Langar is vegetarian so all can eat there from muslim to hindu. I wish people including sikh spokesmen would get their facts right. Sikhs refrain from eating any meat products including eggs and fish. Why is there a controversy in the panth over eating meat. By studying history, we get this fact before us that neither gurus were against animal food nor they were terrorizing people to take it. The question of whether it is right to eat animal flesh is among the most prominent topics in food ethics. The only stipulation about meat in the sikh code of conduct is that. The tirukural, a 2,200yearold masterpiece of ethics, states, when a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh of another creature, he will abstain from eating it 257. In part i of this article, i shared many aspects of vegetarianism and meat eating that are commonly missed by experts of all sorts. If you are referencing the rahat maryada, that is simply secondary text.
Monks were to gratefully receive and consume all food they were given, including meat. Though meat eating is accepted world wide religiously,i. The view of sikhism is that eating meat or abstaining from it is the individuals choice. According to the maryada booklet kutha, the meat prepared by the muslim ritual, is prohibited for a sikh. While eating meat is not forbidden in either sikh scripture paraphrased as gurbani or in the. They do not eat certain kinds of meat on certain days. Even though from what i know of the rehat maryada it is only specifically forbidden for sikhs to eat halal meat, from a personal point of view i am against eating meat because it is taking the life away from an animal. Khalsa members may eat only jatka meat that is meat from an animal, which has been killed with one blow of a knife or similar implement. Is meat eating by sikhs is acceptable in sikhism or not. Your are requested to learn the history of our beloved 10th guru. Sikhs, once they become amritdhari baptised via the amrit sanchaar baptism ceremony, are forbidden from eating kutha or rituallyslaughtered.
Is meat eating by sikhs acceptable in sikhism or not. The basic postulate of sikhism is that life is not sinful in its origin, but having emanated from a pure source, the true one abides in it. Observant sikhs do not eat meat and do not consume. If one thinks he needs to eat meat, it does not matter which meat it is, beef, poultry, fish, etc.
The general consensus is that sikhs are free to choose whether to adopt the vegetarian. Guru gobind singh also permitted the eating of meat but he prescribed that it should be jhatka meat and not halal meat that is jagged in the muslim fashion. So how a true sikh avoid like these things and on what basis or fact. Comparatively, in the abrahamic religions judaism, christianity, and islam, the. Vegetarianism is strongly linked with a number of dharmic traditions religions that originated in ancient india, hinduism, jainism and buddhism. Why sikhism dont allow to eat egg and meat sikhnet. Guru granth sahib on meat sikhiwiki, free sikh encyclopedia. It is unlikely the historical buddha was a vegetarian. Sikh ethics, as derived from the sri guru granth sahib ji the sikh holy scriptures. In the earliest recording of his teachings, the tripitaka, the buddha did not categorically forbid his disciples to eat meat. Problem is the ego i am right everyone must conform to me, sikhi isnt that rigid to produce a bunch of clones, we are all different yet with the. The community appears to be divided as much as others over meateating, if not more.
No meat may be eaten from animals that have been slaughtered in a sacrificial waythis. Thus a sikh can not be excommunicated by eating meat. The sikhs constitute about 14% of all people of indian origin who have migrated to australia. Nijhak singh it has been recorded in history that guru nakak ji prepared the meat of a dear that had been hunted as the sun was setting. Rather than pointing fingers isnt it better to do as you please and dont condemn others for their choices which is within the maryada. Poignant scriptural citations counsel against eating meat. Gurbani and sikh philosophy believes in modern day technology and encourages in higher studies and honest living. The latter baptised five persons from different social backgrounds to form khalsa. It cannot be revealed by words, like the dumb eating sweetmeat. It was also stolen many times and could have been altered. In gurdwaras langar is invariably a vegetarian meal so that no one may be offended. Singha and satwant kaur, hemkunt press, delhi sbn 8170102456 in general sikhism has adopted an ambivalent attitude. In todays life most of thethings we use we eat are mostly made of animal flesh or others.
While there are a plethora of reasons and excuses people give for not eating meat, the most common i hear, and the one that stirs my soul the most, is that eating meat impedes spiritual development. While guru nanak started his campaign against the established social. One site, which highlights the main risks of eating meat, is. Religious leaders presiding over amrit sanchaar, or the formal initiation, give out varying prescriptions.
Siri guru granth sahib ji sggs makes various references to not eating meat but since it does this in a subtle way this has been ignored by many and has been taken as a green light to consume flesh. If meat eating is required by humans, then let it be, but eating any fruit vegetable meat in the name of god is not gurmat. Pdf on jan 1, 2007, hardev singh virk and others published sikh religion and. The varan also offer clear secondary guidance on this subject to the sikh as well. Giani sant singh maskeen on meat and meat eating in sikhism giani sant singh maskeen panth rathan, panthic scholar and kathavachak, explained concept of maas and animal food from sikh history and gurbani. Sikhs also follow the historical practice of the ten human gurus who lived between.
Beef is prohibited to the hindus and pork to the muslims. Sikhism territory families northern territory government. Question being a sikh can i eat meat answer based on sri guru granth sahib ji. The main reason why sikhs are pure vegetarian is because you shouldnt have to end another beings life just for personal satisfaction, and protein and nutrients well most you get from meat you can get from other way. But if meat is to be taken at all, guru gobind singh enjoined on the khalsa panth not to take kosher meat ie. The akal takht represents the final authority on controversial issues concerning the sikh panth, in this regard the issue of meat eating has. Sikhism denies the reality of angels and demons, both of which figure prominently in islamic belief.
From the prohibition of the kutha meat, it is rightly presumed that nonkutha meat is not prohibited for the sikhs. The general consensus is that sikhs are free to choose whether to adopt a meat diet or not. Not sure how some of you are thinking that eating fish is alright, its just the same as eating beef, or chicken, or any other sort of meat. O my mind, thou art the spark of the supreme light. The religious practices were formalised by guru gobind singh ji on april 1699. Singh states that throughout sikh history, there have been many subsects of sikhism. Not only the whole of sikh philosophy, but the whole of sikh history and character, flows from this. What clear cut evidence against eating flesh and drinking wine in sikhism. Nanaks comments on halal in asa di var to explain the origin of this taboo. The history of sikhism started with guru nanak dev ji. Ethics of eating meat wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. I think more and more sikhs started eating meat during this period and this.
Sikhi says nothing about eating meat or not eating meat. Here is a list of ingredients that could be nonvegetarian, therefore nonofferable to guru ji in a gurdwara or the sangat. I say in sikhism you can eat meat since there is no specific command telling you that it is forbidden. Cutting turbans too short when worn will be damaged by scissors as it is strictly forbidden the same way as cutting hair.
Humans have hunted and killed animals for meat since prehistoric times. He was the first guru of the fifteenth century in the punjab region in the northern part of the indian subcontinent. According to the maryada booklet, kutha the meat prepared by the muslim ritual killing is prohibited for a sikh. Followers of sikhism do not have a preference for meat or vegetarian consumption. The health aspect we all know and there are lots of resources on the internet on this issue. Ideas about meat eating and drinking are almost identical in bible and sggs. So no, according to the guru granth sahib, there is no prohibiting of the consumption of meat. In medicines we take and also suga which is whitened by animal charcoal. In general, devotees only offer lactovegetarian items no meat, fish, or eggs. Here guru sahib clearly says if someone cheats and steals, the food purchased with that money is meat, even if it is saag vegetables. Comments of sikh scholars sikhism religion of the sikh. In sikhism, only lactovegetarian food is served in the gurdwara sikh temple but sikhs arent bound to be meatfree. The general consensus is that sikhs are free to choose whether to adopt the vegetarian or meat diet.
Sandhu singh bhaura dated february 15, 1980 says that the amritdhari sikhs can eat meat as long as it is not the meat of the jhatka islamic or jewish sacrifice and that eating meat is not against the code of conduct, kurehit, of sikhism. As everyone knows that in curd living organism are present. Although a vegetarian diet is adhered to in the gurdwara, the sikh temple, sikhs are not expressly forbidden from eating other types of meat. Animals are used in various ways by our bhagats, gurus and singhs incl. This segment was on air across canada on 12 may 2012 on canada z most popular tv show masti tv. Many sikhs are vegetarian but the reason for this might be family tradition. The advent of civilization allowed the domestication of animals such as chickens, sheep, rabbits, pigs and cattle.
In sikhism, only vegetarian food is served in the gurdwara, but sikhs are not totally bound to be meatfree. Where is it written in sikhism to eat only jhatka meat and. A sikh is considered no lesser or greater a sikh if they eat meat or are a vegetarian. In jainism, vegetarianism is mandatory for everyone. But then bali is also the same, and a rogue group of sikhs is doing this brahminical practice in hazur sahib, which should also be prohibited. Despite this article outlining the fact that eating meat is not in strict compliance with the principles of sikhism, it should be very clear to all that whether one eats meat or not, is only one aspect of the life of a sikh. Sikhs who eat meat, eat jhatka meat in sikhism, only lactovegetarian food is served in the gurdwara sikh temple but sikhs arent bound to be meatfree. Sikhs are forbidden from eating kutha, meat obtained from the muslim ritual slaughter that involves slowly draining an animals blood while reciting verses of the quran, or other rituallyslaughtered meat. However, it is strange that nowadays in the communitykitchen attached to the sikh temples, and called the gurus kitchen or, gurukalangar meatdishes are not served at all citation needed. Sikh history on meat eating from all historical sources sikh history on using of meat animal food and killing of animals. Well the persons have various views in term of meat eating. Eating meat is a very primitive act and the gurus taught us to be above this, to control our emotions and urges if we were to develop spiritually.