Logo

How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?

09.06.2025 00:29

How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?

ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.

Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325

I found out I have cancer—I have not told my family. We can’t afford the treatment anyway. Should I just say nothing and let nature take its course?

ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.

I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.

Do people really never face any hidden costs or surprises with surgeries in countries with single-payer healthcare like the NHS?

Raamaanand Jee, First House:

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,

Subway owner buys mega-popular chicken chain in $1 billion deal - AL.com

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

How one of San Francisco's most successful new chains 'just kind of happened' - SFGATE

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.

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

How does someone start doing urban exploration?

One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||

We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,

How do I come out as queer to my best friend in a funny and stupid way?

Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,

I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.

Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.

Did you become a cuckold for your wife?

Sain (a barber)

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

For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;

FAA Says Newark Airport Should Be OK by October - Newser

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||

What happens in Sweden if you cannot pay a hospital debt you did not know about until recently but willing to pay when your finances improve?

So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!

That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||

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!

David Jolly, a Trump critic and former GOP congressman, to run for Florida governor as a Democrat - AP News

Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;

As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

This brilliant, hidden iPhone feature lets you print anything to PDF - Boy Genius Report

I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||

Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.

Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||

My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||

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 ।

If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?

The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥

———————————————————————————————————————

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,

Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.

Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.

I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.

NOW…

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

Kabir (a weaver)

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

———————————————————————————————————————

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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.

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:

I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.

I am like a fish out of water,

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?

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.

— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?

Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.

I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||

How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||

That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥

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.

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.

I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195

Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.

I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

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.

The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||

Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

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.

ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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),

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 ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

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.

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

=======================================================

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

Now here in this verse

Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!

———————————————————————————————————————

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

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.

Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like

then who is there to know what happens without?

ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.

There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92

There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!

Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||

Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||

If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,

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…

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||

These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.

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.

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.

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

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.

To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.

================================================================