How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 20.06.2025 14:13
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
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
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Do you like to wear a see-through skirt?
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
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.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
What is the sum of X+XX+XXX+XXXX?
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
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.
How did Nickelback gain a large fan base despite criticism of their music?
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Why does my vagina always itch so badly after my periods?
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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.
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Have husbands and wives ever had a threesome with someone in real life? How did it happen?
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
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.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Famous 'ice-age puppies' are not actually dogs, according to new study - Earth.com
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Does Donald Trump have low self-esteem?
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!
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
What would explain Trump blaming Ukraine for starting the war with Russia?
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Sain (a barber)
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
How does a 45-year-old man get a girlfriend?
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
NOW…
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
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.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
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.
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.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Kabir (a weaver)
Now here in this verse
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
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ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
I am like a fish out of water,
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
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.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
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.
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
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Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
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.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
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.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
then who is there to know what happens without?
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
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For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
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ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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:
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
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…
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
CONCLUSION:
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||