How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
13.06.2025 03:25
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
What caused the decline of the Soprano crew?
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Are Indian youths conservative or liberal?
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.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
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.
Why do some people dislike Gilmore girls?
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
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There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
Why do some straight men enjoy wearing women's lingerie?
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
These glowing axolotls may hold the secret to human limb regeneration - The Washington Post
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
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.
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.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
What are you struggling with in your life? What would you like to have instead?
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.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
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
How do you write lyrics for a song that resonates with listeners?
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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.
Are LGBT people accepted in Japan?
NOW…
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
What are the most significant instances of romantic jealousy in the Harry Potter series?
Now here in this verse
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
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Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
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.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Kabir (a weaver)
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
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.
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ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
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 ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Sain (a barber)
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
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ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
then who is there to know what happens without?
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
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
CONCLUSION:
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
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 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||
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
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 ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
I am like a fish out of water,
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
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.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
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.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.