Logo

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

10.06.2025 00:30

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

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.

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

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.

What measures do celebrities take to protect their images from being used for commercial purposes without permission? How much does this typically cost them?

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195

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

Superbugs thrive as access to antibiotics fails in India - BBC

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

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

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

Abby Lee Miller Sues Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Claims Doctors Left Catheter in Her Body - TMZ

यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

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.

I gave him everything. He said he loved me. Why?

Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

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

Miley Cyrus Recalls How She Used to 'Hide' Drug Spending From Her Accountant - TooFab

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

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

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon Says U.S. Should Stockpile Missiles, Not Bitcoin - CoinDesk

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

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

Why is my stomach getting so big from taking testosterone cypionate 31 to 34 in 2 months?

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

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

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

Prediction: This "Magnificent Seven" Growth Stock Will Hit an All-Time in June. Here's Why It's Worth Buying Now. - The Motley Fool

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.

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

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

An Optometrist Is Begging People To Stop This Common Habit ASAP - AOL.com

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

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥

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

Opal Suchata Chuangsri from Thailand crowned Miss World 2025 - CNN

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

ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

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

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you've witnessed?

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 like a fish out of water,

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

Towards topological quantum batteries: Theoretical framework addresses two long-standing challenges - Phys.org

Kabir (a weaver)

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

I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

NASA Cuts Funding Support For Lunar, Planetary and Space Sciences Conferences - NASA Watch

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.

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

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!

What are some common lies that addicts may tell themselves?

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…

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

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

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

NOW…

He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),

Raamaanand Jee, First House:

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

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

All the men and women of the world are His living forms.

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

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

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

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

Sain (a barber)

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

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.

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

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

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

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

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

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

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.

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.

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

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

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

These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

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

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

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

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

ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

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

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.

CONCLUSION:

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

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

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

Now here in this verse

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

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.

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

then who is there to know what happens without?

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

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

— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

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

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

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

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

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

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

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!

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

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

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

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

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

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

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

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

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.

You are totally pervading and permeating in all.

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

ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

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

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

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

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

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

Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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

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

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

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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

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

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

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

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

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.

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

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

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

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

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

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

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

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

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

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

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

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

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

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

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

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.

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

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

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

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