How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 22.06.2025 02:38
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Have you ever had a secret crush on anyone?
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
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.
Are people who cite the 2nd Amendment honestly familiar with what it establishes?
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
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ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
What is the most ridiculous obviously false verse in the Bible?
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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.
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You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
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Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Sed autem voluptatibus minima impedit officia ipsa.
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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.
I am like a fish out of water,
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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
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Why is there no great temptress figure in any of Tolkien’s major works?
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.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
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.
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ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
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.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
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Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
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!
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
NOW…
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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…
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
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Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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
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.
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
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.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
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.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
Sain (a barber)
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Now here in this verse
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
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.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
CONCLUSION:
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.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||