

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

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

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

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

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

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

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.

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

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

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

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

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

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

=======================================================

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

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

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

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

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.

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

I am like a fish out of water,

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

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

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

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.

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

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.

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

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

NOW…

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

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

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

I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

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

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.

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.

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

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

================================================================

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

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

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

Sain (a barber)

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

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

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

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

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

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.

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

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

CONCLUSION:

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

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

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

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

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

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…

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

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

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

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

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

One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

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

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

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

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

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 here in this verse

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥