How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
08.06.2025 02:33
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.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Subway owner buys popular chicken chain in $1 billion deal - PennLive.com
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
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,
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
NOW…
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
How do I become a Buddhist, and can someone explain Buddhism to me?
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
———————————————————————————————————————
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Procter & Gamble to cut 7,000 jobs as part of broader restructuring - CNBC
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
NASA robot for drilling on icy moons tested on Alaskan glacier - Ars Technica
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
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.
Blood test detects multiple cancer types through cell-free DNA - Medical Xpress
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Anycubic has yet another sale happening, and the 3D printer I own is $200 off - Creative Bloq
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…
Sain (a barber)
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
How did my ex move on very fast?
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.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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
———————————————————————————————————————
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Now here in this verse
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.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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!
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
I am like a fish out of water,
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
================================================================
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Kabir (a weaver)
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
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
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
———————————————————————————————————————
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
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.
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
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 ॥
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
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.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
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.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
=======================================================
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
CONCLUSION:
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.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
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.
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
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.
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
then who is there to know what happens without?
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
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.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know