How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 20.06.2025 00:54
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Why do some people have sex with dogs?
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
What are some dirty secrets of Indian (Bollywood, etc.) actors and actresses?
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
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.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
Where did the false claim that Haitian immigrants are eating pets come from?
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
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Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
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
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Were you ever in love with your teacher?
then who is there to know what happens without?
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
What is unattractive about a nice guy? Why do some women don’t choose nice guys?
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
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I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Kabir (a weaver)
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He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
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…
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
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 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.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
CONCLUSION:
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.
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
NOW…
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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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.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
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.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
I am like a fish out of water,
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
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!
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
Sain (a barber)
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
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.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
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.
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
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ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
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.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
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.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Now here in this verse
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
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.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
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
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen