How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 22.06.2025 06:43

The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
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ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Why aren't F1 cars popular on the street?
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
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
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I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
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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…
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
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 ॥
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Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
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
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
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That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
What is something you want to "get off your chest"?
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
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.
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ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
If you could go back and rewrite the Legend of Korra, what would you change, and why?
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
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There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
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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At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
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.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
Sain (a barber)
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
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.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
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.
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
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.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
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,
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
CONCLUSION:
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
NOW…
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
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.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
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.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
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.
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 ||
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
then who is there to know what happens without?
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
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How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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I am like a fish out of water,
Now here in this verse
Kabir (a weaver)
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ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
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.
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Says Kabeer, this is what I say: