How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 28.06.2025 18:56
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
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Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
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
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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!
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 am like a fish out of water,
Why do men prefer low-maintanence women?
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
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…
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
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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.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
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ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
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For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Why does Islam give a bad vibe?
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
then who is there to know what happens without?
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.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
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.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Sain (a barber)
CONCLUSION:
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
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.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
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.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
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Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
NOW…
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.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
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
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
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.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
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.
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ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Now here in this verse
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.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
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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.
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.
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ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
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.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Kabir (a weaver)
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥