To understand Sikhism, it is important to understand Bhakti Yoga first. Bhakti is not about logic, it is about love – for others and merging in it. That is the tradition that started in South India in around 600 AD. The seeds of devotion were sown by Alvars (12 Vaishnavite saints) and Nayanars (63 Shaivite saints). Their hymns and poetry started the Bhakti tradition. Half a century later, this idea of devotion, which Krishna talks to Arjuna about, actually spread from South India to North India and became a movement. Kabir became a house hold name. But it was one of his late contemporaries, Nanak, who attracted a large following not only for his melodious verses but also for his messages that formulated a simple living based more on work and less on rituals. From devotion came the humility, and from Upanishads came the message of Ek Omkar (absolute Truth). However, Nanak Dev utilized the power of devotion to bring the devotee closer to the Truth. That he did by composing his collection of hymns, in his devotion, inspired and learning (sikhi) from bhakts such as Kabir and Ravidas.
Sikhs share a significant portion of the thesis of its companion Indic faiths – Jainism, Buddhism, and Sanatan Dharma. Ek Omkar (Brahman, Truth), punar janam (rebirth), moksha (liberation), maya (illusion), akal (timeless, and cyclical), aatma, dharma, and karma are some of the commonalities. The idea of Sikh panth is to simplify the devotion of a bhakt and not get distracted by the either the complexities of Vedas or the metamorphosis of the social practices.
One explicitly defined sikhi of the panth is the concept of seva (selfless service). Sikhism expounds on the divinity of every individual by not recognizing the ideas of gunas, as Sanatanis do. Another distinction from Sanatan Dharm is the absence of ashramas (brahmcharya, grihast, vanaprastha, sannyas). A Sikh is expected to be a grihast until (s)he dies. That is why there are no Sikh sadhus, but plenty of Sikh sevaks.
धार्मिक छवियाँ 