How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
14.06.2025 00:15
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
———————————————————————————————————————
GM has another affordable EV in the works and it’s not the next-gen Chevy Bolt - Electrek
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
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.
Japanese culture: Is it true adult adoption is common in Japan?
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Who is someone that inspires you?
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
Kabir (a weaver)
Why does he text me first but when I never text first he gets mad?
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
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.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Scientists May Have Discovered a Surprising Health Benefit of Mango - EatingWell
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Do you agree with Kamala Harris that Donald Trump is dangerous?
=======================================================
NOW…
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.
Why do I smell bad even though I have good hygiene?
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
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…
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.
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
CONCLUSION:
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
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.
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.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
Sain (a barber)
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
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?
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.
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
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.
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
———————————————————————————————————————
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
I am like a fish out of water,
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.
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.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
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
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
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!
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
then who is there to know what happens without?
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
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
================================================================
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
———————————————————————————————————————
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
Now here in this verse
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.
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
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.
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
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.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||