How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
11.06.2025 00:03
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
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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.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
What are the pros and cons of arranged marriages?
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Why after 50 years of being straight do I constantly desire to suck cock?
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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then who is there to know what happens without?
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
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…
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
How far back into your childhood can your remember and what is your favorite memory of that time?
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
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Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
What ended your relationship with your best friend?
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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Kuorans, what are some things unique to your country?
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
I am like a fish out of water,
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
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!
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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.
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.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
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 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.
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.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
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
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
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
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
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Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
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.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
NOW…
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Now here in this verse
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
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.
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
CONCLUSION:
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.
Kabir (a weaver)
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
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.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
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.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
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.
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Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Sain (a barber)
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.