How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 21.06.2025 07:21
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
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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.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
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I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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.
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ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
Why am I sweating so much when I try to do anything?
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
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.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
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
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
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ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
If you were president, how would you make America "great again?"
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
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Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
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!
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Kabir (a weaver)
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ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
I am like a fish out of water,
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
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.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
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I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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.
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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.
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.
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
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.
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.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
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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.
Now here in this verse
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
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 ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Sain (a barber)
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
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.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
CONCLUSION:
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
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||
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
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.
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
NOW…
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
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
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
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.
then who is there to know what happens without?
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥