How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
14.06.2025 10:02
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
How did you become popular in school?
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
How do I run away? I'm 15 and live in Oklahoma.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
What was your best experience of having your navel touched?
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ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
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!
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
What do you think is the #1 cause of why relationships nowadays don't seem to last long?
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Has anyone ever made you take off your shirt?
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
What are some tips for a girl with low self-esteem to start dating?
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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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.
What are the coolest new smart home gadgets to upgrade your living space?
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Why is digital marketing important?
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
What are the challenges associated with the birth narratives of Jesus?
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
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.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Sain (a barber)
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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.
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.
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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.
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.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Now here in this verse
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
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.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
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.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
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…
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
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||
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
I am like a fish out of water,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
NOW…
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
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.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
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
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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CONCLUSION:
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
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.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
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You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥