How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 02.07.2025 06:57
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.
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I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
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.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
Why do men like low maintenance women?
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
NOW…
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Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Sain (a barber)
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
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ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
What are the pros and cons of arranged marriages?
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
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How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
CONCLUSION:
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
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Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
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
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ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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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ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
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.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
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.
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.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
I am like a fish out of water,
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
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.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
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.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
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.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
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.
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
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.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Now here in this verse
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
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…
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
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.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
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If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
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ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
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.
Kabir (a weaver)
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir