How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 21.06.2025 01:24
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Now here in this verse
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
What are some signs he is deeply in love with you?
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.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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.
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ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
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.
What is the reason for The Acolyte (2024 series) having poor reception among Star Wars fans?
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…
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Why am I sweating so much at night even though my room is really cold?
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
How can I decorate my house creatively?
NOW…
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Why do so many autistic adults deal with self-hatred?
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
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 wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
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.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Kabir (a weaver)
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
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
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ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
then who is there to know what happens without?
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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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)
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
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.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Sain (a barber)
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
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.
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
CONCLUSION:
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
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Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
I am like a fish out of water,
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
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.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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!
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.