How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
16.06.2025 02:25
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
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!
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen to me?
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
What drove the tech right’s — and Elon Musk’s — big, failed bet on Trump - vox.com
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
then who is there to know what happens without?
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.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
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.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
What was the hottest inappropriate sex you ever had?
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
How do you go about getting invited to an orgy?
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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Is having white skin really that attractive?
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
CONCLUSION:
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
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.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
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
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Now here in this verse
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
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.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
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.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
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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If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
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…
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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.
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.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
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ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
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.
I am like a fish out of water,
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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Sain (a barber)
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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.
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.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
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.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
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
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
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.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
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.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92