How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
09.06.2025 13:10
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Have you ever witnessed a remote beach show where hundreds of turtles crawling to the water?
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
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.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
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If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
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
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
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!
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
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ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
then who is there to know what happens without?
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
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Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Is the 4B movement's aggressiveness against men for seeing women as mantelpieces valid?
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
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ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
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There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
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.
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.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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.
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Sain (a barber)
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
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||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
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 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,
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ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
NOW…
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
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Now here in this verse
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.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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…
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Kabir (a weaver)
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.
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.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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.
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
CONCLUSION:
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Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
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!
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
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.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
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.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
I am like a fish out of water,
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
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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.
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
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