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

— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧

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

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ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

From an axiology/value theory point of view, how can one say that a diverse society is better than a uniform one, especially given the negative effects of diversity (racism, sectarian conflict, problems arising from extreme cultural relativism)?

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.

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!

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

Sain (a barber)

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

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One day, a desire welled up in my mind.

ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

Why did the Soviet Jews hate the Soviet Union?

Wherever I go, I find water and stones.

ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.

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

ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥

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

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ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥

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.

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

Is BPD real or just an excuse?

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:

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

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥

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ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥

Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;

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

Why does it smell so bad? I noticed that when I move around my vagina has a stench. It’s usually a wet liquid, almost like pee. There’re little to no discharge and it doesn’t hurt or itch.

ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥

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

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

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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.

ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

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

Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92

Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥

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

Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know

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.

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

You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.

— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir

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!

ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥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.

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥

ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥

Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.

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

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥

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

You are totally pervading and permeating in all.

ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥

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

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

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

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.

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

Says Kabeer, this is what I say:

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

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

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

ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥

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.

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.

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

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

Now here in this verse

ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥

ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.

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

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

Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.

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

Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)

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.

ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥

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

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥

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Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

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

CONCLUSION:

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…

Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)

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

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

then who is there to know what happens without?

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥

ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥

I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.

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

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

I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥

Raamaanand Jee, First House:

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

NOW…

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

ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥

ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥

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

ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥

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

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

ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥

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

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

ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

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.

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥

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.

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

Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ

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

I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;

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

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

ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥

Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and

Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like

There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥

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

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.

— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

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

Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.

ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥

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

ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥

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

ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥

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

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

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

These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,

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.

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

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

ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥

Kabir (a weaver)

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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.

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.

ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

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

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

ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥

Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.

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

I am like a fish out of water,

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

From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195