How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
Last Updated: 27.06.2025 06:38
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
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.
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
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ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
Now here in this verse
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
What should I do if I love a girl and she apparently doesn't love me?
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
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Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
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Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
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Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
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Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
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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…
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
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.
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At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
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I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
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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ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
CONCLUSION:
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
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— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
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.
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
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.
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
then who is there to know what happens without?
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
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.
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
NOW…
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
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.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
I am like a fish out of water,
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Sain (a barber)
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
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.
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
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.
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
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 do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
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.
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
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.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
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.
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
Kabir (a weaver)
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
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ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
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!
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
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.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
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
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
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.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.