How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
07.06.2025 20:57
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Rory defends snubbing media, cites 'weird week' - ESPN
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Secret leprosy infected the Americas before European arrival - DW
I am like a fish out of water,
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
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.
———————————————————————————————————————
Tesla's Imminent Valuation Crash? (NASDAQ:TSLA) - Seeking Alpha
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Which type of physical cable has fastest transmission speed?
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.
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
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Do people really have sex with animals?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
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.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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.
NOW…
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Citigroup lifts banking curbs on gun makers and sellers - NBC News
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Shortcuts App to Get Revamp With Apple Intelligence Integration - MacRumors
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
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.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
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.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
———————————————————————————————————————
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
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.
================================================================
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Now here in this verse
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.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
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!
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…
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Sain (a barber)
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
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.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
=======================================================
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
CONCLUSION:
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.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
then who is there to know what happens without?
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
———————————————————————————————————————
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Kabir (a weaver)
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
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
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.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.