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

Last Updated: 21.06.2025 07:03

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

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

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

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

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

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

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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.

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

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— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

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.

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

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

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

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

How do you recognize when your mental health might need attention?

then who is there to know what happens without?

I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

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

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ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

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!

ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

At what point does trespassing become self defense? What are the necessary conditions for this line to be crossed from trespassing to self defense?

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

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

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

What impact could the rising average age of U.S. homebuyers have on the housing market in the long term?

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

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

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195

Why is there so much free porn on the internet?

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

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

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These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

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

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

How can Ukraine and Russia resolve their conflicts?

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

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

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

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

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

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.

Is the 4B movement's aggressiveness against men for seeing women as mantelpieces valid?

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

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

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

How effective will the Senate-passed bill, S. 4569, the Take It Down Act, which would criminalize the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) be?

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

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

You are totally pervading and permeating in all.

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

I am like a fish out of water,

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

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.

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥

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ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

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

ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

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

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

CONCLUSION:

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

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

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.

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

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

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

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

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

Raamaanand Jee, First House:

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

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.

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

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

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.

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

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

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

Kabir (a weaver)

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

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,

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

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…

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

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

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

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

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

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

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

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

ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

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.

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

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

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.

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

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

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.

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

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

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.

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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

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

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

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One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

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

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ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

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

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

Sain (a barber)

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥

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,

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

NOW…

Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

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

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

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

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

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.

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.

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

Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know

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

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

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

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

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.

I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

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

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

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

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 not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

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

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

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.

Now here in this verse

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

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

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