How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 20.06.2025 04:33
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
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How were cows used in ancient India?
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.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
CRISPR used to remove extra chromosomes in Down syndrome and restore cell function - Earth.com
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
What are 50 random facts about yourself?
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
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.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
How can you tell if someone is cunning?
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
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.
Why are Indians so influenced by the Western culture, when the Indian tradition has so much to give?
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
Who is the greatest light welterweight boxer of all time?
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Sain (a barber)
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Why am I not attracted to masculine men? Why do I like more feminine attributes on a man?
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
When does a woman know she is cumming?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
NOW…
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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.
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ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
I am like a fish out of water,
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
CONCLUSION:
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
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
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…
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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.
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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.
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.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Kabir (a weaver)
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
Now here in this verse
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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 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.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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
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.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
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.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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!
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
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.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
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.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House: