How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

Why is the concept of pumping water uphill not commonly used as a source of electricity generation, similar to pumped-hydro systems?

I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||

There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!

You are totally pervading and permeating in all.

Do people have to be a pastor to baptize?

The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||

So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!

Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||

How do Greeks identify themselves in terms of civilization? Do they feel more connected to Western or Middle Eastern civilization and why?

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

Why don't I want to talk to my girlfriend when she loves me a lot? I feel bored.

then who is there to know what happens without?

NOW…

Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.

How can someone in your family purposely try to destroy your reputation?

I am like a fish out of water,

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.

These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

How do you leave a relationship when you are still in love?

I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.

I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

What life lesson did you learn the hard way?

Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,

How is sex in college like with roommates and big campuses?

Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

So I’m getting piano lessons and my teacher wants me to get an upright piano instead of a keyboard. An upright piano is way above my price range, so what do I do? And what’s the difference between an upright piano and a keyboard?

Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

What was your first experience like with a black man?

If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,

If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?

Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.

You May Want To Think Twice Before You Eat Bagged Lettuce - HuffPost

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

Why is my stomach getting so big from taking testosterone cypionate 31 to 34 in 2 months?

Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.

Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?

For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;

The Earth Shook Every 90 Seconds for 9 Days in 2023 – Scientists Finally Know Why - SciTechDaily

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.

At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||

ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

I have BPD. Why do I destroy everyone I love?

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?

Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.

My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||

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,

Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!

Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

Now here in this verse

As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

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.

ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||

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!

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326

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.

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.

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…

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,

He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥

My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||

That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

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 does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||

Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||

Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.

=======================================================

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.

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195

I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.

All the men and women of the world are His living forms.

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.

Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,

Kabir (a weaver)

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

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.

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

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.

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.

================================================================

Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.

How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

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.

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

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.

CONCLUSION:

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?

To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.

I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||

I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.

ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

———————————————————————————————————————

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||

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.

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.

Sain (a barber)

— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.

———————————————————————————————————————

———————————————————————————————————————

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।

Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,

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

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.

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

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

Raamaanand Jee, First House:

The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.

I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.

But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.

ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||

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

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

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.

ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥