How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 19.06.2025 04:33
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥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.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
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ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
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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.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
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ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
Now here in this verse
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
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.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Why don't we hear our own snoring?
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
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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यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
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
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I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
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ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
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 Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
I am like a fish out of water,
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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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The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
NOW…
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
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.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
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!
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
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 ||
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
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.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
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Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
CONCLUSION:
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
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…
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
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.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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 serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
then who is there to know what happens without?
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
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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.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
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.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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Sain (a barber)
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
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.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥