How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
13.06.2025 05:20
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
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.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Now here in this verse
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NOW…
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
What are the challenges associated with the birth narratives of Jesus?
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
I am like a fish out of water,
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There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Why is Trump so disliked worldwide?
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
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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.
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.
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
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Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
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.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
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
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Have you ever witnessed political correctness harm someone?
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
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Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
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ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
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.
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I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
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But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
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 would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
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.
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!
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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,
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
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Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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||
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
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.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
Sain (a barber)
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
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.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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 ||
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
then who is there to know what happens without?
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
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.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
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…
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
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I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Kabir (a weaver)
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
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.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
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ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
CONCLUSION:
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥