How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 24.06.2025 06:04
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
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ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
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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He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Kabir (a weaver)
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
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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.
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Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Sain (a barber)
Now here in this verse
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
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So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
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The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
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.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
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If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
CONCLUSION:
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
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With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
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.
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.
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
NOW…
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
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.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
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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||
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
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…
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॥
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
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.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
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 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.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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.
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
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!
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
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I am like a fish out of water,
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
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
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
then who is there to know what happens without?
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)