How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 20.06.2025 06:18
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
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.
How far back into your childhood can your remember and what is your favorite memory of that time?
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.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
When writing a novel, how can a character be developed well, but QUICKLY?
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Isn't it a turn on to have sex with a girl in a skirt or in a tight spandex?
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
Why is Hinduism not polytheistic?
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
How is the legalization of same-sex marriage impacting societal norms in the USA?
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
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…
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
Does the Lil Wayne song ‘Lollipop’ refers to a Lollipop sweet or a metaphor?
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Kabir (a weaver)
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
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!
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
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
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.
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ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
CONCLUSION:
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
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.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
I am like a fish out of water,
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
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
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.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
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.
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
NOW…
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
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.
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
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.
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
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ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
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.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
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.
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.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Sain (a barber)
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
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.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Now here in this verse
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.