How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 24.06.2025 02:35
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
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
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ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
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Can bosses get fired for being too hard on employees?
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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!
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
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ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
What happens psychologically to a man the first time he gets penetrated anally?
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
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.
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.
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ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
What does it mean if you dream your dad died?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
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
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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.
Kabir (a weaver)
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
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How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
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.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
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.
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.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
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, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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…
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Sain (a barber)
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I am like a fish out of water,
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
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.
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
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
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.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
then who is there to know what happens without?
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Now here in this verse
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
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.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
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One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
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.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
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.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
CONCLUSION:
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
NOW…
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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.
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— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||