How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
14.06.2025 00:16
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Why do I feel sleepy after massage?
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
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I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
CONCLUSION:
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
What is one thing you've learned from life?
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 is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
What was something you did naughty with your cousin?
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
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ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Why is there no evidence of a multiverse theory?
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
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ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Is the saying "nice guys finish last" true? Can good intentions always lead to positive outcomes?
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
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One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Kabir (a weaver)
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
NOW…
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
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.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
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…
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
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.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Now here in this verse
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
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.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
I am like a fish out of water,
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
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.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
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If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Sain (a barber)
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
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.
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.
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
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!
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.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
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.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
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.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
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
then who is there to know what happens without?
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
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.
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.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥