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1. Those mortals who consume marijuana, flesh and wine - no matter what
pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow, they will all go to hell. (SGGS p1377)
2. You kill living beings and worship lifeless things, at your very last moment,
You will suffer terrible pain. (SGGS p332)
3. Do not say that the Vedas are false, false are those who do not reflect. If in
all is one god, then why does one kill the hen ? (SGGS p1350)
4. Bhagat Kabir says, that the best food is eating kichree (daal/lentils) where
nectar sweet is the salt. You eat hunted meat, but which animal is willing to
have their head cut ? (SGGS p1374)
5. In this dark age of Kali Yuga, people have faces like dogs; They eat rotting
dead bodies for food. (SGGS p1242)
6. Falsehood is my dagger and to eat by defrauding is meat. (Guru Nanak Dev
Ji. Sri Raaj p24)
7. Avarice is a dog, falsehood the sweeper and cheating the eating of meat.
(Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Sri Raag p15)
Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji
In this instance let us firstly add the Gurmukhi with the English:
He obtains the treasure of liberation, and the difficult road to the Lord is not
blocked. 231
Kabeer, whether is is for an hour, half an hour, or half of that,
whatever it is, it is worthwhile to speak with the Holy. 232
Kabeer, those mortals who consume marijuana, fish and wine -
no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow, they will all go to hell.
233
Kabeer, I keep my eyes lowered, and enshrine my Friend within my heart.
I enjoy all pleasures with my Beloved, but I do not let anyone else know.234
Twenty-four hours a day, every hour, my soul continues to look to You, O Lord.
Why should I keep my eyes lowered? I see my Beloved in every heart. 235
Listen, O my companions: my soul dwells in my Beloved, and my Beloved
dwells in my soul.
I realize that there is no difference between my soul and my Beloved; I cannot
tell whether my soul or my Beloved dwells in my heart. 236
Kabeer, the Brahmin may be the guru of the world, but he is not the Guru of
the devotees.
He rots and dies in the perplexities of the four Vedas. 237
The Lord is like sugar, scattered in the sand; the elephant cannot pick it up.
Says Kabeer, the Guru has given me this sublime understanding: become an
ant, and feed on it. 238
Kabeer, if you desire to play the game of love with the Lord, then cut off your
head, and make it into a ball.
Lose yourself in the play of it, and then whatever will be, will be. 239
Kabeer, if you desire to play the game of love with the Lord, play it with
someone with committment.
Pressing the unripe mustard seeds produces neither oil nor flour. 240
Searching, the mortal stumbles like a blind person, and does not recognize the
Saint.
Says Naam Dayv, how can one obtain the Lord God, without His devotee?
Firstly note that maachlee is not flesh, but is indeed fish. The word in
Punjabi for flesh is maas. Then secondly one must ask, why is there a
forbidding in the consumption of fish specifically. The answer lies in reading
the entire paragraph and a picture emerges. In the last two lines the
statement is made:
Now putting this in its entire context what Bhagat Kabir is actually
criticising in the rich and those in power. The thrill seekers, who are
addicted to their senses and those addicted to the 5 thieves. Kabir was born
around the area of Benares, and was brought up in a poor Muslim weavers
family. He saw the excesses of the rich around him, while the poor starved.
Foods like fish and wine were associated with the rich who had an excessive
disposable income. Marijuana was associated with either idol people or those
who had time and money to waste. Kabir abhorred this, and this statement is
a social comment about the excesses of the rich. At the end he clearly states,
that those people who do their duties as householders (i.e. work hard, care for
other etc) are the ones who will be liberated, and those who live by excesses
will suffer. One cantherefore clearly see that this is in no way a comment
about eating meat (because of mistranslation) or about avoiding certain foods
(as has been misrepresented).
2. You kill living beings and worship lifeless things, at your very
last moment, You will suffer terrible pain. (SGGS p332)
Quite clearly when put into context this is nothing to do with meat
eating. What is being alluded to is Hindu sacrificial rituals (eg Anustarani
http://www.sanskrit.org/www/Rites%20of%20Passage/ancestors2.html) where
animals were sacrificed on the funeral pyre, ancestors or to deities. Yet the
Brahmins who performed these rituals were themselves devout vegetarians.
This is a comment about the futility of animal sacrifices to stone idols and
dead ancestors. It is a comment on hypocrisy.
3. Do not say that the Vedas are false, false are those who do
not reflect. If in all is one god, then why does one kill the
hen ? (SGGS p1350)
ja-o sabh meh ayk khudaa-ay kahat ha-o ta-o ki-o murgee maarai.
mulaaN kahhu ni-aa-o khudaa-ee.
tayray man kaa bharam na jaa-ee. rahaa-o.
pakar jee-o aani-aa dayh binaasee maatee ka-o bismil kee-aa.
jot saroop anaahat laagee kaho halaal ki-aa kee-aa.
ki-aa ujoo paak kee-aa muhu Dho-i-aa ki-aa maseet sir laa-i-aa.
ja-o dil meh kapat nivaaj gujaarahu ki-aa haj kaabai jaa-i-aa.
tooN naapaak paak nahee soojhi-aa tis kaa maram na jaani-aa.
kahi kabeer bhisat tay chookaa dojak si-o man maani-aa.
Do not say that the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran are false. Those who do
not contemplate them are false.
You say that the One Lord is in all, so why do you kill chickens?
O Mullah, tell me: is this God's Justice?
The doubts of your mind have not been dispelled. Pause
You seize a living creature, and then bring it home and kill its body; you have
killed only the clay.
The light of the soul passes into another form. So tell me, what have you
killed?
And what good are your purifications? Why do you bother to wash your face?
And why do you bother to bow your head in the mosque?
Your heart is full of hypocrisy; what good are your prayers or your pilgrimage
to Mecca?
You are impure; you do not understand the Pure Lord. You do not know His
Mystery.
Says Kabeer, you have missed out on paradise; your mind is set on hell.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji
First point to note is that halaal and bismil, does not mean kill but refers to a
specific form of ritual slaughter. Put into context this is a comment on the
Muslim sacrifice ritual where either a goat or a chicken is kept in the confines
of the home and then ritually slaughtered as obeisance to Abraham. Kabeer is
mocking the futility of this ritual and saying, that why are you doing this
sacrifice just to emulate God’s asking of Abraham to kill his only son? It is a
futile gesture that will not sway God. Abraham was sacrificing his son to God,
however all the sacrifice in this instance has achieved is destruction of the
outer shell of the chicken. The soul won’t travel to God, but merely to another
form. One can only understand this if one has a basic grasp of history. In this
instance the person who tried to use this tukh as an anti-meat quotation was
unaware of the Koranic context and had an extremely poor knowledge of
Semitic history.
The hail-stone has melted into water, and flowed into the ocean.
Kabeer, the body is a pile of dust, collected and packed together.
It is a show which lasts for only a few days, and then dust returns to dust.
Kabeer, bodies are like the rising and setting of the sun and the moon.
Without meeting the Guru, the Lord of the Universe, they are all reduced to
dust again.
Where the Fearless Lord is, there is no fear; where there is fear, the Lord is
not there.
Kabeer speaks after careful consideration; hear this, O Saints, in your minds.
Kabeer, those who do not know anything, pass their lives in peaceful sleep.
But I have understood the riddle; I am faced with all sorts of troubles.
Struck by the Mystery of God, Kabeer remains silent.
Kabeer, the stroke of a lance is easy to bear; it takes away the breath.
But one who endures the stroke of the Word of the Shabad is the Guru, and I
am his slave.
Kabeer: O Mullah, why do you climb to the top of the minaret? The Lord is not
hard of hearing.
Look within your own heart for the One, for whose sake you shout your
prayers.
Why does the Shaykh bother to go on pilgrimage to Mecca, if he is not content
with himself?
Kabeer, one whose heart is not healthy and whole - how can he attain his
Lord?
Kabeer, worship the Lord Allah; meditating in remembrance on Him, troubles
and pains depart.
The Lord shall be revealed within your own heart, and the burning fire within
shall be extinguished by His Name.
Kabeer, to use force is tyranny, even if you call it legal.
When your account is called for in the Court of the Lord, what will your
condition be then?
Kabeer, the dinner of beans and rice is excellent, if it is flavored with salt.
Who would cut his throat, to have meat with his bread?
Kabeer, one is known to have been touched by the Guru, only when his
emotional attachment and physical illnesses are eradicated.
He is not burned by pleasure or pain, and so he becomes the Lord Himself.
Kabeer, it does make a difference, how you chant the Lord's Name, 'Raam'.
This is something to consider.
Everyone uses the same word for the son of Dasrath and the Wondrous Lord.
Kabeer, use the word 'Raam', only to speak of the All-pervading Lord. You
must make that distinction.
One 'Raam' is pervading everywhere, while the other is contained only in
himself.
Kabeer, those houses in which neither the Holy nor the Lord are served –
those houses are like cremation grounds; demons dwell within them.
Kabeer, I have become mute, insane and deaf.
I am crippled - the True Guru has pierced me with His Arrow.
Kabeer, the True Guru, the Spiritual Warrior, has shot me with His Arrow.
As soon as it struck me, I fell to the ground, with a hole in my heart.
Kabeer, the pure drop of water falls from the sky, onto the dirty ground.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji
Kabeer, the dinner of beans and rice is excellent, if it is flavored with salt.
5.In this dark age of Kali Yuga, people have faces like dogs;
They eat rotting dead bodies for food. (SGGS p1242)
salok mehlaa 1.
At first glance one notices that this paragraph is clearly a metaphor for people
who behave like dogs. The dog is a scavenger, hunts in packs, fights within
its pack, eats practically anything it can find etc etc. This entire Ang talks
about people greed and those that lack honour when they are alive.
The second point to note is the mistranslation. Murdaar is not the word for
meat. Murdaar is a reference to people who are dead. In other words people
are acting so much like dogs that when people have died they gather round to
get as much as they can. A good analogy would be inheritance, where is
some instances people try and contest them or try and grab for themselves as
much as they can. In India, it has not been unusual to murder siblings of
inheritance disputes. In fact the word Murder in the English language has
come from the word Murdaar.
6. Falsehood is my dagger and to eat by defrauding is meat.
Again this is similar to the above translated Shabad. The Guru is clearly
making an analogy between people who are acting like dogs. He is even
saying that they are barking like dogs.
Again Murdaar does not mean meat at all. Murdaar refers to dead people,
and how people are literally fighting over one another to get what they think is
theirs. They are so consumed with greed and selfishness that they care not
for one another, clearly nothing to do with meat eating.
Let us put this last shabad in context with its correct translation:
sireeraag mehlaa 1.
Again Murdaar is not Meat but is dead people. The entire Ang is talking about
people who fall prey to the 5 thieves, Kaam, Krodh, Moh, Lobh and Hankaar.
• Poor knowledge of history and the context in which the Guru’s and
Bhaghats wrote these Angs is a factor too. This can lead to a
misrepresentation.
In conclusion one can only say that it is very important that Sikh institution
promote a clear and concise programme where only those with a certain
amount of knowledge in Sikh History and the Sikh Language, should be
officially sanctioned as being translators for the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji.
On page 176 of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the following is written:
Reading this Shabad one can clearly see that the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
does not attach any particular order to how life is incarnated. Infact it states:
If you were to apply the logic of those that claim spiritually animal life is closer
to human, then according to this a rock then becomes an aborted human
foetus, then becomes a plant! It is only after this one becomes human. Surely
then a plant is a closer form of life to human?
The Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji only proclaims one life form as being so
precious. On page 50 of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji it states:
sireeraag mehlaa 5 ghar 2.
So clearly, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji sees plants, animals, and
minerals, on one level in terms of life, and then human form on another.
To take the life of a plant is the same as an animal in terms of spirituality. The
following Shabad although a metaphor for how people who speak the truth
are treated, clearly shows the mind of the Guru’s when seeing life in all its
form, be it plant, mineral or animal:
mehlaa 1.
First Mehl:
Look, and see how the sugar-cane is cut down. After cutting away its
branches, its feet are bound together into bundles,
and then, it is placed between the wooden rollers and crushed.
What punishment is inflicted upon it! Its juice is extracted and placed in the
cauldron; as it is heated, it groans and cries out.
And then, the crushed cane is collected and burnt in the fire below.
Nanak: come, people, and see how the sweet sugar-cane is treated!
Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji
The folly of the argument that spiritually one is committing a bigger sin when
killing an animal than a plant is a foolish one. The biological argument is a
different one and is not tackled within the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, but that in
itself shows, the choice of whether or not to eat meat is a personal one and
has nothing to do with the Sikh religion.
That body which does not appreciate the Naam-that body is infested with
egotism and conflict.
Without the Guru, spiritual wisdom is not obtained; other tastes are poison.
Without virtue, nothing is of any use. The taste of Maya is bland and insipid.
Through desire, people are cast into the womb and reborn. Through desire,
they taste the sweet and sour flavors.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji
This argument is a ridiculous one and is not mentioned anywhere within the
Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. It is true however, many vegetarians do suffer from
anaemia (lack of iron), and this causes tiredness (and therefore probably
more passive behaviour), however, this is again outside the scope of this
essay.
Just as one has to tie pail's neck while taking out water,
In fact such a hukamna would indeed contradict the one Guru Gobind Singh ji
sent to his Sikhs in Kabul (ADVANCED STUDIES IN SIKHISM by Jasbir
Singh and Harbans Singh.):
Patshahi Dasvi
Jeth 26, Samat 1756
It should be noted also that there are a number of Hukamnama’s that have
been found that also purport Sikhs to adopt Brahmanical religious tenets.
The ideas of devotion and service in Vaishnavism have been accepted by Adi
Granth, but the insistence of Vaishnavas on vegetarian diet has been rejected.
Guru Granth Sahib, An Analytical Study by Surindar Singh Kohli, Singh Bros. Amritsar
Commenting on meat being served in the langar during the time of Guru
Angad: However, it is strange that now-a-days in the Community-Kitchen
attached to the Sikh temples, and called the Guru's Kitchen (or, Guru-ka-
langar) meat-dishes are not served at all. May be, it is on account of its being,
perhaps, expensive, or not easy to keep for long. Or, perhaps the Vaishnava
tradition is too strong to be shaken off.
A History of the Sikh People by Dr. Gopal Singh, World Sikh University Press, Delhi
As a true Vaisnavite Kabir remained a strict vegetarian. Kabir far from defying
Brahmanical tradition as to the eating of meat, would not permit so much, as
the plucking of a flower (G.G.S. pg 479), whereas Nanak deemed all such
scruples to be superstitions, Kabir held the doctrine of Ahinsa or the non-
destruction of life, which extended even to that of flowers. The Sikh Gurus, on
the contrary, allowed and even encouraged, the use of animal flesh as food.
Nanak has exposed this Ahinsa superstition in Asa Ki War (G.G.S. pg 472) and
Malar Ke War (G.G.S. pg. 1288).
Philosophy of Sikhism by Gyani Sher Singh (Ph.D), Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee. Amritsar
The Gurus were loath to pronounce upon such matters as the eating of meat or
ways of disposing of the dead because undue emphasis on them could detract
from the main thrust of their message which had to do with spiritual liberation.
However, Guru Nanak did reject by implication the practice of vegetarianism
related to ideas of pollution when he said, 'All food is pure; for God has
provided it for our sustenance' (AG 472). Many Sikhs are vegetarian and meat
should never be served at langar. Those who do eat meat are unlikely to
include beef in their diet, at least in India, because of their cultural proximity to
Hindus.
A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism, W.Owen Cole and Piara Singh Sambhi, England
A close study of the above-mentioned hymns of Guru Nanak Dev clarifies the
Sikh standpoint regarding meat-eating. The Guru has not fallen into the
controversy of eating or not eating animal food. He has ridiculed the religious
priests for raising their voice in favour of vegetarianism. He called them
hypocrites and totally blind to the realities of life. They are unwise and
thoughtless persons, who do not go into the root of the matter. According to
him, the water is the source of all life whether vegetable or animal. Guru Nanak
Dev said. "None of the grain of corn is without life. In the first place, there is life
in water, by which all are made green" (Var Asa M.1, p. 472). Thus there is life
in vegetation and life in all types of creatures.
Real Sikhism by Surinder Singh Kohli, Harman Publishing, New Delhi
The Gurus neither advocate meat nor banned its use. They left it to the choice
of the individual. There are passages against meat, in the Adi Granth. Guru
Gobind Singh however prohibited for the Khalsa the use of Halal or Kutha meat
prepared in the Muslim ritualistic way.
Introduction to Sikhism by Dr. Gobind Singh Mansukhani, Hemkunt Press, Delhi
There are no restrictions for the Sikhs regarding food, except that the Sikhs are
forbidden to eat meat prepared as a ritual slaughter. The Sikhs are asked to
abstain from intoxicants.
Introduction to Sikhism by G.S. Sidhu, Shromini Sikh Sangat, Toronto
According to the Maryada booklet 'Kutha', the meat prepared by the Muslim
ritual, is prohibited for a Sikh. Regarding eating other meat, it is silent. From
the prohibition of the Kutha meat, it is rightly presumed that non-Kutha meat is
not prohibited for the Sikhs. Beef is prohibited to the Hindus and pork to the
Muslims. Jews and Christians have their own taboos. They do not eat certain
kinds of meat on certain days. Sikhs have no such instructions. If one thinks he
needs to eat meat, it does not matter which meat it is, beef, poultry, fish, etc.,
or which day it is. One should, however, be careful not to eat any meat harmful
for his health. Gurbani's instructions on this topic are very clear. "Only fools
argue whether to eat meat or not. Who can define what is meat and what is not
meat? Who knows where the sin lies, being a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian?"
(1289) The Brahmanical thought that a religious person should be a vegetarian
is of recent origin. Earlier, Brahmans had been eating beef and horse meat. In
conclusion, it is wrong to say that any person who eats meat (of course Kutha,
because of the Muslim rituals is prohibited) loses his membership of the Khalsa
and becomes an apostate.
The Sikh Faith by Gurbakhsh Singh, Canadian Sikh Study and Teaching Society,
Vancouver
The above discussion leads us to the conclusion that the Sikh Gurus made
people aware of the fact that it is very difficult to distinguish between a plant
and an animal, therefore, it is difficult to distinguish between a vegetarian and a
non-vegetarian diets and there is no sin of eating food originating from plants
or animals.
Scientific Interpretation of Gurbani, Paper by Dr. Devinder Singh Chahal
The practice of the Gurus is uncertain. Guru Nanak seems to have eaten
venison or goat, depending upon different janamsakhi versions of a meal which
he cooked at Kurukshetra which evoked the criticism of Brahmins. Guru
Amardas ate only rice and lentils but this abstention cannot be regarded as
evidence of vegetarianism, only of simple living. Guru Gobind Singh also
permitted the eating of meat but he prescribed that it should be Jhatka meat
and not Halal meat that is jagged in the Muslim fashion.
Mini Encyclopaedia of Sikhism by H.S. Singha, Hemkunt Press, Delhi.
There have been some quarters who have been at pains to create confusion
over the word Kuttha. There is no confusion over this word, and the Sri Guru
Granth Sahib ji is proof of this.
In the following Ang Guru Nanak condemns Brahmins, who serve their Muslim
rulers stating they are acting like pseudo-Muslims. In this Ang there is a line
which clearly refers to Kuttha as meat which has had Muslim prayers read
over it. Kuttha, however, can meat any meat that is killed in a ritualistic
manner.
mehlaa 1.
First Mehl:
The man-eaters say their prayers.
Those who wield the knife wear the sacred thread around their necks.
In their homes, the Brahmins sound the conch.
They too have the same taste.
False is their capital, and false is their trade.
Speaking falsehood, they take their food.
The home of modesty and Dharma is far from them.
O Nanak, they are totally permeated with falsehood. The sacred marks are on
their foreheads, and the saffron loin-cloths are around their waists;
in their hands they hold the knives - they are the butchers of the world!
Wearing blue robes, they seek the approval of the Muslim rulers.
Accepting bread from the Muslim rulers, they still worship the Puraanas.
They eat the meat of the goats, killed after the Muslim prayers are read
over them,
but they do not allow anyone else to enter their kitchen areas.
They draw lines around them, plastering the ground with cow-dung.
The false come and sit within them.
They cry out, "Do not touch our food,
this food of ours will be polluted!
But with their polluted bodies, they commit evil deeds.
With filthy minds, they try to cleanse their mouths.
Says Nanak, meditate on the True Lord.
If you are pure, you will obtain the True Lord.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji
Hence, it is clear that Kutha does not mean all meat at all, it means
specifically Halal Meat, but in the wider context it can mean meat that is
ritually slaughtered.
The Seiks receive Proselytes of almost every Cast, a point in which they differ
most materially from the Hindoos. To initiate Mohammedans into their
mysteries, they prepare a Dish of Hogs legs, which the Converts are obliged to
partake of, previous to admission………………..They are not prohibited the
use of Animal food of any kind, excepting Beef, which they are rigidly
scrupulous in abstaining from.
John Griffiths writes in February 17th 1794
The seiks are remarkably fond of the flesh of the jungle hog, which they kill in
chase: this food is allowable by their law. They likewise eat of mutton and fish;
but these being unlawful the Brahmins will not partake, leaving those who
chose to transgress their institutes to answer for themselves.
William Francklin in his writing about Mr George Thomas 1805
It is clear from the above that there is a clear distinction between Sikhs (meat
eaters), and those who chose to follow Brahmanical practices (Vegetarians),
however there appears to be no dispute over this issue as people are allowed
to decide for themselves.
The following is an Extract from an officer in the Bengal Army and is taken
from the Asiatic Annual Register 1809:
Now become a Singh, he is a heterodox, and distinct from the Hindoos by
whom he is considered an apostate. He is not restricted in his diet, but is
allowed, by the tenets of his new religion, to devour whatever food his appetite
may prompt, excepting beef.
Asiatic Annual Register 1809
Clearly, this gives us an idea that even independent observers of Sikhs who
saw their eating habits. These Sikhs were around some 100 years after the
demise of the last physical Sikh Guru and represented hardcore Sikh
philosophy at that time.
Jhatka meat is meat in which the animal has been killed quickly without
suffering or religious ritual.
We must give the rationale behind prescribing jhatka meat as the approved
food for the Sikhs. According to the ancient Aryan Hindu tradition, only such
meat as is obtained from an animal which is killed with one stroke of the
weapon causing instantaneous death is fit for human consumption. However,
with the coming of Islam into India and the Muslim political hegemony, it
became a state policy not to permit slaughter of animals for food, in any other
manner, except as laid down in the Quran - the kosher meat prepared by
slowly severing the main blood artery of the throat of the animal while reciting
verses from the Quran. It is done to make slaughter a sacrifice to God and to
expiate the sins of the slaughter. Guru Gobind Singh took a rather serious view
of this aspect of the whole matter. He, therefore, while permitting flesh to be
taken as food repudiated the whole theory of this expiatory sacrifice and the
right of ruling Muslims to impose iton the non-Muslims. Accordingly, he made
jhatka meat obligatory for those Sikhs who may be interested in taking meat as
a part of their food.
Sikhism, A Complete Introduction, Dr. H.S.Singha & Satwant Kaur, Hemkunt Press
And one semitic practice clearly rejected in the Sikh code of conduct is eating
flesh of an animal cooked in ritualistic manner; this would mean kosher and
halal meat. The reason again does not lie in religious tenet but in the view that
killing an animal with a prayer is not going to enoble the flesh. No ritual,
whoever conducts it, is going to do any good either to the animal or to the
diner. Let man do what he must to assuage his hunger. If what he gets, he puts
to good use and shares with the needy, then it is well used and well spent,
otherwise not.
Sikhs and Sikhism, Dr. I.J.Singh, Manohar Publishers.
mehlaa 1.
First Mehl:
The fools argue about flesh and meat, but they know nothing about meditation
and spiritual wisdom.
What is called meat, and what is called green vegetables? What leads to sin?
It was the habit of the gods to kill the rhinoceros, and make a feast of the burnt
offering.
Those who renounce meat, and hold their noses when sitting near it, devour
men at night.
They practice hypocrisy, and make a show before other people, but they do
not understand anything about meditation or spiritual wisdom.
O Nanak, what can be said to the blind people? They cannot answer, or even
understand what is said.
They alone are blind, who act blindly. They have no eyes in their hearts.
They are produced from the blood of their mothers and fathers, but they do not
eat fish or meat.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji
This Shabad specifically deals with the arguments that rage today about
spirituality and meat eating. The purpose of this essay, stated in the beginning
is not to look at meat eating’s pro’s and con’s in terms of the wider biological
debate, but to look at I terms of Sikhism and spirituality. As Sikh, one should
be concerned with getting into the triviality of such worthless debates and
certainly one should not mistranslate, or misrepresent the Sri Guru Granth
Sahib ji to back up a certain point of view.
OTHER EVIDENCE
There have always been vegetarian Sikhs, and there have always been Meat
eating Sikhs and the two groups have happily sat together and consumed a
mutually acceptable Vegetarian Langar side by side. So why in the 20th and
21st Century has this issue caused so much debate and controversy?
This maybe traced back to the Times of the British Raj and encouragement of
recruitment of Sikhs into the British Army. Many new converts to Sikhism
came into the fold, many of whom still practiced Hindu Vaishnav practices of
strict vegetarianism.
This need to cause division amongst Sikhs may even be traced earlier. In
‘Mobad’ Dabistan-I Mazahib 1645-46, the author states:
Many person became his disciples. Nanak believed in the Oneness of God
and in the way that it is asserted in Muhammadan theology. He also believed
in transmigration of souls. Holding wine and pork to be unlawful, he had
[himself] abandoned eating meat. He decreed avoidance of causing harm to
animals. It was after his time that meat-eating spread amongst his followers.
Arjan Mal, who was on of his lineal succesors, found this to be evil. He
prohibited people from eating meat, saying “This is not in accordance with
Nanak’s wishes”. Later, Hargobind, son of Arjan Mal, ate meat and took to
hunting. Most of their [the Gurus] followers adopted his practice.
Mobad’ Dabistan-I Mazahib 1645-46
Now clearly we know the message of the Guru’s was uniform. It was not that
they contradicted each other on issues such as meat eating. If some of this
authors writings are to be believed as factual, then one can only conclude that
some of the Guru’s were indeed vegetarian and some meat eaters, but it was
not an issue that mattered to them or which they attached importance to. The
author in this instance has liberally applied his own thoughts in order to show
a contradiction amongst the Sikh Guru’s teaching and possibly a mean to
exploit division. There was no contradiction in Sikh thought from the First
Master to the Last.
The body is the bottle, self-conceit is the wine, and desire is the company of
drinking companions. The glass of the mind’s longing is filled to overflowing
with falsehood; the Messenger of Death is the bartender. Drinking in this wine,
O Nanak, one takes on countless vices and corruption. So make spiritual
wisdom your molasses, and the Praise of God your bread; let the Fear of God
be the dish of meat. O Nanak, this is the true food; let the True Name be your
only Support.
Baba Mardana, Bihagara, pg. 553
In the society of the times meat was avoided by Hindus and certain kinds by
the Muslims. The Gurus tried to explain to these people that it was not eating
meat was not the real sin but:
"Nanak, another's right is swine for him (the Musalman) and cow for him (the
Hindu)."
(Guru Nanak, pg. 141)
"By uttering falsehood, man eats meat, Yet, he goes to admonish others. Such
appears to be the leader, O' Nanak! who himself is beguiled and beguiles his
comrades."
(Guru Nanak, Slok, pg. 140)
Evil intellect, heartlesness, slander and wrath are the real things to
avoid
“Evil-intellect is the she drummer, heartlessness is the butcheress, other’s
slander in the heart is a sweepress and deceitful wrath is a pariah-woman”
(Guru Nanak, Slok, pg. 91)
Avarice, falsehood, cheatings and slander are the real things to avoid
“Avarice is a dog., falsehood the sweeper and cheating the eating of meat.
Slandering others solely amounts to puting other’s filth in ones own mouth and
fire of wrath is a pariah.”
(Guru Nanak, Sri Rag, pg.15)
The Gurus clearly stated what are sins throughout the Guru Granth
Sahib, nowhere is eating meat mentioned as being one of these sins.
"Taking halter, men go out at night to strangle others, but the Lord knows all, O
mortal. Concealed in places they look at other women. They break into places,
difficult to acceess and enjoy wine deeming it sweet. Over their respective
misdeeds, they shall themselves afterwards regret. Azrail, the courier of death
shall crush them like the mill full of sesame."
(Guru Arjan Dev, Pauri, pg. 315)
"Abandon lust, wrath, avarice and worldly love. Thus be rid of both birth and
death. Distress and darkness shall depart from thy home, when, within thee,
the Guru implants wisdom and lights the Divine lamp. He, who serves the Lord
crosses the sea of life. Through the Guru, O slave Nanak, the entire world is
saved."
(Guru Arjan Dev, Gauri, pg. 241)
"In the fire of desire, avarice, arrogance and excessive egotism the man is
burning. He repeatedly goes, comes and loses his honour. His life he wastes
away in vain. Rare is the person who understands Gurbani."
(Guru Amar Das, Majh, pg 120)
The superstitions of the impurity of certain foods such as meat exposed
and the real emphasis revealed:
"What can be achieved by eating and what by dressing, so long as that True
Lord abides not in the man's mind? What is fruit, what clarified butter and
sweet molasses, what fine flour and what meat? What is rainment and what
comfortable couch to enjoy sexual intercourse and revelments? Of what use is
an army and of what the mace-bearers, servants and coming and dwelling in
mansions? Nanak, without the True Name, the entire paraphernalia is
perishable."
(Guru Nanak, pg. 142)
"The True food is the Lord's love. So says the True Guru. With the True food I
am appeased and with Truth I am delighted."
(Guru Angad, Pauri, pg. 146)
"The world-hardened men, who eat poison by repeatedly telling lies, the Lord
Himself has led astray. They know not the ultimate reality of departure, and
increase the poison of lust and wrath."
(Guru Amar Das, Pauri, pg. 145)
"Without the Name all, which man wears and eats is poison. By praising the
True Name one merges in the True Master."
(Guru Nanak, Pauri, pg.144)
"By reading and reciting men grow weary but they obtain not peace. By desire
they are consumed, and they have no knowledge of it. Poison they purchase
and for the love of poison they are thirsty. By telling lies they eat poison."
(Guru Amrar Das, Majh, pg. 120)
"I have tasted and seen all other relishes but to my mind the God's dainty is
the sweetest of all."
(Guru Arjan Dev, Majh, pg.100)
"Do thou only that by which filth may not attach to thee, and this soul of thine
may remain awake in singing God's praises.
"Let somone sing, someone hear, someone reflect on, someone preach the
Name of God and somone fix it in his mind, he shall forthwith be saved. His
sins shall be effaced, he shall become pure and his filth of many births shall be
washed off. In this world and the next world, his countenance shall be bright,
and mammon shall not affect him. He is the man of wisdom, he the vegetarian,
he the divine and the man of wealth; He is the hero, and he is of high family,
who has meditated on the Fortunate Lord."
( Guru Arjan Dev, Pauri, pg. 300)
"Self-conceit and wealth are all poison. Attached therewith, man ever suffers
loss in this world. By pondering on the Name, the Guru-ward earns the profit of
God's wealth. By placing God and God's elixir in the mind, the poison of the
filth of ego is removed."
( Guru Ram Das, Slok, pg. 300)
"The attachment of all the visible objects is all impurity. Due to this, the mortal
dies and is reborn again and again. Impurity is in fire, air and water. Within all
the food, which we eat, there is pollution. Defilement is in mans actions as he
performs not God's worship."
( Guru Amar Das, Gauri Guareri, pg. 229)
"Without the Name all, which man wears and eats is poison. By praising the
True Name one merges in the True Master."
( Guru Nanak, Pauri, pg.144)
"The True food is the Lord's love. So says the True Guru. With the True food I
am appeased and with Truth I am delighted."
( Guru Angad, Pauri, pg. 146)
The vegetable feels pain just as the animal does, there is no difference.
"See, that the sugarcane is sheared. After cleansing and chopping off its
plumes, its feet are bound to form it into bundles. Placing it in between the
wooden rollers of the press, they crush and award it punishment. Extracting
the juice, they put it in the cauldron and it groans as it burns. Even the empty
crushed cane is collected and is burnt in the fire. Nanak, how the sweet-leaved
sugar-cane is treated, come and see, O’ people!"
( Guru Nanak, Slok, pg. 143)
Glorious God is compared not only to the fish and the net but also to a
fisherman - a killer of fish for food.
"He Himself is the fisherman and the fish and Himself the water and the net.
He Himself is the metal ball of the net and Himself the bait within."
( Guru Nanak, Sri Rag, pg. 23)
"The tigers, hawks, kites and falcons, them the Lord causes to eat grass. Who
eats grass, them He causes to eat meat. This way of life He can set agoing."
(Guru Nanak, Slok, pg. 144)
"God Himself has made the earth and Himself the sky. He of Himself created
the beings therein, and of Himself puts morsels (food) in their mouths. All by
Himself He pervades everywhere and Himself is the treasure of excellences.
Remember Thou God's Name, O slave Nanak, and He shall efface all thine
sins."
(Guru Ram Das, Slok, pg. 302)
"They walk in a single file, brush the ground before they lay their foot on it all
this they do to avoid killing life, but it is God who giveth and taketh life."
(Guru Gobind Singh, 33 Swayyas, Dasam Granth)
"There is but one breath, all are identical in matter and among all the entire
light is the same. The One Light is contained among all the different and
diverse things."
(Guru Ram Das, Majh, pg. 96)
"Many millions of beings, the Lord has made of good many descriptions. From
the Lord they emanated and into the Lord shall they be absorbed."
(Guru Arjan Dev, Ashtpadi, pg. 276)
"In forests, grass blades and mountains, the Supreme Lord is contained. As is
His will so are His creatures acts. The Lord is in wind, water and fire. He is
permeating the four quarters and ten directions. There is no place without
Him."
(Guru Arjan Dev, Ashtpadi, pg. 294)
Amongst all the forms, the Lord Himself is contained.
"I have heard the One Lord to be the treasure of imperishable peace. God is
said to be fully filling the ocean, dry land, sky and every heart. He looks equally
adorned amongst all the high and low, an ant and an elephant. The friends,
comrades, sons and relatives are all created by Him."
(Guru Arjan Dev, Slok, pg. 319)
"His plays, He Himself enacts. Coming and going, visible and invisible and the
entire world, He has made obedient to Himself."
(Guru Arjan Dev, Ashtpadi, pg. 281)
"Yet holding the knife, the world they butcher. Wearing blue the rulers approval
they seek; With money derived from mlechhas the Puranas they worship.
Goats slaughtered over the unapproved Muslims texts they eat."
(Guru Nanak, Raga Asa, pg. 472)
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