why kill a chicken

8/11/2019 Why Kill a Chicken

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< siqgurpRswid ]jau sB mih eyku Kudwie khq hau

qau ikau murgI mwrY ]

WHYKILLACHICKEN

BHAIJOGINDERSINGHTALWARA


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Contents

INTRODUCTIONTOTHENEWEDITION................................................................................................4

THECONTROVERSY ..............................................................................................................................5

IFYOU

PERCEIVE

GOD

ABIDES

IN

ALL

BEINGS,

THEN

WHY

KILL

A

CHICKEN?....................................11

GENERALARGUMENTSINSUPPORTOFMEATEATING....................................................................13

RE:ARGUMENTNO.1 ........................................................................................................................14

RE:ARGUMENTNO.2 ........................................................................................................................20

RE:ARGUMENTNO.3 ........................................................................................................................27

RE:ARGUMENTNO.4 ........................................................................................................................38

RE:ARGUMENTNO.5 ........................................................................................................................45

RE:ARGUMENTNO.6 ........................................................................................................................47

DedicatedtoGurmukhGursikhswhorefrainfromkillingofanimalsforthetasteoftongue


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INTRODUCTIONTOTHENEWEDITION

ThisistheEnglishversionofthetractentitledTauKioMurgiMarai,whichwasoriginallypublished

inPunjabiinApril1995andreprintedinJanuary1998.ThebookletwaswellreceivedinIndiaas

wellasabroad.ThereadersfromabroadexpressedakeendesiretogetittranslatedinEnglishand

hencethis

English

translation

of

the

original

Punjabi

booklet.

My

attention

was

drawn

to

the

book

entitledMasMaskarMurakhJhagreybyS.GurbakhshSinghJiKalaAfghana.Ihavegonethrough

itcarefullyandhavenotbeenabletofindanynewpointinit.Theoldandoftenrepeatedvague

argumentshavebeenrestatedandalmostallthesepointshavealreadybeenexplainedatsome

lengthinthisbooklet.Itwould,however,beworthwhiletoreiteratesomeofthesalientpoints

herein.

OnethingwhichisworthyofspecialmentionaboutS.GurbakhshSinghJi'sbookisthathehas

ventedouthisdeeprootedprejudicesandacrimonyagainstBhaiSahibRandhirSinghJi.The

realityisthatwheneversomeoneexhortsagainstmeateatinginthelightoftheGuru'steachings,

thosepeople

who

are

addicted

to

its

taste

and

cannot

give

it

up,

are

very

upset.

In

the

heart

of

theirhearts,theywantfullfreedom,inthisrespect.Hence,evenwhileinterpretingrelevant

Gurbaniquotationsconcerningthisissue,theywouldacceptonlythatinterpretationwhichdoes

notstandinthewayoftheirunfetteredfreedomtoeatflesh.

BhaiSahibRandhirSinghJispenthiswholelifeinanuninterruptedpracticeoftheHolyNamand

Gurbani.GurbaniwasthemainstayofhislifeandheenjoyedthetrueBlissandperfect

understandingoftheessenceoftheGurbani.Gurbanihadpenetratedintoeachnerveandporeof

hisbody.Assuch,hehadnoneedtodependonanytranslatorofGurbanitounderstanditstrue

andunderlyingmeaningaswellasitsessence.Asaresultoftheimbibementofhisverysoulinthe

Gurbani,he

came

to

realize

through

intuition

that

to

kill

living

birds

and

animals

simply

for

the

sakeofeatingtheirfleshisundoubtedlyviolence,tortureandtyranny!Hencehetookthecourage

topreachthistruthamongtheSikhmassesfearlesslywithoutanyconsiderationastowhetherany

groupofpeopleappreciatesorcondemnsthisactiononhispart.If,asaresultofhispreachingthe

truthcontainedintheGurbani,numerousdevotees,livinginIndiaaswellasabroad,havebeen

savedfrombecomingsavagekillers,thecreditforthisgoestoGurbaniandnottoBhaiSahib.He

hassimplydonetheadmirableservicetothecommunitybyfearlesslybringingtolightthetruthof

whatGurbanisays.ApparentlyhisservicehasalreadyprovedfruitfulbytheGraceoftheSatguru.

HundredsofthousandsofdevoutSikhshavealreadybeen,andwillcontinuetobeinspiredto

escapethissinpointedoutasbelow:

AsMK glvF hiqAw kmwih ] (jpujI, pauVI 18)Countlesscutthroatscommithomicide.

IfsomeonegetsirritatedonaccountofthisandthenletsloosehisvenomagainstBhaiSahib,he

shallnotbeabletocauseanyharmtothesanctifiedpersonalityofBhaiSahib.Haseverbeenthe

moonmuckedbyanyone'sspittingatit?Never!AloverandadmirerofGurbaniwouldalwaystest

thetruthofhisexpositionsonthetouchstoneofGurbani.BhaiSahibwassentencedforlifefor

thesakeofDharma.Duringhisinternmenthefacedboldlytheworstofheartrendingtortures

withfullfaithinthehighidealsofSikhism.Thus,hepracticallybroughtoutexplicitlythatthetrue

braverydoes

not

come

from

eating

flesh

to

satiate

the

palate,

by

killing

helpless

innocent

animals,

ratheritisanoutcomeofone'scompleteselfsurrendertotheWillofSatguruandthroughHis

Grace.


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THECONTROVERSY

Thecontentionheredoesnotpertaintotheschismbetweenthevegetarianandfleshfoods.The

realpointofcontroversyiswhetheritisjustifiedtokillthehelplessanimalsmerelytoobtaintheir

fleshforeating.InthisrespecttheverdictoftheGurbaniisabsolutelyclear.Ifsomeonetriesto

twistthe

meaning

of

Gurbani

to

suit

his

whims

and

preferences

with

the

ulterior

motive

of

creatingjustificationforone'ssinisteractsofcruelty,oneisfreetodoso.However,allsuchefforts

toescapechastisementwouldbefutile.

WhereistheconfusionaboutthemeaningoftheGurbaniline"countlesscutthroatscommit

homicide?"Itobviouslymeansthatanyonewhocommitscrueltybykillinganylivingbeingforthe

gratificationofhisownyearningsanddesires,fallsintothecategoryofcriminalsaccusedofcut

throating.BhaiSahibBhaiGurdasJiputsadirectquestiontothosewhoindulgeincutthroating

justtosatisfytheirownpalate,asbelow:

mws Kwin gil CurI dy hwlu iqnwVw kauxu AloAw ] (BweI gurdws jI, vwr 37, pauVI 21)Whatwillhappentothosewhoeatmeatobtainedbycuttingthethroatsofanimals?

mwsu Kwin gl viF kY hwlu itnwVw kauxu hovsI ] (BweI gurdws jI, vwr 25, pauVI 17)Whatfatewillbefallthosewhoeatmeatbycuttingthethroatsoflivinganimals?

THESIMPLEANDSTRAIGHTFORWARDQUESTIONIS:

jIA bphu su Drmu kir Qwphu, ADrmu khhu kq BweI ] Awps kau muinvr kir Qwphu, kw khhu ksweI ](mwru kbIr, pMnw 1103)You

kill

animals

just

to

satiate

your

palate

and

then

you

consider

this

as

'Dharma',

apart

of

Khalsa

CodeofConduct.Then,whatwouldbe'Adharma',theCardinalsin,accordingtoyou?Ifevenafter

performingthedespicableactofkillinginnocentlivingbeings,youprojectyourselfasapiousone

(i.e.SantKhalsa)thenwhomwouldyoucallabutcher?

Jy rqu lgY kpVY jwmw hoie plIqu]Jo rqu pIvih mwxsw, iqn ikau inrmlu cIqu ](vwr mwJ, m: 1, pMnw 140)Iftheattireonewearsisconsideredpollutedwhenitistaintedwithdropsofblood,thenthe

persons

who

consume

the

blood

of

animals

in

the

form

of

flesh,

how

can

their

mind

remain

pure?

TheaboveinterpretationisstrictlyinaccordancewiththerulesofGurbanigrammaraswellasin

thecontextofthesubjectmatterdiscussedtherein.Contextuallythemeaningofthecoupletcan

beexplainedasbelow:

Iftheclothesarestainedwithblood,theclothesarepolluted.Ifthemindisstainedwithblood,

themindbecomespolluted.

Thewordmwxsw(Mansa)intheabovecoupletistobepronouncedasmwxswwithoutnazallisation

and

NOT

as

mwxsW

(Mansa[n]).

According

to

Gurbani

grammar

this

word

has

been

used

here

as

Simple(withoutpreposition)Nominativecaseinpluralform.


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ThevotariesformeateatingtrytopronounceitasmwxsW(Mansa[n])andclaimthatitreferstothemankindinparticular,meaningtherebythathereinisacondemnationofthosewhoexercise

tyrannyupontheirfellowhumanbeings.

Eveninthatcase,wouldsomebodyexplainthatifsomeoneevenpricksanotherhumanbeing,itis

tantamounttosuckingofhisblood,thenhowthevirtualcuttingofthethroatsofotheranimalsis

notconsidered

tyranny?

What

adiscriminatory

and

curious

approach!

Crueltyiscondemnedasasininallcases,whetheritisoninnocentanimalsandbirdsoronhuman

beings.Itisaghastliersintoattemptatdenyingitorcleverlycamouflagingit.

Theabovequestionsarestraightforwardandneedstraightforwardanswers.

Somepeopleassertthattheabovecoupletcondemnsonlythosewhoclaimtosacrificeanimalsin

thenameofAllah;buteattheendproduct,meat,tosatiatetheirpalateofthetongue,and

therebytrytodeceiveGod.

Thisargumentisabsolutelyuntenable.DeceptionwithAllahoccursassoonasaselfishperson,

insteadofsacrificinghisownego,targetsaninnocentandhelplessanimalforsacrificetoGod.Sri

KabirJihadseenthisthroughhisdivineeyethattherealpurposeofthesocalledsacrificeofthe

animalstoGodisnottopleaseHim,buttogratifyone'stasteofthetongue.Thatiswhyhe

proclaimed:

rojw DrY mnwvY Alhu, suAwdiq jIA sMGwrY ] Awpw dyiK Avr nhI dyKY, kwhy kau JK mwrY ](Awsw kbIr, pMnw 483)One(whoeatsmeattosatisfyhispalate),keepsfastsinordertopleaseAllah,but(underthe

influenceofhisyearningformeat)killstheinnocenthelplessanimals;hekeepsinviewonlyhis

selfishmotive(ofgettingandjustifyingmeatasfood)intheforefrontandthusdoesnotcarefor

thefeelingsofpainandsufferingenduredbytheinnocentanimalsthroughhisruthlessactof

killing.Whyistheman(whoisthesupremecreationofGod)pettifogging?

Themeatrelishersmaybetterhaveapeepintotheirconscienceandseeforthemselveswhether

theyarepettifoggingornotwhentheyclaimthatthrougheatingofmeattheyarenotcommitting

anyhomicide.Theygototheextentofglossingovertheirsinbytryingtojustifythisactionby

creatingafarcicaldistinctionbetweenJhatkaandHalal.Aretheynotcommittingthesinof

deceivingtheirownconscienceaswellascomminglingthetenetsoftheGurmatwithfalsehood?

LUDICROUSROWOVERJHATKAORHALAL

Towardofftheblameofhomicide,thesupportersofmeateatinghaveraisedgimmickofjhatka

orhalal.Ifonelooksintothissocalleddistinctiondispassionatelyandwithdiscerninginsight,the

realitycomesoutthattherealpointofcontentionisnottheprocesshowtheanimaliskilledbut

whetheranysuchkillingamountstohomicideornot.

IfsomecleverMuslimkillsthelivingbeingstoobtainmeatforthegratificationofhispalateand

callsitHalali.e.sacred,andanySikhcallssuchaproductasMahanPrasadi.e.themostsacred

food,itisallasham,aclearfraud.Infact,inthiswayheisnotonlydeceivinghimselfbutalsois

confusingthe

masses.

Their

perverted

use

of

the

sacred

words

in

such

cases

is

nothing

but

blasphemy.AccordingtotheDivineMessageconveyedthroughGurbani,suchphariseeswill


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definitelyhavetoaccountfortheirsinfulactsintheTrueCourt.Letthemjustponderoverwhat

willhappentothem:

kbIr jIA ju mwrih joru kir, khqy hih ju hlwlu ] dPqru deI jb kwiF hY, hyiegw kaunu hvwl ] 199 ](slok kbIr, pMnw 1375)"Kabir,theywhodestroylifebyforceanddeemitasHalal(sacrificedinthenameofAllah);what

willbetheirfatewhenGodtakesaccountoftheirdeedsinHisOffice?"

GurbaniclearlyspecifiesthatonecannotconvertHaram(foodobtainedthroughunholymeans)

intoHalal(sacredfood)whateverclevermeansonemayadopt.Ifsomeonetriestocoverupone's

maliciousacts(Haram)byrecitingtheholyhymnswhileperformingthem,itamountstoonlya

fraudandcannotchangetheevilintogood:

mwrn pwih hrwm mih, hyie hlwlu n jwie ] 2 ] 7 ] (vwr mwJ, 1, pMnw 141)"Ifsomeoneseasonsone'ssinfulproductwithanykindofcondiments,itdoesnotbecomepureor

sacred."

GuruNanakDevJihasalsoexplainedthefactualmeaningofthecontentiouswordsofKutthaand

Halaletc.,toaSheikhwhorelishedanimalfoodverymuch,asbelow:

sc kI kwqI scu sBu swru ] GwVq iqs kI Apr Awpr ] sbdy swn rKweI lwie ] gux kI QykY ivic smwie ]iqs hlwlu lgY hvY syKu ] lohu inkQw vyK ] hOie hlwlu lgY hik jwie ] nwnk dir dIdwir smwie ] 2 ] 19] (vwr rwmklI m: 1, pMnw 956)"IfTruthbetheknifeandTruthitssteel,thenitsmakeisofinfiniteglory.Andifitissharpenedon

thewhetstoneoftheDivineWord.AndkeptsafeinthesheathoftheDivineVirtue.Thenifthe

Sheikhis

'killed'

with

this

knife,

all

his

blood

of

Greed

will

be

spilt.

And

in

this

way

he

will

become

Halal(Pure)andwillmeettheLordGod.Andthus,willwitnesstheblissofGod'sVisionatHis

Gate."

Theabovehymngivesaclearrebuffandbringstolighttherealitytothoseresponsibleforcreating

thisdisputeofJhatkaandHalal.Thus,itisapparentthatinsteadofcreatingafraudofJhatkaand

Halaljustforthesakeofsatisfyinghispalate,onemustbepreparedtosacrificeone'sselfi.e.ego

forthesakeoftheTruth,getridofsensualityandgreed,andinthiswaywouldcertainlybecome

Halal(sacred)himself.

MEAT

AND

OTHER

FOODS

Meateatersfurtherarguethateventhosewhoarestrictvegetarianscommithomicidewhile

eatinggrainsetc.,becauseallthesefoodsalsocontainliveorganisms.Thisargumentalsois

renderedabsolutelybaselessandoffthemarkwhenanalysedintheframeworkofGurbani's

guidelines.

Sikhismisawayoflifewhichenjoinsneithertotalattachmentnortotaldetachment.Itbelievesin

alifeofequipoisei.e.internaldetachmentinanenvironmentofattachment.Foodhasbeen

providedbytheCreator/Sustaineranditmustbeeatenforthesustenanceoflife.However,itisto

beeatentosustainlifeandnotmerelytosatisfyone'spalate.Onehastotakefoodtoenable

one'sbodytodoNamSimranandbringone'slifetofruition.VerdictofGurbanifavourssuchuse

offood:


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Awid purK qy hoie Anwid ] jpIAY nwmu AMn kY swid ] (goNf kbIr jI, pMnw 873)FromthePrimalLordwellsupthecornetc.Withtheenergygeneratedbyfoodgrainsinthebody,

cantherecitationoftheNambepossible.

Onewhoeatsfoodstuffs(i.e.grainsetc.)cannotbeconsideredakilleratall,justasamarried

familymanremainsareligiouspersoninspiteofbonafidesexualindulgencewithhiswifein

exerciseof

the

creative

energy

bestowed

upon

him

by

the

Creator

for

continuity

of

human

generation.Thatiswhymarriedwayoflifehasbeenclassedastopmostamongotherwaysoflife.

Ontheotherhand,ifanunscrupulousmantakesrecoursetoadultery,andyetclaimsparitywitha

marriedman,hisclaimisfarcicalandsheernonsense.Thedifferencebetweenameateaterand

graineateristhesameasbetweenareligiouslymarriedmanandaprofligateperson.

Similarly,whileaSikhcombshishair,itdoubtlesslyresultsintheremovalofsomebrokenordead

hair,butdespiteallthisheisnotconsideredanapostatebutisconsideredadevoteewhostrictly

followslifeinaccordancewiththeGursikhCodeofConduct.Asagainstthis,onewhocutshishair

justto

follow

the

general

fashions

prevalent

amongst

others

becomes

immediately

an

'Apostate'.

Literallyspeakingfallofhairisthereinboththeprocessesbuttheunderlyingintentionisdefinitely

different.Intheformercase,theintentionistorespecttheKeshasandinthelatteritisadisgrace

tothem.Likewiseissubtledifferencebetweenmeateatersandnonmeateaters.

ThefollowingcoupletfromGurbanibringsforththisdifferenceevenmoreclearly,bystressingthe

needofeatingfoodgrainsetc.,andatthesametime,questioningtheeatingofanimalfleshby

humans:

kbIr KUbu Kwnw KIcrI jw AMimRqu lon ] hyrw rotI kwrny glw ktwvY kaunu ] 199 ] (slok kbIr, pMnw 1374)

"Kabir,sublime

is

the

food,

rice

and

pulse

mixed

with

delicious

salt.

Instead,whowouldliketohavehisthroatcut(infuturelife)byeatingfleshfoodobtainedby

huntingtheanimals?

Thus,theconclusionderivedfromtheabovecoupletofGurbani,isexplicitlyclear.Onemayor

maynotacceptit.Amazingly,whenthemeatrelishersarenotabletofindanyjustificationintheir

favourfromGurbani,theyputforwardotherquestionableandvagueargumentstoachievetheir

objectives.TheysaythatallthesequotationsfromtheGurbaniwhichcondemneatingofmeat,

areauthoredbyBhagatKabirJionly.Intheirzeal,theyforgetthattheentireGurbanienshrinedin

SriGuruGranthSahibhasthestatusof,regardlessofitsauthorship,theGURU.Iteither

emanatedfrom

the

Gurus

themselves

or

from

the

Bhagats,

Bhatts

and

other

devotees

of

God

who

hadreachedthehigheststateofGodrealisation,andtheirworkshavegainedapprobationof

GuruSahibwhothenincorporatedthesameinSriGuruGranthSahib.Thus,itisimperativefor

everySikhtoacceptthewholeBanicontainedinSriGuruGranthSahibastheWholeTruthand

nothingbuttheTruth.

prQwie swKI mhwpurK boldy, swJI sgl jhwnY ] gurmuiK hoie su Bau kry Awpnw Awpu pwCxY ](vwr soriT, m: 3, pMnw 647)"Greatmenspeakinsomecontextbuttheirwisdomisapplicabletothewholeworld.

It,therefore,behovesagenuinedevoteeoftheGurutorespectallthedivineSayingsofGreatmen

andthus

attains

self

realization."


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MEAT:A'SUPERIOR'FOOD!

Themeateaterspersistentlymaketheassertionthatthereisnorestrictiononanytypeof

eatablesinSikhism.Itisawhitelie.Aretobacco,opium,liquornotprohibitedinSikhism?Gurbani

explicitlycondemnsandprohibitstheirconsumption.Itisadifferentmatterifanyonecallsliquor

as(pMj-rqnI)'AdmixtureofFiveValuableelements'andnamesopiumas(suK inDwn)thetreasureofhappiness',andthengoesonconsumingthesameincessantly.Similaristhepositioninthecase

ofmeat

eating.

Gurbani

clearly

proclaims:

kbIr BwNg mwCulI surw pwin jo jo pwRnI KWih ]qIrQ brq nym kIey qy sBY rswqil jWih ] 233 ](slok kbIr, pMnw 1377)"Kabirthosewhopartakeofhemp(anintoxicantherb),fishandliquor,

Withutterdisregardtowhateverpilgrimages,fastingsandotherreligiousritestheymayperform,

theyallgotohell."

Thus,

if,

in

spite

of

such

condemnatory

commandments

contained

in

the

Gurbani,

people

continue

togivethepervertednameofMahanPrasadi.e.mostsacredfood,toabovereferredcondemned

food,theyarenotonlygoingagainsttheedictsofGurbanibutarealsocommittingadeceptionby

givingthisname(MahanPrasad)toathingwhichhasbeenreferredtoinGurbaniasCarcass(krMgibKU)etc.IfacommonercallsmeatMahanPrasadthenwecanonlypityhim.But,whentheleaders,andtheSikhmissionariesdoso,thenwecanonlylamentovertheirintelligenceand

wisdom.

PlayingtrickerywiththerealmeaningoftheGurbanimeateatersfurtherarguethattheabove

coupletsimplyprohibitstheconsumptionofhemp,fishetc.,forthoseaddictedtoliquor.Evenif

weaccept

their

interpretation,

it

is

not

clear

that

how

things

that

are

prohibited

for

liquor

addicts

canbeallowedforadevoutKhalsa?

ANIMPROBABLE,IRRELEVANTIMAGINATION

Themeateatershavediscoveredanultramoderntheoryinthiscontextwhichsurpassesall

scientificresearchesofthe20thcentury.Theyclaim:

"Manhasauniquepowerwhichdoesnotexistinotherformsofcreation.Thisisthepowerof

mind.Birdsandotheranimalsarenotblessedwithsuchmarvellouslyequippedmind.Thefeelings

ofhappinessoragonyarefeltonlybythemind;thebodyonlyperceivessuchaspleasureorpain.

Devoidof

mind,

birds

and

animals

do

not

have

any

sense

of

pleasure

or

agony.

Thus

how

can

they

worrywhentheyhavenomindwhichonlyiscapableofsuchfeelings?"

Thedictionarymeaningoftheword'Mind'is"theorganofthebodywhichhastheSenseof

NotionaswellasofOption;"thatwhichfeels,desiresandhasthepowertomakeachoicetofulfil

thedesires.Mindalsocontrolsallotherorgansconnectedwiththeattainmentofknowledgeas

wellaswithbodyactions;andthushasenormouspowers.Thesoulinthebodyis,ofcourse,not

affectedbysensesofpainandpleasure.However,suchfeelingsdoaffectthemind.Mindexistsin

alltypesoflifeincludingbirdsandanimals,etc.Asaresult,alllivingbeingsi.e.humans,birdsand

animalsetc.,havethesenseoffeelingsconnectedwithagonyorpleasure.Thefeelingsofloveand

hate

do

exist

in

birds

and

animals

just

as

these

exist

in

humans.

This

reality

can

be

observed

by

anyoneinthedailylife.


10/48

Justhitadogwithastick,andhewillcryoutofpain.Nowjustfondlehimandhewillbepleased

andwillexpresshispleasureandgratitudebylickingyourfeet.

Therefore,thispeculiarreasoningthatanimalsandbirdsdonothaveamind,whichonlyfeelspain

andpleasure,issheerlyhighhandednessofthemeateaters.Thisisjusttheabuseofjudicious

facultyoftheheadoftheentirecreationTheMan.

Manissuperiortotherestofthecreationsimplybecauseofhissuperiorwisdom.Evenbirdsand

animalshavewisdombuttheirwisdomisverymuchlimitedascomparedtothatofman.Man

certainlymisusesthisblessingofwisdomwhenhetriestoexterminateotherspeciesoflifejustto

satisfyhisegoorpalateofthetongue,andfurthermorewhentriestocoversuchsinfulactsby

vagueandfrivolousreasonings.Itisclearthathehasnosolidandsustainablejustificationforhis

actionsandisjusttryingtobeataboutthebush.

Intheend,Ithinkitpropertoreiteratethatthecentralpointinthiswholediscussionisnotthe

technicaldistinctionbetweenthesetwotypesoffoodbasedontheiringredients.Themootpoint

iswhether

it

is

justified

to

take

life

just

to

satisfy

one's

palate

of

the

tongue.

It

can

safely

be

assertedthatGurbanipermitsmantoeatnaturalfoodforhissustenancetobeabletomeditate

upontheholyNaam.Itcertainlyprohibitseatingofmeat,whichisobtainedbykillinglivingbeings

justforsatisfyingthetasteoftongue.

JOGINDERSINGHTALWARA

Amritsar

August15,1997.


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IFYOUPERCEIVEGODABIDESINALLBEINGS,THENWHYKILLACHICKEN?

LIQUORANDMEATTHEPROVERBIALVICES

Fromtimesimmemorial,liquorandmeathavebeenconsideredastheproverbialvices,which

havebeeninstrumentalinbringingdestructiontonumerousfamiliesanddownfallofnationsand

empires.In

spite

of

that,

clever

people

addicted

to

these

vices

have

even

tried

to

justify

their

consumptionandforthispurpose,theyhavenotrefrainedfromdistortingthemeaningsof

Gurbani.Forthisreason,itappearsimperativetoconsiderthismatterinthelightofGurbani,in

ordertobringtolightthetruth.

WIDECONSUMPTIONOFLIQUORANDMEATAMONGTHESIKHSWHOSEFAULT?

ItisverystrangethattheSikhcommunity,forwhomthehighestmoralstandardshavebeensetby

theGurus,sizeablenumberoutofithasnotbeenabletoescapethesevices.Thishasresultedin

thedownfallofSikhSocietysociallyandmorally.Theeminentleadersofthecommunityhavetried

toputtheblameofthisstateofthecommunityonthesocalledilliteracyandlackofeducationin

themasses

in

general,

especially

in

the

remote

areas.

To

some

extent

it

may

be

true.

However,

the

onegreatestreasonisthatthemajorityofthereligiouspreachersandotherimportantpeople

engagedinthepropagationoftheSikhfaitharethemselvesvictimtothesevices.Hencethey

startedpropagatingopenlythatthesearenotprohibitedintheSikhreligion.Someseemingly

virtuouspeoplehaveevengonetotheextentofmakingofferingsofmeatandhempbeforeGuru

SahibandprayingforacceptanceofthesameandthendistributingitasPrasadortheBlessed

food.Ifsomeonedoubtstheauthenticityofthisstatement,onemaygoevennowandwitnessthis

practiceontheoccasionofHolaMohallaatHazoorSahibinNanded,andSriAnandpurSahib.Itis

beingdoneopenly.Somepeoplehaveevengonetotheextentofdeclaringthatonewhodoesnot

eatMahanPrasad(i.e.meat)isnotaSikh.Itisasheerperversitytogivesuchareverednameof

MahanPrasad

(i.e.

most

auspicious

food)

to

this

blasphemous,

abhorred

and

filthy

material.

As

againstthis,intheSikhtraditionaswellasintheoldSikhliterature,thewordMahanPrasadhas

beenusedtodenotethemostsacredandsanctifiedfoodi.e.KarahPrasad.

eyk imstwn pwn lwvq mhw-pRswid, eyk gurpurb kY isKn bulwvtI ](BweI gurdws jI, kibq 309)InthecongregationoftheGursikhs,somedevoteesbringsweeteatables,somebringMahan

Prasad(mostsacredfoodi.e.KarahPrasad)andsomeinviteGursikhstocelebrateGurpurbs.

KWf iGRq cUn jl pwvk iekqR Bey, pMc imlI pRgwm hY ]

(BweI gurdws jI, kibq 124)Sugar,ghee,flour,waterandfire,whenallcombined,theresultantproductbecomesKARAH

PRASADi.e.foodcomprisingoffiveblissfulingredients.

kory mt Axwie nir BrwieAw ] Awix mhw prswdu vMif KvwieAw ](BweI gurdws jI, vwr 20, pauVI 10)Theybringnewearthenpotsfilledwithwater(forfreeserviceofdrinkingwater).(Theyalso)bring

MAHAPRASAD(i.e.KARAHPRASAD)forserving(intheSangat).

JustlikemisnomerofKarahPrasad,somehemplovingpeoplehavegiventhemisnomerofSukh

Nidhan(Treasureofhappiness)tohempandliquorhasbeengiventhemisnomerofPanjRatni(i.e.

admixtureoffivepreciouselements)meaningmostpreciousdrink.Inthiswaytheyarefollowing


12/48

thepracticeofVamMargis(VamMargisasocalledreligiouscultoftheHinduswhereinmeat

andliquorareconsideredasauspiciousfoodsandunrestrictedsexhasreligioussanction).

However,suchrepugnantpracticeshavenoplaceintheKhalsaWayofLife.Bygivingavirtuous

andattractivenametoadespicablething,itsviciousnaturecannotbealtered.Thosewhoresort

tocontemptiblepracticesnotonlyhoodwinkothersbutalsobefoolthemselvesindoingso

becausetheir

explanations

are

based

on

absolutely

false

notions

which

like

wall

of

sand

are

sure

tocollapse:

kUVu n phuMcY sc no sau GVq GVIAY ](BweI gurdwh jI, vwr 34, pauVI 21)Falsehoodcannotequalthetruthbyanymeans.

Evenifthefalsehoodisconcealedunderbeautifulcover,itcannotremainhidden.Falsehood

ultimatelyfadesaway.

kUVu n phuMcY sc no sau GVq GVIAY ](BweI gurdwh jI, vwr 34, pauVI 21)Falsehoodshallultimatelyfadeaway,(Nanak)whiletruthremainsevergreen.

Thusthegistofthewholediscussionisthatbyattributingthesoleresponsibilityofthewide

spreaduseofliquorandmeatamongsttheSikhsatlargetoilliteracyamongmajorityofSikh

masses,wearesidetrackingthemainissue.ItisdefinitelytheSikhreligiousleadershipwhois

responsibleforthisstateofaffairsbecausemajorityofthembeingaddictedtothesevices,are

propagatingthesamedeliberately.


13/48

GENERALARGUMENTSINSUPPORTOFMEATEATING.

ThosewhosupportthereligiosityofmeateatinginSikhismgenerallyofferthefollowing

arguments:

(1)In

Sikhism

there

is

no

restriction

on

eating

any

food.

To

eat

or

not

to

eat

meat

depends

on

one'sownpersonalpreferenceandtaste.AccordingtoGurmat,theonlycriterionforselectionof

foodtoeatisthatthefoodchosenshouldnotcausediseasetobodyandnotresultinpollutionof

themind.InsupportofthisreasoningtheycitethefollowingquotationfromGurbanibychanging

theactualwordingtosuittheirinterpretation:

bwbw sw Kwxw KusI KuAwru ] ijqu KwDY qnu pIVIAY mn mih clY ivkwru ]

Note:InsteadofSa(sw)inthefirstline,thewordactuallyusedinGurbaniishore(horu).

(2)In

Sikhism

the

only

restriction

is

on

eating

meat

obtained

by

killing

the

animal

in

Kosher

fashion

i.e.theMuslimmethodofkillingtheanimalwhilerecitingKALMA(theMuslimholyformula).As

againstthis,thereispermissioninSikhismtoeatmeatobtainedbykillingtheanimalbyJhatkai.e.

withonestrokewhilereciting'SatSriAkal'(theSikhholyformula).

(3)InoldSikhliteraturethereisnomentionofanyrestrictiononeatingmeat.Rathermeathas

beenmentionedthereinasoneofthefoodspreparedintheLangarintimesoftheGurus

themselves.

(4)Ifkillingofthechicken,goat,partridge,quailetc.,isconsideredasslaughteroflivingbeings,

thenthe

other

most

common

eatables

like

wheat,

beans,

milk,

water

etc.,

also

contain

living

organisms.Therefore,thosewhoeatthesefoodscannotescapethisblametoo.

(5)Thosewhodonoteatmeat/becomecowardsorchickenhearted.

(6)Meatisaverynourishingfoodthatmakesonehealthyandrobust.

Letus,now,examineeachoftheabovementionedreasoningsinthelightofGurbani


14/48

RE:ARGUMENTNO.1

ThemeateatersoftheSikhcommunitygenerallyassertthatthereisnorestrictiononanykindof

eatablesinSikhism.Toeatornottoeatmeatislefttothediscretion,choiceortasteofeach

individual.Thisassertionisabsolutelybaseless.AccordingtotheSikhWayofLife,onlythosetypes

offood

are

permitted,

by

eating

which

both,

body

and

mind

become

healthy

and

fully

developed

whichwouldhelpinenhancingtheircapacitytodosewa(service)andSimran(meditation).

Allthefoodsandstuff,whoseusemakesthebodyandmindweakandlethargic,e.g.tobacco,

poppy,hemp,opium,liquoretc.,orwhichareobtainedbytorturingandkillingotherliving

creaturesandmakesboththebodyandmindcruelaswellasperverse,areclearlyprohibited

accordingtoGurbani:

kbIr BWg mwCulI surw pRwnI KWih ] qIrQ brq nym kIeyqy sBY rswqil jWih ] 233 ](slok kbIr jI, pMnw 1377)All

those

who

eat

fish

and

drink

hemp

or

wine,

will

go

to

hell

with

utter

disregard

of

whatever

pilgrimages,fastingsandotherreligiousritestheymayperform.

kbIr KUbu Kwnw KIcrI jw mih AimRqu lonu ] hyrw rotI kwrny glw ktwvY kaunu ] 188 ](slok kbIr jI, pMnw 1374)Sublimeisthesimplefood;riceandpulsemixedwithdelicioussalt.Whowouldhavehisthroatcut

hereafter,formealsobtainedbyhuntingtheanimals?

Itis,thus,clearthattheconsumptionofhemp,fishandliquoretc.,negateseventhegooddeeds

donebyapersonanddegradeshimmentallyintoastateofwretchedness.Atthesametimeithas

beenmadeclearthateatingsimpleordinaryfoodforsubsistenceandmaintenanceofthebody

enhancesone'senergyorinclinationforNamSimranaswellaskeepsthebodyhealthy.When

suchidealfoodsareavailableinplenty,whywouldonecommitcrueltybykillingotherliving

beingsforfood?

Hence,inthelightof'Gurbani',thereremainsabsolutelynodoubt,andtherecanbenotwo

opinionsabouttheprohibitionoffoodsobtainedbykillingotheranimals.Gurbanihasalsoclearly

decreedthateveneatingsimpleandordinaryfoodobtainedthroughfalsehood,deceit,

subterfuge,deceptionandthroughwrongfulpossessionisequivalenttoeatingacorpse.Guruor

Pirwillonlyhelpifonerefrainsfromsuchfoodsobtainedthroughwrongfulmeanswhichareas

badas

carcass.

kUVu boil murdwru Kwie ] (vwr mwJ, m: 1, pMnw 140)Byutteringfalsehoodmaneatscarrion.

hku prwieAw nwnkw ausu suAr ausu gwie ] guru pIru hwmw qw Bry jw murdwru n Kwie ](vwr mwJ , m: 1, pMnw 141)(Nanak)another'srightisswineforhim(i.e.theMuslim)andcowforhim(i.e.theHindu).The

spiritualguide/prophetshallstandsuretyonlyifonedoesnoteatcarrion.

Theactsoffalsehoodandwrongfulpossessionshavebeenregardedequivalenttoeatingofa

carrion.Thusdoubtlesslythefoodobtainedfromdeadbodiesisdefinitelycondemnedand


15/48

prohibited.Whethertheanimalslaughteredisapigoracow;whetherthebeastiskilledwhile

recitingKalmaorSatSriAkal;withaknifeorKirpan,inaslowprocess(Halat)orwithasingle

stroke(Jhatka)itbecomesacorpse(i.e.Murdar)afteritisdevoidoflife.Whentakingpossession

ofthingsbelongingtoothersbyforceorunjustmeans,isconsideredequivalenttoeatingofa

deadbody,iffalsehoodhasbeenequatedwitheatingofacarrion,thenhowcanmeatactually

obtainedfromthedeadbodies,beconsideredpermissibletobeeaten?Howcantheeaterofsuch

afood

expect

to

get

the

blessings

of

the

Guru

or

Pir

especially

when

one

is

openly

and

brazenly

notonlyhimselfactingagainstunequivocalfiatoftheGurubutalsoispropagatinghiserroneous

wayofthinkingamongstothersonthepretextofGurmat?Suchapersonisguiltyofbringingbad

nametothefaithheisfollowing.

Suchpersonswhoeatmeatobtainedbykillinginnocentanimals,havebeenreferredtoasevil

spiritsordemonsorwitchesintheGurbani:

gYbwn hYvwn hrwm kusqwnI murdwr bKorwie ] (iqlMg m: p, pMnw 723)Likeghosts,mankillsthebeastsandeatscarriontheforbiddeneat.

EventheworksofBhaiGurdasJiwhichareconsideredthekeytotheGurbani,alsoclearlyforbids

meateating:

jy kir auDrI pUqnw, ivhu pIAwlxu kMmu n cMgw ].....jy kmweI auDirAw, jIAw Gwie n KweIAY BMgw ](BweI gurdws jI, vwr 31, pauVI 9)IfPutnareceiveddeliverance(therewasmysticalreasonforitbutherprofession)poisoningothers

wasnotgood.Similarly,ifthebutcher(Sadhna)receivedredemption(itwasduetomystical

reason,however,hisprofessionwasnotgood).Assuchoneshouldnothaveanymisconception

withregardtokillingoflivingbeings.

(AccordingtoBhagwatPuran,PuttiatriedtokillthenewlybornLordKrishnabysmearingpoison

onhersucklingnipples,butthebabyKrishnagaveabiteonherbreastwherebythepoison

penetratedintoherbloodandprovedfatalforher.Itisbelievedshegotsalvationthereby.

SimilarlySadhnawasabutcherbyprofession.HebecameatruedevoteeofGodbyvirtueofwhich

hegotsalvation.HisversesarealsoincludedinSriGuruGranthSahib.)

ThatiswhyGuruNanakDevJirefusedtoeatthedaintydishesofferedbyMalikBhagobecausehe

consideredthefoodobtainedthroughfalsehood,coercionandinjusticeasequivalenttocorpse

(murdwr).Thus,hebroughtoutthetruthbeforethepeoplethatuseofviolencetosnatchotherpeople'swealthunjustlyiscondemnable,andthewealthobtainedthroughcrueltyandoppression

issinful.Therefore,thefoodpreparedoutofthewealthobtainedthroughevilwaysis,inreality,

nothingbutthebloodofthepoor,thoughoutwardlyitmaylooktemptingandtasty.

If,accordingtoGuruSahib,thewealthobtainedthroughswindlingandcheatingisequivalentto

bloodofthepoor,thenhowcanmeatwhichisdirectlyobtainedbyslaughteringthelivingbeings,

becalledMahaPrasadthemostsacredfood?Thus,itisclearthatsuchahallowednamehas

beengiventodeadbody(meat)throughthesinisterintentionsanddeceitfulconspiracyofpeople

fondofeatingmeat.

Taketheexampleoftwobirds,SwanandaCrane:


16/48

Fromtheirspotlesswhiteoutlook,theybothlookalike.Theirwhiteandsoberingcolourhavethe

samevirtuousinfluenceonothers'minds.HoweverinGurbani,oneofthemhasbeenpraised

whiletheothercondemned,simplybecauseofthetypeoffoodtheyeat.

Swanisconsideredgoodorsuperior.Why?BecauseSwan'sfoodisideal:

srvr AMdir hIrw moqI, so hMsw kw Kwxw ] (vwr rwmklI, m: 1, pMnw 956)InthelakearejewelsandpearlsandthesearethefeedfortheSwans.

Craneisconsideredadegenerateoroflowcaste.Why?BecauseCrane'sfoodisabhorrent:

bgulw kwg nIc kI sMgiq jwie krMg ibKU muiK lweIAY ] (rwmklI m: 4, pMnw 881)TheCranefallsinthecategoryoffilthybirdcrowashe(Crane)feedshimselfonafilthycorpse.

ThusinGurbani,theCranehasbeenconsideredasabhorrentbecauseiteatsfilthycarcass.One

failstounderstandhowhasthisfilthycarcassbecomethe'mostsacred'(MahaPrasad)foodfor

theSikhs?HowcanoneclaimtobeatrueSikhoftheGuruevenaftereatingsuchacondemned

andabhorrentcarcassormeat?

Cananymotherallowherchildtoeatpoison?AndnonecaneventhinkthattheTrueGuru,whois

theSpiritualFatherandMotherofthewholemankind,caneveralloworgivefreedomtohis

childrentoeatsuchafilthycarcass.Itcanneverbeso.So,whenwe,whocallourselvestheSikhs

oftheGuruSahib,havestartedeatingthisfilthycarcassbygivingitthehallowednameofMaha

Prasad,thenthefollowingcoupletofBhagatKabirJiwillhituswithallitsforcejustasamother

slapsherchildtoteachhimalesson:

kbIr swcw siqguru ikAw krY jau isKw mih cUk ]AMDy eyk n lgweI ijau bWsu bjweIAY PUk ] 158 ](slok kbIr jI, pMnw 1372)KabirwhatcantheTrueGurudoifhisdisciplesadoptwrongfulmeans?Notevenonewordofthe

Guruisimbibedbytheirdisillusionedmindjustasthehollowedbamboocannotretainthewind

blownintoit.

ThesupportersofmeateatingarguethatinSikhismthereisnorestrictionontheuseofanykind

ofeatables.InthisrespecttheyquotethefollowingcoupletfromGurbanibydistortingittosuit

their

interpretation:

bwbw sw Kwxw KusI KuAwru ] ijqu KwDY qnu pIVIAY mn mih clY ivkwru ]

Note:Inthefirstlineofthiscouplet,theword"hour"isgenerallyreplacedbythemeateatersfortheword"sw"forobviousreason.

TheabovereferencefromtheGurbani,inthecontextofmeateating,isabsolutelyinappropriate.

Toclearlybringtolight,thetruth,itisessentialtogothroughthewholehymncontainingthe

abovelines.ThewholeShabadisasbelow:

siB rs imTy mMinAY suixAY swloxy ]Kt qursI muiK bolxw mwrx nwd kIey ]


17/48

CqIh AMimRq Bwau eyku ndir kryie ] 1 ]bwbw horu Kwxw KusI KuAwru ]ijqu KwDY qnu pIVIAY mn mih clih ivkwr ] 1 ] rhwau ]

rqw pYnxumnurqw supydI squ dwnu ]

nIlI isAwhI kdw krxI pihrxu pYr iDAwnu]kmrbMdu sMqoK kw Dnu jobnu qyrw nwmu ] 2 ]bwbw horu pYnxu KusI KuAwru ]ijqu pYDY qnu pIVIAY mn mih clih ivkwr ] 1 ] rhwau ]

GoVy pwKr suieny bUJxu qyrI vwt ]qrks qIr kmwx sWg qygbMd gux Dwqu]vwjw nyjw piq isau prgtu krmu qyrw myrI jwiq ] 3 ]bwbw horu cVxw KusI KuAwru ]

ijqu ciVAY qnu pIVIAY mn mih clih ivkwr ] 1 ] rhwau ]

Gr mMdr KusI nwm kI ndir qyrI prvwru ]hukmu soeI quDu BwvsI horu Awpxu bhuqu Apwru ]nwnk scw pwiqswh pUiC n kry bIcwru ] 4 ]bwbw hor sauxw KUsI KuAwr ]ijq suqY qnu pIVIAYmn mih clih ivkwr ] 1 ] rhwau ] 4 ] 7 ](isrIrwgu mhlw 1, pMnw 16-17)

Tobelieve

in

God's

name

is

all

the

sweet

relish.

To

hear

it,

is

saltish.

To

utter

it

with

the

mouth

is

sweetsavoury.AndtosingtheGod'snameIhavemyspices.TheloveoftheUniqueLordisthe

thirtysixsortsofflavourynectars.ThisisthewayofthoseonwhomHecastsHisgraciousglance.

(l)O'Brother!Ruinousisthehappinessoftheotherdaintyfoods,byeatingwhichthebody

writhesinpainandthemindisfilledwithevil.(Pause)

MindbeingimbuedwiththeLord'sloveisthereddress,verityandcharity,thewhitegarments.To

eraseblacknessofsinistowearblueclothes,andtomeditateonLord'sFeetismyrobeofhonour.

Contentmentismywaistband.AndThyName(OLord)mywealthandyouth.(2)OBrother!The

happinessofotherraimentsisruinous;bywearingwhichthebodywrithesinpainandthemindis

filledwithevil.(Pause)

Toknow

Thy

way

(O

Lord)

is

the

horse

saddle

and

gold

crupper

for

me.

To

run

after

virtues

is

quiver,arrow,bow,spearandswordbeltforme.Tobehonourablydistinguishedaremybands

andlances.Thyfavouriscaste(Lineage),thegleeofotherridesisruinous.(3)OBrother!Theglee

ofotherridesisruinous.Suchridesmakethebodywritheinpainandfillthemindwithevil.

(Pause)

TheBlissoftheNameisashouseandmansionforme.Thyfavouringglanceisasfamilyforme.For

me,onlythatisthecommandwhichpleasesThee.TosaymoreaboutYouisbeyondmyreach.

Nanaksays:TheTrueLordtakesdecisionwithoutanyothercounsel.(4)O'Brother!Thepleasure

ofothersleep(i.e.restorrelaxation)ispernicious.Bysuchsleeps,thebodywrithesinpainand

themindisfilledwithevil.(Pause)

Ithasbeenobservedthatduringgeneraldiscussion,inordertosupporttheirviewpoint,meat

eatingbrothersusetheword'SAA'insteadof'HORE'inthefirstlineoftheFirstPause.Theabove


18/48

hymnhasfourstanzaseachbeingfollowedbya'Pause'.Inallthefourcasesthe1stlineofthe

PausecontainsthewordHORE(andnotSAA)meaningOTHERandthiswordhasitsownspecial

significance.

Inthefirststanza,mentionhasbeenmadeoftheidealspiritualfood(NAAM)fortheattainmentof

thestateofpermanentSpiritualBlissofmind.ThecoupletofPauseclearlygivesawarningthat,in

comparisonwith

the

spiritual

food,

outlined

in

it,

all

other

foods

devoid

of

NAAM

are

of

no

avail

towardstheachievementofthisgoalofSpiritualBlissandinfacttheyleadtothedestructionof

truehappinessandbliss.

Similarly,intheotherthreestanzas,mentionhasbeenmadeoftheimperativenessofspiritual

garments,spiritualridesandspiritualsleep(meditation)etc.Attheendofeachstanzathecouplet

givenasPAUSEclearlyreassertstheineffectivenessoftheworldlymaterialgarments,ridesetc.,

towardstheachievementoftheSpiritualBliss.

ItisthusclearfromtheabovebriefexplanationofthishymnthathereinGuruSahibhasonly

comparedthe

temporary

pleasures

of

the

body

obtained

through

the

foods,

garments

etc.,

with

theeverlastingSpiritualBlissachievedthroughNamSimran.AccordingtoGuruSahib'sdivine

insight,anythingdevoidofTHOU,isallfalse.InthetenthstanzaofAsadiVarthispointhasbeen

furtherexplained:

kUVu rwjw kUVu prjw kUVu sBu sMswru ] kUV mMfp kUV mwVI kUVu bYsxhwru ] kUVu suienw kUVu rupw kUVu pYnRxhwru ]kUVu kwieAw kUV kpVu kUVu rUpu Awpwru ] kUVu mIAw kUVu bIbI Kip hoey Kwru] kUiV kUVY nyhu lgw ivsirAwkrqwru ] iks nwil kIcY dosqI sBu jgu clxhwru ] kUVu imTw kUVu mwiKau kUVu foby pUru ] nwnku vKwxY bynqI quDubwJu kUVo kUVu ] 1 ] (vwr Awsw, m: 1, pMnw 468)Falseistheking,falsethesubjectsandfalseistheentireworld.Falseisthemansion,falsethe

houseandfalseisthedweller.Falseisgold,falseissilverandfalseisthewearer.Falseisthebody,

falseistheclothingandfalseispearlessbeauty.Falseishusband,falseiswife,wholanguishesand

becomemiserable.Falseisone'slovewiththe'falsehood'wherebyoneforgetstheCreator.With

whommayonecontractfriendship,thewholeworldismortal.Falseisallthatissweetandfalseis

honey.Falsehoodhasbeeninstrumentalinthedestructionofinnumerablepersons.Nanakmakes

aprayer,exceptThee,O'myMaster;Everythingisfalseandcompletelyfalse.

HencetheendresultofthewholeexplanationgivenaboveisthatGuruSahibexhortsusthat,

insteadofengrossingourselvesinthematerialpleasuresofsenses,weshouldtrytoenjoythe

everlastingBlissbyimmersingourselvesintheNam.

Thiswillleadtoahappierandmorepeacefullifeeveninthisworld.Itisthusnotunderstoodhow

thishymncanbeputforthinsupportofmeateatingwhereasGurbaniunambiguouslydeclares

meatasfilthycarcass.Theabovediscussionmakesitamplyclearthatmeateatinghasbeen

tabooedinGurbani

DOESEATINGMEATNOTPERVERSETHEMIND?

Nonecandenythatmeatisobtainedthroughbrutalitywhichinitselfisagreatsin.So,whenone

eatsmeat,whichisproducedbytormentingothers,one'smindnaturallybecomesmercilessand

perverse.Moreover,theaddictiontomeateatingalsogenerallyleadstoyearningforliquorsand

lewddesires.

That

is

why

the

people

who

are

addicted

to

meat

eating

are

usually

alcoholics

as

wellaslustful.However,ourmainthemehereisregardingthebrutalforceusedforobtainingflesh

forfood.Howcanthefoodobtainedthroughcrueltyletsone'smindconcentrateonNamsimran?


19/48

jy rqu lgY kpVY jwmw hoie plIqu] jO rqupIvih mwnsw iqn kau inrmlu cIqu ](vwr mwJ, sloku m: 1, pMnw 140)Ifone'sattirebeingtaintedwithbloodisconsidereddesecratedwithdropsofbloodandisnotat

allconsideredusableforworshipormeditation,thenhowcanthemindofthosewho(byeating

thefleshoftheanimals)actuallyconsumeblood,canremainunpolluted?

Then,ifanyunscrupulousSikhboaststhattheuseofTobaccodoesnotpollutehismind,thendoes

tobacconolongerremainatabooforhim?Allknowthatthemereintakeoftobaccoinitselfisa

viceandresultsindisastrousconsequences.InthevariousRahitNamas,tobaccohasbeen

referredtoaspoison.Thatiswhytheuseoftobaccoandotherintoxicantsisstrictlyprohibitedin

Sikhism.

Flesh(meat),asfoodhasbeenadjudgeduniversallyaslustprovoking.Itisnotanaturalfoodfora

man.Itsconsumptionnaturallyresultsincontaminatingbodyandmindboth.Itisobtainedby

killingandpiecinginbits,thefleshoflivingbeings.Henceitisafoodfitonlyforcannibals,

barbariansanduncivilizedpeople.Tokillandcutintopiecesthelivinganimalsisamurderousand

homicidalact

which

in

itself

is

aperversity:

AsMK glvF hiqAw ] AsMK pwpI pwpu kir jwih ] (jpujI, pauVI 18)Countlesscutthroatscommitmurders.Countlesssinnersgooncommittingthissin(duringthe

entirelife).

Assoonasthepenchantdesireforeatingmeat,underthetemptationofthetasteoftongue,

flashesintoone'smind,one'smindbecomeperverted.He,theneitherrunstothebutcher'sshop

oractsasabutcherhimself.InfactoneissurprisedwhenonehearsfromaGursikh,thatflesh

eatingdoesnotcreateperversityinthemind.

ThesimpleandstraightpointisthatathingwhichhasbeencondemnedinGurbaniasafilthy

carcassandwhichcanonlybeobtainedthroughbrutalityandoppression,somuchsothatit

promptsonetoperformtheroleofabutcher,thenhowcansucha"food"becomepermissiblefor

theGursikhprogenyoftheGuruSahib?


20/48

RE:ARGUMENTNO.2

ThemeateatingSikhshavetriedtoexplainthat,inSikhism,onlyKUTTHAviz.thetypeofmeat

whichhasbeenobtainedbyslayinganimalsaccordingtotheMuslimway;(Kosherfashion)is

prohibited.Accordingtothem,JHATKAmeati.e.meatobtainedbykillingtheanimalwithasingle

strokeof

the

weapon,

while

uttering

'Sat

Sri

Akal',

is

permissible.

Beforeweexaminethisargument,itwouldbeappropriatetoknowdifferencebetweenthewords

'kuttha'and'jhatka'.

ThewordKutthaoccursinGurbaniasbelow:

ABwiKAw kw kuTw bkrw Kwxw ] cauky aupir iksY n jwxw ] (vwr Awsw, 1, pMnw 472)They(Hindus)ononehand,eatthemeatobtainedbykillingtheanimalwhileutteringKalma

whichtheyassumeasunworthyutterance.Butontheotherhandtheyallownonetoentertheir

kitchensquare.

iqs dw kuTw hovYsyKu ] lOhU lbu inkQw vyKu ] (vwr rwkmlI, m: 1, pMnw 956)IfSheikhiskilledwiththat(knife)thenthebloodofavaricewillbeseensplitaway.

pwp klydV srpr muTy ] AjrweIil PVy PiV kuTy ] (mwrU m: p, pMnw 1019)Thesinnersarecertainlydisillusionedbythetemptationofsin.Theangelofdeathwillseizeand

mercilesslykilleachofthem.

Inalltheabovequotations,theword'kuttha'obviouslymeanstokillmercilessly.Itsreferenceto

the'killingintheMuslimmethod1isjustthecreationofthevestedinterests.

Jhatka

Theword'jhatka'hasnotbeenmentionedinGurbanianywhere.Commonlyitreferstokillingthe

animalwithonestrokeoftheweaponbychanting'SatSriAkal'.

Etymologically,theword'Kuttha'hasbeenderivedfromtheroot'Kohna',whichingrammaris

pastparticipleandmeanssimplythekilled.SimilarotherwordsalsoexistinthePunjabilanguage

suchas:

Ruttha(ru`Tw): Theestranged.

Vuttha(vuTw): Thesettled.Dhattha(F`Tw):Thefallen.Dittha(iB`Tw): Theseen.Murtha(muTw): Therobbed!Disillusioned.

Thustheword'Kuttha'literallymeansmeatobtainedbykillinganimalsandthisisprohibitedinthe

KhalsaRahitortheKhalsaCodeofConduct.Nonecandenythefactthattheanimaldoesfeel

physicalaswellasmentaltorturewhetherkilledslowlyorwithonestroke.Ofcourse,onecansay

thatthere

is

less

torture

by

killing

instantaneously

with

one

stroke

than

while

killing

slowly,

but

to

claimthatkillingbyonestrokedoesnot,atall,causepainandtorturetothekilledone,isonly

self deceit.TheverysightofthekillingoftheirfellowcreaturesintheButcher'sHouseandtheir


21/48

painrevealingshrieks,frightentheotheranimals.Andwhentheyseethebutcherwithnaked

weaponadvancingtowardsthemforkilling,theyarefrightenedtotheirdeath.Thepoorcreature

shrieksandshrieksandtrieshardtogetoutoftheclutchesofthebutcher.Hismentalandphysical

painreachesatitsclimaxwhenthebutcherforcefullyentangleshimandcutshisheadoff.

Whatanirony,thatononehand,wetortureandkillthepoordumbandinnocentanimals(dumb

inthe

sense

that

they

cannot

protest

or

fight

against

our

atrocity)

and

cut

their

flesh

into

pieces,

andatthesametimeweclaimthattheanimalskilledthiswaydonotfeelanypainorsufferingat

all!Thishumanbigotryisperhaps,duetothefactthatallthecourtsofjusticeontheearthare

manmade.Thoughhere,inthesemanmadecourts,thepoorcreaturescannotgetjusticebut

therewillcertainlybeabsolutejusticeintheTrueCourtoftheTrueMasterofwholecreation.No

atrociousandmercilessassassincanescapethetruejusticeoftheTrueCourt,howsoevermighty

andpowerfulhemaybeintheworld:

Drm rwie no hukmu hY bih scw Drmu bIcwir ] dUjY Bwie dustu Awqmw ahu qyrI srkwr ](isrI rwgu m: 6, pMnw 69)The

Righteous

Judge

has

the

direction

(from

the

Justful

Lord)

"Administer

true

justice.

Every

evil

soulprofessinglovefordualityisyoursubject."

TheverdictoftheGurbaniiscrystalclearandappliestoallincludingthetyrants:

kbIr joru kIAw so julmu hYlyie jbwbu Kudwie ] dPqir lyKw nIksY mwr muhY muih Kwie ] 200 ](slok kbIr jI, pMnw 1375)Kabir,theuseofforceistyrannyandtheLordshallcalleveryonetoaccount.Whentheaccountof

actionscommittedduringlifeissettledintheDivineCourt,thenoneshallsufferstrokesof

punishmentsontheveryface.

kbIr jI jumwrih joru kir khqy hih ju hlwlu ] dPqru deI jb kwiF hY hoiegw kaunu hvwlu] 200 ](slok kbIr jI, pMnw 1375)Kabir,thosewhokillthelivingbeingsperforceandcallthatrighteousassacrificeinthenameof

theLord,whatshallbetheirconditionwhentheJustfulLordtakesouthisaccountintheDivine

Court?

sIh pjUqI bkrI hoeI hV hV hsI ] sIhu puCY ivsmwdu hoie iequ rhis rhsI ] ibnau kryNdI bkrI puqR AswfykIcin KsI ] Ak DqUrw KwiDAW kuih kuih KL auKil ivxsI ] mwsu Kwin gl viF kY hwlu iqnwVw kauxu hovsI

] grbu grIbI dyh Kyh Kwju Awkwju krsI ] jig AwieAw sB koeI mrsI ] 17 ](BweI gurdws jI, vwr 25)Thegoatcaughtbythelion,startedlaughingheartily.Curiouslysurprised,thelionaskedwhat

felicitymadeitlaugh.Thegoathumblystatedthatitdesiredthatitsoffspringsbecastrated(so

theiroffspringswouldnotfacesuchatyranny).BeingfedonAkkandDhatura(wildshrubsgrown

inbarrenlands)theirbodiesarecutintopieces.Whatwouldhappentothosewhocutthethroats

ofanimalsandeattheirflesh?Thefleshofthepoorinnocentgoatiseatenwithrelishandthe

fleshofthetyrantlionisunworthyofbeingeaten.Thelastlinedrawstheconclusionthat

whosoeverisbornmustdie(intheendthetruejusticewillprevail).


22/48

kuhY kmweI bkrI lwie lUx sIK mws proAw ] his his boly kuhINdI KwDy Aik hwlu iehu hoAw ] mws Kwin gilCurI dyhwlu iqnwVw kauxu AloAw ] jIBYhMdw PyiVAw Kau dMdNw muhu BMin ivgoAw ] prqn prDn inMd kir hoAwdujIBw ibsIAru BoAw ] vis AwvY guru mMq suix ingurw mnmuuKu suxYn soAw ] vyiK n clY AgY toAw ] 21 ](BweI gurdws jI, vwr 37)Thebutcherkillsthegoat,mincesitsmeatwithtastyspicesandroastsitontheskewer.While

beingkilled,

the

goat

laughs

loudly

and

tells

the

butcher:

While

eating

Akk

(a

wild

shrub)

Ihave

sufferedthispersecution.Whatwouldhappentomykillerwhoeatsmyflesh?Boththeteethand

mouthofsuchpersonsoverpossessedwiththerelishofthetonguewillbebrokenintopieces.

Thosewhoareguiltyofadultery,usurpationandvilification,willbecomedoubletonguedsnakes

intheirnextbirths.Eventhatdoubletonguedsnakemaybetamedthroughsomecharm.However

theguruless(ingurw)andselfcenteredpersondoesnotlistenatalltotheGuru'sperceptandwalksrecklesslywithoutseeingthepitfallsonhisway.

Asbroughtoutabove,theGurbaniclearlyprohibitstheslaughteringofanimalsjusttosatisfythe

palateof

the

tongue.

Whatevermethodisusedforthepurposeviz.JhatkaorHalal,theblameofslaughteringcannotbe

refuted.Ordinarypeoplecommitthemistakeofeatingmeatthroughignoranceandlackof

knowledge.Thesurprisingthingisthattheotherwiseintelligentpeoplehavingawarenesscommit

thisblackdeedofeatingmeatjustforsatiatingtheirtaste.Totopall,inordertojustifytheirthis

sin,theyconcoctsomanyexcuses.Theyclaimthattheanimalhasbeenslaughteredasasacrifice

toGodresultinginitssalvation.TheGurbaniclearlystatesthatsuchselfishpeopleonlycarefor

thesatisfactionoftheirpalateandfillingtheirpotbellies,unmindfulofthetorturetheyafflicton

theinnocentcreatures.Therearenumeroustastyandnutritiousfoodsintheworld,whichare

available

for

the

consumption

of

the

super

most

human

race.

Then

why

should

people

commit

the

reprehensibleactbywrenchingthenecksofanimals?

rojw DrY mnwvY Alhu suAwdiq jIA sMGwrY] Awpw dyiK Avr nhI dyKY kwhy kau JK mwrY ](Awsw kbIr jI, pMnw 483)AselfishimposterobservesfaststopleaseGodbutatthesametimeslayslivingbeingsforrelish.

Thushewatchesonlyhisowninterestandpaysnoheedtopangsofothercreatures.Whydoeshe

stoopsolow?

Thepityisthattheclevermeateatershavegonetotheextentofincludingthemeatobtained

throughaparticular

method

of

slaying

the

animals,

as

part

of

religious

practice.

In

the

Gurbani

suchpeople'shoaxhasbeenclearlyexposed:

jIA bDhu su Drmu kir Qwphu ADrmu khhu kq BweI ] Awps kau minvr kir Qwphu kw kau khhu ksweI ](mwrU kbIr jI, pMnw 1103)Brother,youkillthelivingbeingsandconsideritasDHARMAi.e.areligiousact.Thentellhowdo

youdefineanirreligiousact?Youcallyourselfanenlightenedsage(apiousGursikh)thenwhom

wouldyoucallabutcher?

Othersmaydeny,buthowcantheSikhsoftheGuruevadetheapplicationofthisfiattothem?

Themeaning

of

the

above

couplet

is

brought

out

with

particular

reference

to

aSikh

as

under:

OtheSikhoftheGuru!Youkillthelivingbeingsandinordertoconcealthissin,youpretendand

propagatethisactasholy(Rahit),thenwhatelseisanunholyact(i.e.Kurahit)?Ifyoueat


23/48

somethingobtainedthroughtortureandmurderofthelivingbeings,andyetyouclaimtobea

devoutSikh(SantKhalsa),then,whomdoyoucallabutcher?

WhetheroneisaJhatkai(theprofessionalwhoslaysanimalswithonestrokewhilechantingSat

SriAkal)oraKasai(butcher)thesearetwodifferentnamesrepresentingthesameprofessionof

killingtheanimalswhateverthereligiontheymayprofess.Thesearenotregardedastitlesof

respectat

all.

But

the

killers

and

eaters

of

the

flesh

of

animals

can't

wash

away

the

stigma

of

belongingtothisdespicablecommunity.Whatanoutrage!TheKhalsa,whowascreatedto

eradicatetyranny,hashimselfbecomeatyrantforthesehelplessanimals.Theoppressorisnever

knowntoadmittheblameofoppression.Aurangzebwasanotorioustyrant.However,hetriedto

concealhistyrannicalactionsunderthecloakofIslam.Thecleverpeoplehavealwaystakenrefuge

inthegarbofreligiontohidetheirownweaknesses.Inspiteofalltheseefforts,thetruthcannot

besuppressedforlong.Suchmalfeasancesormisdeedsdefinitelystigmatisetheirreligion.Arethe

Sikhs,addictedtothetasteoftongueformeat,notgivingabadnametoSikhismbyincludingthis

asapartoftheKhalsaRahit?

Mercyis

at

the

top

of

Godly

virtues.

It

is

considered

as

the

pre

requisite

for

any

religious

faith.

The

personalityofthemanofmercyisalwaysimpressiveandheartwarming.Hisrelationswithothers

arealwayshelpfulandsoothing.Asagainstthis,themercilesspersonisalwaysroughandvitriolic

inhisdealingswithothers.

InGurbani,thevirtueofMercyhasbeengivenaveryhighplaceaswouldbeevidentfromafew

quotationsreproducedbelow:

DOlu Drmu dieAw kw pUqu ] (jpujI, pMnw 3)TheDharamwhichsustainstheearthistheprogenyofMercy.

ATsiT qIrQ sgl puMn jIA dieAw prvwnu ] (bwrhmwhw mwJ m: p, pMnw 136)Tobemercifultothelivingcreaturesisequivalentoftheablutionsinthesixtyeightplacesof

pilgrimage.ManisacceptedbyGodinrecognitionofhismercifulcharacter.

min sMqoKusrb jIA dieAw ] ien ibiD brqu sMpUrn BieAw ] (gauVI m: p, pMnw 299)Contentmindcombinedwithmercyforallmakestheholyfastaccomplished.

dXwlM srbqR jIAw pMc doK ibvrijqh ] 40 ] (slok shsikRqI m: p, pMnw 1357)Amongthevirtuesoftheenlightenedpersons,oneisthattheyaremercifultoalllivingbeings.

Theotheristhattheywardoffthefivefailingsi.e.lust,anger,greed,attachment,andego.Thatis

whytheGurbanicommandsus:

Ksmu pCwin qrs kir jIA mih mwir mxI kir PIkI ] (Awsw sRI kbIr jI, pMnw 480)RealisetheexistenceofCreatorineverylivingbeing,takepityonthemandgetridofselfishness

andegoascharmlesspursuits.

TheabovecitedquotationsfromtheGurbaniclearlybringoutthevirtueofmercyonlivingbeings,

asthebasicedificeofSikhism.Thequestionthenarises,howthemeateatersamongsttheSikhs

presumeto

have

been

exempted

from

accepting

this

basic

principle

of

the

Sikh

Way

of

Life?


24/48

Whereistheproofofthis?Whentheprincipleofmercifullifeisapplicabletooneandall,thenis

theeatingofmeatwhichisobtainedthroughmercilesskilling,notincontraventiontothe

fundamentalsofSikhism?

DoubtlesslyMercyandCrueltyaretwocontradictoryideologies.Theformerisvaluedandthe

latteriscondemnedinSikhism.Then,whythosewhoclaimtobetheSikhsoftheGuru,

contravenethe

tenets

of

Gurmat

by

resorting

to

slaughtering

of

the

living

creatures?

Theothernaturalquestioniswhetherthevirtueofmercyislimitedonlytohumanbeings.Isthe

restoflivingcreationdevoidoftheDivinespark?Don'ttheyhavethefeelingofpleasureandpain?

Undoubtedlyalllivingcreaturesintheuniversearemadeoffivebasicmaterialelementsandthus

pleasureandpainaredefinitelyfeltbythem.Alltheanimalsandbirdsetc.,lovetheirownlives

andthoseoftheiroffsprings,justlikehumans.ThenwhythosepeoplewhoacknowledgeGurbani

astheirEternalGurugocontrarilytothecanonsconcerningMercyandtyrannyjusttosatisfytheir

palate?

GurbaniimbibestheauspiciouspreceptofMercytowardsallbecauseallcreaturesarebestowed

withtheDivineSparkofLife.ThescripturesoftheHindusandMuslimsbothi.e.(VedsandKatebs)

putforththeeternaltruthofthepresenceofthisDivineSparkoflifeinallHiscreation.However,

theirfollowersblindedbytheoverpoweringtasteofthetongueandselfishmotives,haveignored

thisprincipleandhaveadoptedthewayofthebutchers.Thus,thefaultdoesnotliewiththe

scripturesbutwiththeiravariciousfollowers.SuchsoftspokenbutcraftyMuslimsexercisethe

pettifoggeryofslaughteringtheanimalstosatisfytheirpalateoftongueortomakegoodtheloss

ofvitalitywastedthroughtheirlicentiousliving.However,theykeeptheirsinfulandmercilessact

hiddenunderthecloakofHalal(foodpermittedbyreligiouslaw).IntheGurbanisuchfalse

assertionshave

been

refuted

loud

and

clear.

byd kqyb khhu mq JUTyJUTw jo nw ibcwrY ] jau sB mih eyku Kudwie khq hau qauikau murgI mwrY ] 1 ] mulWkhhu inAwau KudweI ] qyry mn kw Brm n jweI ] 1 ] rhwau ] pkir jIau AwinAw dyh ibnwsI mwtI kauibsimil kIAw ] joiq srUp Anwhq lwgI khu hlwlu ikAw ikAw ] 2 ] ikAw aujU pwku kIAw muhu DoieAw ikAwmsIq isru lwieAw ] jau idl mih kptu invwj gujwrhu ikAw hj kwbY jwieAw ] 3 ] qMU nwpwku pwku nhIsUiJAw iqs kw mrmun jwinAw ] kih kbIr iBsiq qy cUkw dojk isau mnu mwinAw ] 4 ] 4 ](pRBwqI sIR kbIr jI, pMnw 1350)CallnotVedasandtheSemiticTextsfalse;forfalseishewhogivesnotthoughttotheircontents.If

you

say

God

abides

in

all

beings,

then

why

kill

a

hen?

(1)

O

Mullah,

you

are

propagating

about

the

DivineJustice.(OnonehandyousayGodabidesinallandyetyoukillhenforfood),thusyou

cannotgetridofdelusionofyourmind.(1)(Pause)Youseizealivingbeingandslaughteritsbody.

Inthiswayyouhavemerelykilledtheclayandnotthesoul.Itsimperishablesoulgetsabsorbedin

theImmortalDivineEssence.Saythen,whathaveyouslaughtered?(2)Whatistheuseofwashing

yourhand,feetandmouth?AndtowhatuseisyourbowingintheMosque?(3)Towhatavailis

yourprayerandpilgrimageofMeccawhenyourmindisfullofdeceit?Thusyoustillremain

impureanddonotknowthepureLordandHismystique.Kabirsaysyouhavemissedparadiseand

aredoomedtohell.(4)(4)

Aperusaloftheabovehymnraisesthefollowingquestionstobeansweredbythemeateaters:


25/48

(i)IfyouacceptthattheDivineSparkoflifepervadesineachlivingbeing,thenwhyareyou

slaughteringit?

(ii)Thebodyoftheanimalsisalldust.WhatisthethingthathasbecomeHalalbydestroyingthe

body?

(iii)When

you

are

vile

at

heart

(i.e.

beguiling

your

ardent

desire

to

satisfy

your

taste

under

the

cloakofreligiosity),thenofwhatuseisyourprayer(Namaz)?

Howwouldtheyreplytoabovethreequestions?Inthelaststanzaoftheforegoinghymn,the

Gurbanihasexplainedthetruthinthisrespect:

Oyou,theSupermostcreationoftheSupremeLord,youhavestartedtreadingthefalsepathof

plunderandtyrannyandhaveforsakenthetrueidealofyourlife.Youhavenotenteredinto

relationshipwiththesourceofSacredness,theCreatorandtheImmortalBeing.Instead,through

yourbarbarousacts,youhaveyourselfbecomebarbarous.Thusyouareheadingtowardsthehell

insteadof

the

heaven.

Why?

ThemeateatershavecreatedamythregardingthelegitimacyofJhatkaorHalal.Ifananimalis

slaughteredwhilerecitingKalma,itsmeatbecomesHalalorsacred;andiftheanimaliskilledwith

astrokewhilerecitingSatSriAkal,itsmeatbecomesJhatka.Howstrange!Meatwhichissacred

(Halal)forMuslimsisunholyfortheSikhsandviceversa.Fromthisitimpliesthatthecondemned

thingisnotthemeatbuttheHolyKalmafortheSikhsandSatSriAkalfortheMuslims.TheKalma

andSatSriAkalareboththedivinewordsindifferentlanguages.InrealityneithertheKalmanor

SatSriAkalarecondemnable.Whatdeservescondemnationiscrueltyormercilessnessinvolvedin

slaughteringanimalssimplytosatisfyone'stasteofthetongue.Whentherealintentioniswicked,

thenhow

can

the

material

become

holy

by

outwardly

reciting

sacred

words

of

the

Lord's

praise?

One'sactionsaretobeaccountedforintheTrueCourtonthebasisofone'sinnermostemotions

andintentionsbehindtheirdeeds.Gurbaniisveryclearaboutit.

hir hir krih inq kptu kmwvih ihrdw suDu n hoeI ] (sUhI m: 4, pMnw 732)TheywhoutterGod'sNameandpracticedeceit,theirmindcannotremainpure.

bydu pVY muiK mITI bwxI || jIAW kuhq n sMgY prwxI ] 3 ] 107 ] (gauVI m: p, pMnw 201)OnerecitesVedaswithsweetvoicebutatthesame,hedoesnotshirkkillingthesentientbeings.

Thespilling

of

the

blood

of

the

other

animals

for

one's

own

self

interest

is

an

abominable

act

and

isthusavice.Howcanamind,whichisfullofsinisterthoughtwaves,becomepure?Andwithout

thepurityofmind,howNamSimranispossible?ThatiswhyGurbaniclearlydecrees:

nwnk nwau Kudwie kw idil hCY muiK lyhu ] Avir idvwjy punI ky JUTy Aml kryhu ] 1 ](sloku m: 1, pMnw 140)Nanak,uttertheNameofGodfromyourmouthwithtruthfulheart.Otherwiseallyouractionsare

merelypretentiousdisplayandarefalse.

Allreligiousactivitiesinvolvingmeditation,austeritiesandselfcontroletc.,areaimedatpurifying

themind.

But

ifmind

is

full

of

deceit

and

under

its

influence,

one

goes

on

committing

vices,

then

allhisseeminglyreligiousobservancesarenothingbutahoax.Andsuchaperson'sposition

becomesridiculous.KabirJisarcasticallyreferstosuchdoublefacedapproachinlifeasunder:


26/48

jau idl mih kptu invwj gujwrhu ikAw hj kwbY jwieAw ] 3 ] (pRBwqI sIR kbIr jI, pMnw 1350)TowhatavailisyourprayerandpilgrimagetoMeccawhenyourmindisfullofdeceit?

AndthatiswhyGuruSahibinstructs:

AMqir kptu cukwvhu myry gurisKhu inhkpt kmwvhu hir kI hir Gwl..... ] (nt nwrwien m: 4, pMnw 978)OtheSikhsofmyGuru!Renounceyourmind'sdeceitandundeceitfullyperformyourLordGod's

service.

Totrytocoverone'ssinisteractsbydeceitfulmeans,ispartofhumannature.However,evenif

onemaynotadoptdeceitfulmeanstoconcealhisinternalsins,eventhenthesinfulthoughtsin

one'smind,defileit.Howcanoneremainunpollutedinsuchastateofmind?

jy rqu lgY kpVY jwmw hoie plIqu ] jo rqu pIvih mwxsw iqn ikau inrmlu cIqu ](vwr mwJ, m: 1, pMnw 140)Ifagarmentbecomesprofanewithstainsofbloodonit,thenhowcanthemindofthosewhosuck

the

blood

in

the

form

of

slaughtered

animal

meal,

can

ever

remain

undefiled?Inordertointerpretthiscoupletintheirownsupport,themeateatersreadthewordMansa

(mwxsw)asMansa(n)(mwxsW)i.e.withnasalisationofitslastvowel.Andthentheytranslateitas,"Thosewhosuckthebloodofhumans,i.e.thosewhocommittyrannyonhumans."Sucha

contortedexplanationisdevisedtomeettheirdesiredinterpretation.Inthiscouplet,thesimile

givenisabsolutelyexplicitwithoutanyillusion:"thebloodstainsmakethegarmentpolluted.The

spillingofthebloodoflivingbeings,toobtaintheirfleshforeating,pollutesthemind."

Thosewhosupportmeateating,aredoinggreatinjusticetothemselvesaswellastheinnocent

Sikh

masses.

May

we

ask

them

a

simple

question?

On

one

side

they

consider

even

ordinary

oppressiononhumanbeingsasequivalenttosuckingoftheirblood.Ontheotherhandtheykill

theanimalssimplytoeattheirfleshandthusliterallyconsumetheirblood,yetdenythecommittal

oftyranny.Thesocalledmanmadeandman controlledsocietymaybeoverlookingman's

atrocitiesonanimals,buttherewillbenoescapeforthekillersintheTrueCourtoftheAlmighty

Lord.Thereonlythetruthwillprevail.

Thediscussiononthistopicwouldberatherincompleteifmentionisnotmadeofanothervery

importantandinterestingpoint.Itisahardfactandeverybodyknowsthat,whileslaughteringthe

animalsinthetoday'sslaughterhouses,neithertheKalmanor'SatSriAkal'isutteredbythe

professionalbutchers.Instead,theygoonsingingvulgarsongsandtalkingaimlessly,even

exchangingabusivelanguageamongstthemselves.Themostinterestingthingisthatthevotaryfor

meatgooneatingfleshwithoutdiscriminationshelvingallsocallednotionsofJhatkaorHalalto

sanctifyit.Thus,thereends,eventhesocalleddistinctionbetweenJhatkaandHalalmeat.Well

thatisO.K.,becausethispracticeotherwisewasnothingbutatotalsham.


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RE:ARGUMENTNO.3

Themeateatersputforththefollowinghistoricalevidencesintheirfavour:

a.MeatusedtobeservedinthelangarofGuruAngadDevJi

b.AtKurukshetra,aprincepresentedthefleshofadeerhuntedbyhimtoGuruNanakDevJi,who

gotitcookedthereonthedayofSolarEclipse.ThisprovokedadiscussionbetweentheVaishnav

BrahminsandPandasononehandandGuruSahibontheother.AhymnexistsinSriGuruGranth

Sahibinthisreference.

c.GuruSahibhasbeenhunting.IfmeatwasprohibitedinSikhism,whatforthispursuitof

hunting?

Letusexaminethesepoints.

ItisanestablishedfactthatSikhHistoryhasbeencommingledandadulteratedwithanumberof

fallaciesbycertainantiSikhelementsaswellasignorantSikhwriters.Intheintroductiontohis

bookGurmatMarland,BhaiKahnSinghhasgivensomeconcreteinstancesofsuchillconceived

statementsasbelow:

"TheSikhwritershavefollowedthepreceptofotherreligiouswritersingivingthereligiouscolour

tosocialandpoliticalsubjects.Withoutinvestigatingtheyhaveincludedcertainabsolutely

baselessanecdotesinourhistory,whichleadusawayfromthetruepathofGurmat.Itisthus

naturalthatweoftenfindsomecontradictorymaterialinourliteraturewhichonlycauses

confusionand

makes

it

difficult

for

us

to

judge

their

authenticity.

However,

when

we

use

our

intelligenceandtestthematerialonthetouchstoneofGurbani,weareinapositiontodiscard

thoseportionswhicharecontrarytotheprinciplelaiddowninGurbaniandcanacceptthose

whichareinaccordancewithit.Inthiswayallconfusionsareclearedandweareabletofollowthe

truepathofGurmat."(GurmatMartandpage1,2)

AfewexamplesofsuchantiGurmatanecdotesinsuchwritingscitedinGurmatMartandbyBhai

KahnSingharereproducedbelow:

(i)Inthe2ndChapterofGurbilasofPatshahi6,ithasbeenstatedthatwhenthechild(Guru)

Hargobindji

had

smallpox,

the

worship

of

Goddess

Durga

was

done

for

seven

days

using

coconuts

andotheraccessoriesbyaBrahmin.ThegoddessDurgathenbecamepleasedandgaveher

blessing.ThesamestorywasthenrepeatedbyBhaiSantokhSinghJiinGurPartapSurajRas3#

12.Asagainstthis,SahibGuruArjanDevJi,thereveredfatherof(Guru)HargobindSahib,writes

somethingtotallydifferentinthisrespect:

sdw sdw hir jwpy ] pRB bwlk rwKy Awpy ] sIqlw Twik rhweI ] ibAn geyhir nweI ] 1 ](soriT m: p, pMnw 627)EverandEvertheDivineNamehadbeenchanted.TheLordHimselfsavedthechildren.

TheLordthuswardedoffthesmallpox.ThusallthetroubleswereremovedthroughtheGod's

name.


28/48

(ii)InSriNanakParkashitismentionedthatSahibGuruNanakDevJiarrangedafeastfor

BrahminsaccordingtoHinduritesforthebenefitofhisdeadancestors'souls.Thisassertionis

totallyunacceptablebecauseGuruNanakDevJihimselfcondemnstheSaradhasamereshamor

heterodoxy:

iek lokI horu CimCrI bRwhmxu vit ipMfu Kwie ] nwnk ipMfu bKsIs kw kbhMU inKUtis nwih ] 4 ] 2 ]

(Awsw m: 1, pMnw 358)SomebarleyballsareformallyofferedtoancestorsandotherstoGods;butitisthePanditwho

kneadsandeatsthem.NanaksaysthatthefoodoftheGod'sNameneverexhausts.

(iii)AccordingtoBhaiSukhaSingh'sworkGurBilasCh.10,BrahminDattaNandofUjjain

performedtheworshipofDurgagoddessonthebehestofSahibGuruGobindSinghJi:

XON suin gd gd BXO ikRpwlw ] sIR muiK soN kih bcn ibswlw ] mYXw! iehY ikRpw Ab kIjY|| KVg pwix dwhnumuih dIjY] 267 ] eyv squkih mwq BvwnI ] vr dY BeI lop jg rwxI ] 271 ]

Accordingtotheabovenarration,onGuruSahib'sentreatiesGoddessDurgablessedhimwiththe

Sword.

SimilarassertionhasbeenrepeatedinSakhiNo.25ofMehmaParkash:

krw hom siqguru purK mwqw BeI pRsMn ] BieAw pRkws mwqw pRgt DMn mwq jg DMn ] (32)TheSatguruperformedtheHavan,theMata(thegoddessDurga)washighlypleased.She

appearedwithaflashofDivineLight.Hailthegoddess!

Thesame

thing

has

been

reiterated

in

Gur

Partap

Suraj

in

Rut

3No.

4.

Baba

Sumer

Singh

writes

as

underinGurPadPremParkash:

mhw bIr sIR hnMUmwn jI pRgt k`C qb dInI ] lIjY mhwrwj mm Bytw mrXwdw Aiq cInI ](gurmiq mwrqMf, pMnw c, C, j, J)

ThisquotationimpliesthattheBraveHanumanappearedandpresentedtheKachhehra

(underwear)toGuruSahibtobeincludedintheSikhCodeofConduct.

(iv)GurBilasPatshahi6statesinch.18thatGuruHargobindSahibusedtoconsumehemp:

jbY jwm idn Awin rhwXo ] sRI guru ibjIAw pwn krwXo ] (ibjIAw-hemp)

(v)BhaiSukhaSinghinGurBilasPatshahi10writesinCh.10and16thatGuruGobindSinghused

toconsumevarioustypesofintoxicantshimselfandgavethesetoothersalso:

ibjIAw DrCq Aml mMgwvy ] Awp CkY puin Avr idAwvY ](DrCq-opium)midrw ibjIAw KNwf imlweI ] crnwimRq iml gwgr pweI ](midrw-liquor)ly inj fyt kwilkw dIny ] jY BvwnI kI aucr pRbInY ]

(vi)GurPartapSuryaRut3,Ch.4statesthatGuruSahibusedtoconsumeopiumaftercrushingit

alongwithalmondsandvariousotheraromaticedibles.


29/48

AiDkYsugMD mhkwr sMg || bhu rgV bdwmn sihq BMg || eylw lvMg imrcwn kwir || mylXo gulwb Xuqsrd bwir || (7) Xuq CqRDwr siqguruCkwie || (8) (CqRdwr-opium)

TheninRut3Ch.21,BhaiSantokhSinghmentionsthatGuruGobindSinghaskedthedrinkof

hemptobepreparedonlargescaleforthesoldierspreparingforbattleasthiswasthebestofthe

intoxicantswhichwasfavouriteofMahesh:

XNw qy sRI muKbwk aucwrw ] huie suKykI dyg audwrw ] isMG hoie jb AwXuD DwrI ] mwdk cwhIAq AnMd mJwrI] (39) sB mwidk qyibjIAw AwCI || kXoik mhyS Awid ieh bwCI ] (4)

BhagwanSinghRahitnamia,onthebasisofRahitnamasobtainedfromKhatriSinghsofChainpur

Bhabhua,writesinhisworkVimalBibekVaridhthatthosewhotakehemp,areabletofight

bravely:

AcIAY su`Kw C`qrDwr ] rn my jUJY Apr Awpwr ]

ThenmisquotingBhaiSahibManiSinghJi,hestates:

"AfterbestowingAmrittothewholesangatandequippingthemwithweapons,hebadethem

farewellbyaskingthemtotakesomeintoxicants.AccordinglySikhsstartedtakingintoxicantsand

manyofthemwereabletoachieveconcentrationofmind."

Note:Whatabeautifulwaytoachieveconcentrationofmind!DotheSikhsachievethisstateof

mindbyservice;practiceofGurbani,disinterestedbenevolenceorbybecomingdullardthrough

intoxication?(GurmatMartand,pages15,16,17)

Theaboveareonlyafewofthefallaciousexamplestobringoutthepoint.Citingmoresuch

examplesresultsonlyinmoreandmoreofselfridicule.Suchinterpolationsinourhistoryhave

beenmadeintentionallybyantiSikhandantiGurupeopleofthattime.Thelaterhistorywriters

insteadoftheiranalyticalexaminationinthelightoftenetsofGurbani,haverepeatedthese

incidentsbluntly.Itisalsopossiblethatsomeofthesehistoriansthemselvesmayhavebeen

addictedtotheseintoxicants.Inanycase,suchwritingstendtonullifytheGurmatprinciplesand

maketheSikhHistoryalaughingstockandunreliable.

ThatiswhyitismostessentialtoscrutinizeandrectifytheerrorsincludedintheSikhhistoryinthe

lightofGurbani.ThewellwishersofthePanthhavebeencryinghoarseforthisworksincelong.

AnyHistoricaleventiffoundtobeincongruouswiththespiritofGurbanimustbethoroughly

lookedintoforcorrection.

Thenhowcansuchhistoricalcanardsberelieduponinjustificationwithregardtoadmissibilityof

meateating?ThesereferencesarecontradictorytotheidealsofGurbaniaswellasother

anecdotesinSikhhistorywhereintheprincipleof'Mercyonlivingbeings'hasbeenstressedupon.

Afewofsuchhistoricalevidencesaregivenbelow:


30/48

GURUNANAK'SPRECEPTTODEVLOOTTHEDRAGON

ipRQm qjhu AwimK (mws) ko Kwxw ]krhu jws ihq jIvn hwnw ] 7 ]kyiqk idn qih rhy gusweI ]guru isKI kI rIiq clweI ]

siB rwKS ko nwm jpwXo ]AwimK Kwn iqnih qjvwXo] (18)suDr sYn jo BUp mhwnw ]dyvlUq mwnhu iqh Awnw ]ihMsw nhI jIv kI kIjY ]siqgurujwp jphu duK CIjY ] (20)(sRI guru nwnk pRkwS pUrbwrD, AiDAwie 44)Firstly,yougiveupmeateatingforwhichyouresorttokillingofthelivingbeings.

SetexamplesforpractisingGuru'swayoflife.

The

Master

spent

a

number

of

days

there

and

set

example

for

practising

Guru's

way

of

life.

HemadethedragonstorecitetheName.

Andalsomadethemgiveupmeateating.

SudharSain,theGreatandDevlootresolvedthisintheirmindsthathomicideoflivingbeingsbe

notdoneratheritshouldbereplacedbymeditationonNamrevealedbytheGuruforthe

eradicationofallillsandsufferings.

(SriGuruNanakParkash,1stVol.,Ch.44)

DISCOURSEATMEDINA

gaU BYs Aqy murgIAW jo, hoie hYvwn grIb ]|

qh pr CurI hrwm hY, Kwvn iqnw plIq ].....jo ibcwry jwnvr, mwrn iqnw rvwl ]ibnw rjwie Kudwie dI, iqh pr CurI zvwl ]mueI SY murdwr hY, sihky jwn kvwie ]KwxI ieh hrwm hY, iqh pr CurI rvwie ]Kwxw mws gunwh hY, jorI kIAw hlwl ]zorI kuTw hrwm hY, iqs qy hoie zvwl ](jnm swKI BweI bwlw)Cows,buffaloesandhenetc.aremeekandhelplessanimals.Tocutthemwithknifeisasinfulact

andconsumptionoftheirmeatmakestheeaters"polluted".

Theywhokillthehelplessanimalsandsaythishasbecomesacred.

ItisagainsttheGod'swill.TheknifeofLordwillbefallonthem.

Whateverisdeadiscarcass(Murdar).

Eatingofwhichissinful(Haram).

Flesheatingisasin.

TheuseofforcetokillissinfulwhetheronecallsitHalalorHaram.

Suchactsleadtoone'sdownfall.

(JanamsakhiBhaiBala)


31/48

PRECEPTTOSHEEHANUPPAL

SheehanUppalwasleadingaflockofonehundredhe goats.GuruAngadDevJiaskedhimits

purpose.Sheehanrepliedthattheseweremeantforpreparationofmeattofeedthemarriage

partyofhissonaccordingtotheprevalentcustom.ThenGuruJisaid:

ieqny jIvn ihMsw krY ] pwp ibswl Awpn isr DYr ] 7 ] Ab qo sugm jwnIAih kirbo ] AMq mhw duK

nrkn prbo ] dyihN swsnw jm kydUq ] qhw n rMck hoie shwie ] suK Bogygy sgry lok ] Awpdw prih qoihbf sok ] 8 ] Drm rwie jb kir hY lyKw ] lhY mhw duK rhY n syKw ] sRI gurU khw kro aupcwr ] ijs qy hoien jIv sMGwr ](gur pRqwp sUrj gRMQ, rws 1, AMs 26)Bykillingsomanylivingbeings,Youaretakinguponyourselftheresponsibilityofthissin.(7)Of

courseyouwouldnowbepleased(toentertainyourguestsinthisway).Intheend,however,you

aredestinedtoundergoterriblesufferingsinthehell.Whentheangelsofdeathwilltortureyou.

Noneofyoursonsorrelativeswouldbeofanyhelptoyouthere.(8)Thoseforwhomyouare

committingthissin(ofslaughteringanimals)Theywillnothelpyouthereevenabit.Nowallyour

relativeswill

enjoy

meat

eating

but

you

will

have

to

face

the

adverse

consequences

all

alone.

(9)

WhenDharamRajtakestheaccountofyourdeeds,Youwillbefacedwithterribletroubles.Sri

Guruadvisedhimtodevisesomemeanswherebykillingoflivingbeingsbeaverted.

(GurPartapSuryaGranth,RaasI, Ch26)

HUKAMNAMASOFSRIGURUHARGOBINDJI

Hukamnama#6,page12

krqwr krqwr vwcxI | gurU qswfI ljrKYgw gurU jpxw jnm svrU sMgq

dI kwmnw gurU pUrI kryNgy sMgqI dwrujgwruhogw iek dwsI rihxw mws m`CI dy nyVynhI Awpxw sMgq dI cIrI phuqI hkIkq sBmlUm hoeI sMgq srbiq iekm ju-iq hhy iqvy rhxw jwpy gurdws nwl lg rhxwkrvwr ien no dyidAw rhxw sMgiq aupirgurU dI KrI KusI hie sMgqI dw rujgwru hogwsMgiq Awp ivic iekqu krnwsMgiq dI KrI KusI gurUdInw dy hoNdy hie sb myry

puq hYin sBnw iekqy jIAY hoxwAgy kwrvwr lydI hQ ilK kyjw hie ahsBw kwr kih ByjxI !YoureciteKartar!Kartar!

TheGuruwillprotectyourhonour.

ChantrepeatedlyGuruGuru.

Thenyourlifewillbeblessed.

GuruwillfulfilthedesireoftheSangat

Sangatwillgetgoodmeansoflivelihood.

Liveinlovewithonlyonewife.

DONOT

EVEN

CONTEMPLATE

TO

CONSUME

FLESH

AND

FISH.

Sangat'sletterreceived.Cametoknowtherealities,

Sangatshouldremainincompleteunison,andwithtendernesswithoneanother.


32/48

HelpGurdasandprovidehimwithmeansoflivelihood.GuruispleasedwiththeSangatandthey

willalsobeblessedwithgoodmeansoflivelihood.

Sangatshouldliveinharmony.Gurualwayshelpstheweak.Allaremyownscions.Liveallin

concord.

HeretoforethesituationherehasbeenwrittenandsentthroughLADI.Sendallthecollections.

Hukamnama#9,

page

15

BweI jwpU BweI gurdwsu BweI murgI BweI jwiq BweI idAwlwgurU gurU jpxw jnm jnm svrU sMgq dI kwmnw pUrI hogusMgqI dw rujgwr hog sMgqI kI kwr ju lyhwgw gurU dIAwigAw hie kIrqn krxw iek dwsuBlI jugq rhxw mwsmCI dynyVynwhI Awvxw pUHrb dI sMgiq gurU dw Kwlsw hieauprMiq gurUdI AwigAw hie BweI jwpU BweI jwpU BweI gurdws qusNwsBnw rl ky swry purK dI kwr krxI.....BhaiJapoo,BhaiGurdas,BhaiMurar,BhaiJat,BhaiDyala!GoonrepeatingGuru!Guru!

Yourlives

will

be

blessed.

Sangats

desires

would

be

fulfilled.

Sangat

would

be

blessed

with

means

oflivelihood.TheGuru'scommandis"goonsingingpraisesofGod".Liveinhumilitytoone

anotherandinunison.

DONOTEVERCONTEMPLATETOCONSUMEFLESHANDFISH.

TheSangatoftheEastisGuru'sKhalsa.ThereafterGuru'scommandisforBhaiJapooandBhai

GurdastoremitcollectionsoftheEast.

InSudharamMarg,SriGuruGobindSinghJiisstatedtohavesermonisedasunder:

Onewhodoesnotcommitthefollowingfivedeeds,achievessalvationwhilelivinginthisvery

world:

Doesnotsteelothers'wealth.

Doesnothaveextramaritalrelations.

Doesnotslanderothers.

Doesnotgamble.

Doesnotconsumemeatandliquor.

Theabovescripthasalsobeenseenwrittenontheflyleavesofanumberofoldhandwrittenholy

volumes(manuscripts)ofSriGuruGranthSahib.

Withrespect

to

meat

eating,

the

main

thing

which

is

anti

Gurmat

is

the

committing

of

atrocity

on

innocentlivingbeings.Tocommittyrannyonanylivingbeingundergreedandtemptationis

symbolicofsavageryinthehumans.TherearenotwoopinionsonthefactthatGurbanidefinitely

prohibitstheuseofviolenceandlaysstressonshowingMercyonalllivingbeings.Quiteafew

quotationsfromGurbanihavebeenquotedearlierinthepreviouschapterinthisrespect.

Somewritersofhistoryhappenedtowriterecklesslythatfishandfleshusedtobecookedinthe

communitykitchenofGuruAngadDevJi.Onpages4546anteanhistoricalanecdotehasbeen

referredtowhereinSriGuruAngadDevJidissuadesSheehanUppalfromkillinganimals.Hewas

madetounderstandthatslaughteringoflivingbeingsisasinfulactforwhichonehastobe

accountedforintheend.

Whatasurprise!Somewaywardpersonhasgonetotheextentofstatingthatmeatandfishused

tobecookedandservedintheLangarofSriGuruAngadDevJi!BhaiSattaandBhaiBalwandwere


33/48

bardsintheDarbarofGuruAngadDevJi.IntheballadcontainedinRamkaliRagofSriGuru

GranthSahib,theymentionimportantdaintydisheswhichusedtobeservedintheLangarofSri

GuruAngadDevJiasunder:

(a) lMgr dauliq vMfIAY rsu AMimRq KIir iGAwlI ] (vwr rwmklI blcMif qQw sqYkI, pMnw 967)InGuru'skitchen,isserved,sweetricepuddingpreparedwithbutteroilandwealthisgiventothe

needy.

(A) inq rsoeI qyrIAY iGau mYdw Kwxu ] (vwr rwmklI blcMif qQw sqYkI, pMnw 967)Everinthykitchenareservedpreparationsofbutteroil,refinedwheatflourandsugar.

Onthebasisoftheabovequotationsofthecontemporarybards,itcanbestressedthattheso

calledhistoricalevidenceunderreferencehasbeeninterpolatedintentionallybysomeantiSikh

elementsorsupportersofmeateating,underawell plannedconspiracy.Inhistoricalworks,

thereareanumberofselfcontradictoryaccounts;someinsupportof,andtheothersagainst

meateating.Thismakessuchhistoricalworksvagueandridiculous.

Similarly,theanecdoteofcookingoffleshofdeerduringthevisitofGuruNanakDevJiat

Kurukshetraontheoccasionofsolareclipseisalsoputfortherroneouslybymeateatersintheir

support.

OnlythemysticSatguruknowstherealimportofhismysteriousways.Howeverinorderto

understandthemysterybehindthisanecdote,thedecidingfactorinthiscaseisGurbaniuttered

bytheGuruonthatoccasionandwhichisalsofoundinSriGuruGranthSahib.Therelevanthymn

isadducedbelow:

slok m: 1 ] pihlNw mwshu inMimAw mwsY AMdir vwsu ] jIau pwie mwsu muih imilAw hfu cMmu qnu mwsu ] mwshubwhir kiFAw mMmw mwsu igrwsu ] muhu mwsY kw jIB mwsY kI mwsY AMdir swsu ] vfw hoAw vIAwihAw Gir lYAwieAw mwsu ] mwshu hI mwsu aupjYmwshu sBo swku ] siqguir imilAY hukmu bJIAY qW ko AwvY rwis ] Awip Cutynh CucIAY nwnk bcin ibxwsu ] 1 ]m: 1 ] mwsu mwsu kir mUrKu JgVyigAwnu iDAwnu nhI jwxY ] kauxu mwsu kauxu swgu khwvY iksu mih pwp smwxy] gYNfw mwir hom jg kIey dyviqAw kI bwxy ] mwsu Coif bYis nku pkVih rwqI mwxs Kwxy ] PVu kir lokNw noidKlwvih igAwnu iDAwnu nhI sUJY ] nwnk AMDy isauikAw khIAY khYn kihAw bUJY ] AMDw soie ij AMDu kmwvYiqsu irdY is locn nwhI] mwq ipqw kI rkqu inpMny mCI mwsu n KWhI ] iesqRI purKY jW inis mylw aQY mMDukmwhI ] mwshu inMmy mwshu jMmyhm mwsY ky BWfy ] igAwnu iDAwnu kCu sUJY nwhI cqur khwvYpWfy ] bwhr kw

mwsu mMdw suAwmI Gr kw mwsu cMgyrw ] jIA jMq siB mwshu hoey jIie lieAw vwsyrw ] ABKu BKih BuK qijCofih AMDu gurU ijn kyrw ] mwshu inMmy mwshu jMmy hm mwsY ky BWfy ] igAwnu iDAwnu kCu sUJY nwhI cquru khwvYpWfy ] mwsu purwxI mwsu kqybI chu juig mwsu kmwxw ] jij kwij vIAwih suhwvY aQY mwsu smwxw ] iesqRI purKinpjih mwshu pwiqswh sulqwnW ] jy aie idsih nrik jWdy qW aun kw dwnun lYxw ] dyNdw nrik surig lYdydyKhueyhu iD|wxw ] Awip n bUJY lok buJwey pWfy Krw isAwxw] pWfy quU jwxY hI nwhI ikQhu mwsu aupMnw ]qoieAhu AMnu kmwdu kpwhW qoieAhu gMnw ] qoAw AwKY hau bhu ibiD hCw qoAY bhuq ibkwrw ] eyqy rs Coif jovYsMinAwsI nwnkukhY ivcwrw ]2](vwr mlwk kI mhlw 1, pMnw 1289-90)SlokMohalla1.

Manis

first

conceived

in

flesh

and

then

abides

in

(the

womb

of)

flesh.

When

he

is

invested

with

life

hegetsflesh(intheformoftongue,gums,palateetc.)inthemouth.Hisbones,skinratherthe

entirebodyarenothingbutflesh.Whenheistakenoutofthewombofflesh,hesuckstheteatsof


34/48

fleshforhisfeed.Hehashismouthofflesh,tongueoffleshandhebreathsinthebodyofflesh.

Whenhegrowsup,heismarriedandbringshome(thewifeformedof)flesh.Flesh(intheformof

offsprings)isproducedfrom(theparents'bodyof)fleshandalltherelationsofmanare

establishedthroughflesh...ItisonlywhenonemeetswiththeTrueGuruheimbibesthe

knowledgeofLord'sWillandthenaloneheisputontherightpath.Nanaksays,byone'sown

effortsonecannotbereleasedthroughmerediscussionbutisruined.

Mohalla1.

ThefoolsquarrelovertheinterpretationoffleshandknownotGod'sgnosis(DivineWisdom)and

insight.TheyknownotwhatiscallednonvegorvegorintheconsumptionofwhatdoesSin

consist.'Yajnas'and'havans'(fireworship)areperformedandtherebyrhinosarekilledand

offeredassacrificialfoodtopleasegodswhoarebehovedtobeaddictedtoit.Theywhoabandon

meatandcannotwithstanditsveryflavourwhilesittingnearit,devourmeninthedarknessof

night.They,infact,practisehypocrisyandmakeashowofittopeople(todeceivethem)butare

devoidofGod'sgnosisanddivineinsight.'Nanak' whatcanbesaidtotheblindperson(viz.

devoidofinnereye)whocanneitherexplainnorunderstandwhatissaidtohim.Healoneisblind

whoperforms

deeds

devoid

of

wisdom

and

who

has

no

insight.

Those

whose

formation

is

from

the

bloodoftheirparents,(theyclaimpuritysimplybecause)theyeatnotfishandflesh.Whenman

andhiswifeassembleatnighttheretheycohabitwithflesh.Infleshweareconceived,fromflesh

wearebornandourbodiesareformedofflesh.OPandit!Youdonotpossessdivinewisdomand

insightandyetyouclaimtobeashrewdperson.Olearnedman!(Whataparadox!)Youconsider

fleshofhomegoodandoutsidefleshbad.Allcreatureshavesprungfromfleshandthesoulhas

takenitsabodeinflesh(ofthewomb).Thosewhose,Guruisdevoidofinnereye,eatwhatisun

worthyofeatingandabandonorrejectwhatiswortheating.Infleshweareconceived,fromf

why kill a chicken

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