How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
08.06.2025 10:37
================================================================
=======================================================
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
Aussie firms Soul Patts and Brickworks' $9 billion merger sends their shares rocketing - CNBC
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
Neuroscience breakthroughs: Surprising truths about memory revealed in 7 recent studies - PsyPost
NOW…
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
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.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
They Were 8,000-Pound Sloths With Claws and Armor – Then Humans Showed Up - SciTechDaily
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Toyota Industries' shares nosedive on $33 billion buyout deal — steepest fall in 10 months - CNBC
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Now here in this verse
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
When will dating stop being so hard for Gen Z?
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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…
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
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.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
———————————————————————————————————————
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
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.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
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.
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
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.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
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
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
Kabir (a weaver)
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
———————————————————————————————————————
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
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
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
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.
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.
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
———————————————————————————————————————
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
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.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
then who is there to know what happens without?
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
CONCLUSION:
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
Sain (a barber)
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
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.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
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 Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
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 ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
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.
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 am like a fish out of water,
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
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.
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.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.