How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 02.07.2025 03:16
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
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.
What are the challenges associated with the birth narratives of Jesus?
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
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.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Hailee Steinfeld Marries Bills QB Josh Allen - The Hollywood Reporter
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
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.
Can you summarize season 1 of "The Acolyte"?
———————————————————————————————————————
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
What is the most clever way you have seen someone respond to road rage?
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
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.
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.
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
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.
Who is the oldest living child of a Hollywood star?
———————————————————————————————————————
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
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.
Pharmacists warn drug shortage affecting cancer patients - BBC
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Vienna calling: Strauss's 'Blue Danube' waltzes into outer space - Phys.org
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
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.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
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.
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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 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.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
Now here in this verse
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
=======================================================
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
NOW…
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
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||
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
================================================================
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
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
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
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
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)
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
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 have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
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.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
CONCLUSION:
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Sain (a barber)
———————————————————————————————————————
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
then who is there to know what happens without?
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||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…