How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 28.06.2025 03:26
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
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.
How many wishes do people get on their birthday?
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
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ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
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यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
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From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
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I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
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Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
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At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
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Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
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.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
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If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
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 am like a fish out of water,
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
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.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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!
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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.
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
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.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
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.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
NOW…
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
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.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Kabir (a weaver)
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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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To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
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.
Now here in this verse
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
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…
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
then who is there to know what happens without?
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
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.
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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 consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
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.
Sain (a barber)
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
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
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
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.
CONCLUSION:
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore