How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 30.06.2025 23:39
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
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.
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Why is Eric Clapton so roundly disliked among guitarists?
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
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.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
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NOW…
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Now here in this verse
Consequatur corporis quos perspiciatis tenetur vel totam.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Culpa maxime qui ut ut aut in.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
then who is there to know what happens without?
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Why do all the stupid people think Donald J. Trump is stupid?
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
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Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
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.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
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Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
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.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
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.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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.
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
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.
I am like a fish out of water,
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
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…
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
CONCLUSION:
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
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.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Sain (a barber)
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
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ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
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.
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
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.
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.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
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ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Kabir (a weaver)
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
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.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
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!
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ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.