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

08.06.2025 01:57

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

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

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

Who is the beast of Revelation 13?

Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know

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

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

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Raamaanand Jee, First House:

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…

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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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.

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

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

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CONCLUSION:

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

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

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

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

What are the easiest stores for shoplifting?

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

Sain (a barber)

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

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then who is there to know what happens without?

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

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ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

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

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.

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

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

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

Would you date a Muslim guy? Why/why not?

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

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

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

Why do I feel so lazy every time I get into my room?

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

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!

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.

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

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

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

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

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

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

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.

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

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.

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

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

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

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

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.

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

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

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

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

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

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

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

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

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

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

NOW…

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

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

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.

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

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

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

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.

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

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

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

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

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.

I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

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I am like a fish out of water,

ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

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

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

Now here in this verse

— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

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

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

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

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

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

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

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

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

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 (a weaver)

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

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

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.

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

ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

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

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

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ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥

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

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.

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.

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

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

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

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

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

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

You are totally pervading and permeating in all.

These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

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

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

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

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

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

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

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.

I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

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

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

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Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

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

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

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ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

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

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

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

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

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

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195