Vegetarianism Other Views

* For Click here for Alternate view - Vegetarianism 
Some sections of the Sikh community are of the view that the Sikh Gurus did not encourage a Vegetarian life-style and this article will outline the reasoning behind this view. Below are given the reasons and the references to support these views. The section below lists arguments why these Sikhs support the view that meat-eating is permitted within the Sikh Dharam and has been sanctioned by the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
The main Shabad that is mentioned by this section of the Sikh community is:
* See full Shabad here
Guru Nanak Devji tackled this entire issue head on and laid waste to the claims of 'so called spiritual people' who thought themselves more pious and religious simply because they did not eat meat. On page 1289 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, this Shabad specifically deals with the arguments that rage today about spirituality and meat eating. The purpose of this article, stated above is not to look at meat eating's pro's and con's in terms of the wider biological debate, but to look at it in terms of Sikhism and spirituality. As a 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.
== Mistranslation and Misrepresentation of The Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji ==
Some of the tukhs of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji that are often used to support the vegetarian view-point are as follows:
 
 
Let us analyse each one of these one by one.
 
=== 1. Page 1377: Those who consume marijuana, flesh and wine ===
Those mortals who consume marijuana, flesh and wine no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow, they will all go to hell. Read full page here
====Argument for eating meat ====
1. Firstly note that maachlee is not flesh, but is indeed fish. The word in Punjabi for flesh is maas - so changing this the Shabad becomes:
==Shabad1 :DARPAN pg 1377 ==
 
2. Now 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 weaver's 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 Hindus 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 others, etc.) are the ones who will be liberated, and those who live by excesses will suffer. One can therefore 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).
* See Rebuttal to this here
===2. Page 332: You kill living beings ===
...and worship lifeless things at your very last moment, You will suffer terrible pain. Read the full Shabad here
 
Again let us put this into its correct context: 
 
 
Quite clearly when put into context this is nothing to do with meat eating. What is being alluded to is Hindu sacrificial rituals (e.g. 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.
* See Rebuttal to this here
===3. Page 1350: 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? Read the Full Shabad here
Again, let us put this into context:
 
 
The 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.
* See Rebuttal to this here
== MOTIVATIONS BEHIND MISTRANSLATION AND MISREPRESENTATION ==
There are several reasons behind why these mistranslations and misrepresentations have occurred:
 
*The publishers have a lack of education and do not understand the meaning of words in Gurmukhi and the correct translation into English.
 
*In their eagerness to promote their own brand of Sikhism (Sant, Jatha etc.) they have deliberately allowed mistranslation and misrepresentation.
 
*Genuine abhorrence of killing animals can be a motivation too (e.g. those people that believe in Animal Rights), however Sikhism should not be used as a tool to promote such agendas.
 
*Poor knowledge of history and the context in which the Guru's and Bhaghats wrotes 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.
== THE 84 MILLION INCARNATION ARGUMENT – ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MINERAL. ==
The other argument that has been made over this issue is that there is some sort of hierarchy within Sikhism of incarnations. Life goes through many incarnations (up to 84 million) before becoming human. In other words, life takes the form of incarnation in plant form, then animal, and then human. The idea being that animal form spiritually is closer to man. Biologically this maybe true, however, spiritually within Sikhism, this could not be further from the truth.
 
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. In fact 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:
 
 
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:
 
Page 143 of the 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.
== MEAT EATERS, ONLY EAT FOR TASTE OR DO VEGETARIANS AS WELL? ==
The most absurd argument that has been come across is that meat eaters only eat for taste, and too satisfy their taste buds. It is a selfish desire in other words, based on Greed and Egotism. The basis of this argument falls down with the fact that Vegetarian dishes (particularly on the Indian Subcontinent), are the most varied and most tasty of all dishes. To say that a vegetarian hates every mouthful of eating an Aubergine and Potatoes Curry and a meat eater loves every mouthful of Liver is indeed the weakest of all arguments. In fact page 61 of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji states:
 
== MEAT EATING PROMOTES DEVIANT BEHAVIOUR OR DOES IT? ==
There is a train of thought amongst certain Sikhs that meat eating promotes cruel, aggressive or lustful behaviour. There have been numerous examples to show that this is simply not true. For example, Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian, yet he was very cruel. In terms of aggressive behaviour, we have our own Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala, who was a staunch vegetarian, yet very aggressive. The Kuka's (Namdharia's), were very violent and aggressive yet were strict vegetarians. As for lustful behaviour, one only has too look at the list of A list celebrities who are vegetarians and note their lustful behaviour.
 
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.
 
== HUKAMNAMA ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY THE 6TH MASTER ==
Some pro-vegetarian sections of the Sikh following have produced an alleged Hukamnama that states that the Sikhs of the East were not to go near meat. Unfortunately, the sources that have produced this Hukamnama, have not been able to back it up with any evidence of its genuineness, from any Sikh scholars of note. There have been statements to the effect that Ganda Singh found this document and indeed published it (Two collections of Hukamnamas are available in print form, one edited by Dr. Ganda Singh published in 1968 by Punjabi University and the S.G.P.C), but this has not been verified by any of his contemporaries or any other Sikh scholars..
 
Historical evidence, in fact contradicts what Guru Hargobind ji was actually like. He was an avid hunter and warrior. Again this fact some have tried to dismiss as Guruji giving Mukhti to animals souls. This, however, contradicts the Guru's own philosophy which clearly states that only God is capable of granting such things.
 
In fact Bhai Gudas in his Vars States:
 
 
 
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.):
 
 
As we know, there is no contradiction in the Guru's message.
 
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.
== WHAT ARE THE VIEWS OF PROMINENT SIKH SCHOLARS ON THIS ISSUE? ==
Misconceptions About Eating Meat - Comments of Sikh Scholars
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
== THE KUTTHA MEAT ARGUMENT – KUTTHA MEANS ALL MEAT OR DOES IT? ==
===What is Kuttha meat?===
Punjabi-English Dictionary, Punjabi University, Dept. of Punjabi Lexicography, Published Dec. 1994. "Kuttha: meat of animal or fowl slaughtered slowly as prescribed by Islamic law."
 
Punjabi English Dictionary, Singh Bros., Amritsar "Kuttha: Tortured, killed according to Mohammedan law."
 
 
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.
 
 
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.
== AN AMRIT-DHARI DOES NOT EAT MEAT OR DOES HE? ==
This clearly a falicy, since the rules that guide and Amritdhari are from the Rehit-Marayada, which places no taboo on meat eating.
== EYE WITNESS ACCOUNTS OF EUROPEAN TRAVELLERS OF SIKH DIET DURING THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY ==
There are a number of eyewitness accounts from European travellers as to t the eating habits of Sikhs. Although there is no prohibition on Sikhs for eating beef, it is clear that Sikhs as a mark of respect for their Hindu neighbours did not partake in eating beef:
 
 
 
 
 
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:
 
 
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.
== WHY MEAT IS NOT SERVED IN LANGAR ==
The reason why meat is not served at langar in the Gurdwaras is because langar is supposed to be a symbol of equality of mankind where all people no matter what race, religion or caste can eat together in the atmosphere of brotherhood. Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, it does not matter who they are. Different religions have different dietary restrictions. Hindus cannot eat cow, Muslims cannot eat pork and will only eat halal meat. Jews will only eat kosher meat, others cannot eat fish or eggs. But in a gurdwara langar, it does not matter what their dietary taboos or religious beliefs are, the food is designed so that all can eat together and no one will be offended or not be able to partake of the meal.
== WHY JHATKA MEAT? ==
What is Jhatka Meat and Why?
 
Jhatka meat is meat in which the animal has been killed quickly without suffering or religious ritual. 
 
 
 
 
== 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:
 
 
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.
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=Food For Thought=
Meat classifed with good foods such as bread, not bad foods such as wine 
 
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:
Taking anothers right is the real thing to be avoided
 
Falsehood is the real thing to avoid
 
Evil intellect, heartlesness, slander and wrath are the real things to avoid
 
Avarice, falsehood, cheatings and slander are the real things to avoid
 
The Gurus clearly stated what are sins throughout the Guru Granth Sahib, nowhere is eating meat mentioned as being one of these sins. 
 
 
 
The superstitions of the impurity of certain foods such as meat exposed and the real emphasis revealed: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The vegetable feels pain just as the animal does, there is no difference. 
 
Glorious God is compared not only to the fish and the net but also to a fisherman - a killer of fish for food. 
 
There is no difference between plants and animals. God in his perfection has designed all living things to eat what they eat. We eat meat as part of the natural order of all living things designed by God. Man has been eating meat and vegetables for millions of years, God has not designed meat eating human beings in error. The only things banned for Sikhs are all unnatural manipulations of natural foods - tobacco, drugs, alcohol all unnatural manipulations of vegetation, and all banned for Sikhs. 
 
 
 
 
Meat prepared by the Muslim ritual slaughter is banned for Sikhs 
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=External Links =
* Article
* Other Quotes From Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji
* Views of Prominent Scholars
* 'Non Issue'
Category:Sikh belief