How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
13.06.2025 05:06
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Was there a British ‘genocide’ of Aboriginal Australians?
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
Why is Jack Smith arguing that presidents should not have full immunities as Trump is requesting?
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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.
What is the most interesting question you can ask to get to know someone?
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
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.
How would you describe modern day Russian society, beyond just politics?
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
I am like a fish out of water,
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Why do some people enjoy being dominated?
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
Sain (a barber)
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
Why is my ex mad I moved on when he dumped me?
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
———————————————————————————————————————
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Have you ever witnessed political correctness harm someone?
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
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.
What are the best items to buy from a furniture shop?
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Who writes and reads novels nowadays?
=======================================================
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
================================================================
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
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.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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!
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
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.
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
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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.
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
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,
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
NOW…
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Kabir (a weaver)
then who is there to know what happens without?
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.
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.
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.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
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
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
CONCLUSION:
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
———————————————————————————————————————
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Now here in this verse
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
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.
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
———————————————————————————————————————
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
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 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.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
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.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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…
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,