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

Last Updated: 23.06.2025 04:27

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

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

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

Now here in this verse

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

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

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

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…

CONCLUSION:

What made you stop being an addict?

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

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

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

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

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

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

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

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

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Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know

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

ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

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

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

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

Why cant I add weight to my lifts even though im completing my sets? Every time I try to add more weight I cant even complete one rep.

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

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

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

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One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

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

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NOW…

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

What is the meanest thing your husband has said to you?

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

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

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

How do I complain on a boy coming to marriage with me without my involvement despite no connection with him though he had an illegal affair?

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

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.

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

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

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

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

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

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

———————————————————————————————————————

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.

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.

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥

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

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

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

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

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

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

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

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

———————————————————————————————————————

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

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.

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

———————————————————————————————————————

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

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

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

Raamaanand Jee, First House:

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

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

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

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

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

These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

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.

ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

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

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

Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.

There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!

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

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

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.

Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

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

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

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

You are totally pervading and permeating in all.

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

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

=======================================================

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

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

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.

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

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.

ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

then who is there to know what happens without?

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

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

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

Kabir (a weaver)

— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

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

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

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

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

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.

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

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

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

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.

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

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

I am like a fish out of water,

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

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

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

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

Sain (a barber)

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

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

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

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

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥

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

Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

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.

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.