How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
09.06.2025 01:01
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
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
CONCLUSION:
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Sain (a barber)
Can ringing in the ears be a sign of spiritual awakening?
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||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.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
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.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Upcoming Telescope Predicted to Discover Millions of Hidden Solar System Objects - Gizmodo
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Why would my nipples hurt when I touch them?
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.
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.
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.
What is the worst emotional pain you ever felt as an adult?
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
If my lovely sister sleeps with my boyfriend, what should I do about her?
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Why are people with Asperger syndrome unenthusiastic?
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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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 ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
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.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
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…
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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.
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
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.
NOW…
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
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 have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
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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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
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I am like a fish out of water,
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
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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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Now here in this verse
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
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 ॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
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!
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Kabir (a weaver)
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥