How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 18.06.2025 06:23
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Are there any industries or sectors where ChatGPT is particularly well-suited for implementation?
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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.
Why do liberals refuse to define what a woman is and what does that mean for the future of feminism?
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
What story do you have involving a public restroom?
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.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Kabir (a weaver)
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
I dreamt my mother had died and I cried so much in my dream. What does it mean?
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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.
How do you handle family members who ask for handouts?
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Why is the covert narcissist actively avoiding me when they see me everyday?
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
I have a bad reputation and need help. What should I do?
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.
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ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
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.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
What movies have not aged well?
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
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.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
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.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
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.
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.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
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.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
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.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
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…
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
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
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
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.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Sain (a barber)
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
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.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Now here in this verse
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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!
then who is there to know what happens without?
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Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
CONCLUSION:
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.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
I am like a fish out of water,
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
NOW…
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
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.