How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 17.06.2025 03:29
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
☆ what's the thing that made u fell in love with your bias?
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Have you ever had a bad gut feeling about someone and it was right?
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
Is it sinful for Christians to look at beautiful women?
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
What's your wildest & weirdest fantasy?
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
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
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.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
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.
What are the best ways to treat seasonal allergies?
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
What is something you want to "get off your chest"?
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Which document should be pointed out to a holocaust denier?
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
What was your best revenge story?
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Why are leftist movements so popular among young people?
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
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ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
CONCLUSION:
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
I am like a fish out of water,
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
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.
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.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Sain (a barber)
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
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.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
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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 wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
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.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
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.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
NOW…
=======================================================
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
Now here in this verse
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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…
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
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.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
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.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
then who is there to know what happens without?
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.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
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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 am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
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.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
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Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.