How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
14.06.2025 00:48
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
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.
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.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
What is the funniest joke you've been told that you still think about to this day?
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
What would be the lowest score with 9 strikes and no gutter balls?
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
When does a man tell a woman he has feelings for her?
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.
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.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
================================================================
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
🌿🌻Why are Meghan and Harry not treated like royalty in the United States anymore?
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Would you date/marry a guy younger than you? If no, why not?
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
See how the national debt grew to more than $36 trillion - The Washington Post
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
What are LGBT+ people tired of hearing?
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
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
What is the story behind bhai dooj?
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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
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.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
———————————————————————————————————————
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
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.
NOW…
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
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
CONCLUSION:
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
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.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
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 ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
———————————————————————————————————————
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
=======================================================
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
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.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
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.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
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.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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…
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
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.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
Now here in this verse
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
———————————————————————————————————————
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
I am like a fish out of water,
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Sain (a barber)