For a person who engages in Bhajan Bandagi, meat is a kind of poison. It will never allow the mind to become completely focused. Unless Naam is recited with a concentrated mind, one cannot attain any spiritual benefit from it. This is because only one who recites Naam can truly be called a Sikh of the Guru. Guru Ram Das Ji Maharaj has made this clear:

ਗੁਰ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਜੋ ਸਿਖੁ ਅਖਾਏ ਸੁ ਭਲਕੇ ਉਠਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵੈ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੩੦੫)

The Khalsa, too, is one who ‘ਜਾਗਤਿ ਜੋਤ ਜਪੈ ਨਿਸ ਬਾਸੁਰ’. If the examples given above are indeed correct, then we can attain something only by giving up meat.

First of all, we must understand that until the quality of Daya, compassion, resides within the mind, a person cannot become truly religious. Daya is the foundation of Dharma. That is why, when the Panj Piare were first initiated, Bhai Daya Singh Ji was the first to offer his sacrifice, followed by Bhai Dharam Singh Ji, who offered his head.

Where Daya and Dharma come together, Himmat naturally arises. When Bhai Himmat Singh Ji offered his head, he appeared as Sahib Singh Ji. Where Sahib Himself comes, Mohkam is attained. That is why the fifth and final Pyara, Bhai Mohkam Singh Ji, also offered his head.

There are many passages from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji that support the principle that Daya is the first duty of every Gursikh:

i. ਅਠਸਠਿ ਤੀਰਥ ਸਗਲ ਪੁੰਨ ਜੀਅ ਦਇਆ ਪਰਵਾਨੁ॥
(ਬਾਰਹ ਮਾਹਾ ਮਾਂਝ, ਅੰਗ ੧੩੬)

ii. ਧੌਲੁ ਧਰਮੁ ਦਇਆ ਕਾ ਪੂਤੁ॥
(ਜਪੁ ਜੀ)

iii. ਦਇਆ ਜਾਣੈ ਜੀਅ ਕੀ ਕਿਛੁ ਪੁੰਨੁ ਦਾਨੁ ਕਰੇਇ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੪੬੮)

iv. ਦੁਖੁ ਨ ਦੇਈ ਕਿਸੈ ਜੀਅ ਪਤਿ ਸਿਉ ਘਰਿ ਜਾਵਉ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੩੨੨)

v. ਦਇਆ ਕਪਾਹ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਸੂਤੁ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੪੩੭)

vi. ਬੇਦ ਪੜੈ ਮੁਖਿ ਮੀਠੀ ਬਾਣੀ॥ ਜੀਆਂ ਕੁਹਤ ਨ ਸੰਗੈ ਪਰਾਣੀ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੨੦੧)

vii. ਮਨਿ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਸਰਬ ਜੀਅ ਦਇਆ॥ ਇਨ ਬਿਧਿ ਬਰਤੁ ਸੰਪੂਰਨ ਭਇਆ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੨੯੯)

viii. ਬੇਦ ਕਤੇਬ ਕਹਹੁ ਮਤ ਝੂਠੇ ਝੂਠਾ ਜੋ ਨ ਬਿਚਾਰੈ॥
ਜਉ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੁ ਖੁਦਾਇ ਕਹਤ ਹਉ ਤਉ ਕਿਉ ਮੁਰਗੀ ਮਾਰੈ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੧੩੫੦)

ix. ਕਬੀਰ ਜੋਰੁ ਕੀਏ ਜੁਲਮੁ ਹੈ ਕਹਤਾ ਨਾਉ ਹਲਾਲੁ॥ ਦਫਤਰਿ ਲੇਖਾ ਮਾਂਗੀਐ ਤਬ ਹੋਇਗੇ ਕਉਨੁ ਹਵਾਲੁ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੧੩੨੪)

x. ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀਅ ਜੁ ਮਾਰਹਿ ਜੋਰੁ ਕਰਿ ਕਹਤੇ ਹਹਿ ਜੁ ਹਲਾਲ॥ ਦਫਤਰ ਦਈ ਜਬ ਕਾਢਿ ਹੈ ਹੋਇਗਾ ਕਉਨੁ ਹਵਾਲੁ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੧੩੭੫)

xi. ਕਬੀਰ ਖੂਬੁ ਖਾਨਾ ਖੀਚਰੀ ਜਾ ਮਹਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਲੋਨੁ ॥ ਹੇਰਾ ਰੋਟੀ ਕਾਰਨੇ ਗਲਾ ਕਟਾਵੈ ਕਉਨੁ ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੯੬੫)

xii. ਹਿੰਸਾ ਤਉ ਮਨ ਤੇ ਨਹੀ ਛੂਟੀ ਜੀਅ ਦਇਆ ਨਹੀ ਪਾਲੀ॥ ਪਰਮਾਨੰਦ ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਕਥਾ ਪੁਨੀਤ ਨ ਚਾਲੀ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੧੨੫੩)

xiii. ਸੀਹ ਪਜੂਤੀ ਬਕਰੀ ਮਰਦੀ ਹੋਈ ਹੜ ਹੜ ਹਸੀ।
(ਵਾਰ ੨੫/੧੭)

Many more such references can be found in the Bani of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and every Gursikh should strive to live according to their guidance.

Our historians have written many incorrect things and led us onto the wrong path. Whenever someone engages in something improper, they try to justify it by attributing the same practice to our Gurus, thereby attempting to prove themselves religious.

For example, if someone used to consume opium or drink bhang, he might write that Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj would also give the Singhs a cup of bhang and a little opium before sending them into battle.

Now readers can judge for themselves: what kind of battle is an opium addict or a bhang user supposed to fight?

Once, I gave Katha at a Gurdwara in the city of Dharamshala. Afterwards, there was to be a discussion about the subject at someone’s home, so the entire Sangat went there.

There, someone who ate meat asked me, “Is it permissible for a Sikh to eat meat?”

In addition to the references given above, I quoted:

“ਬਾਬਾ ਹੋਰੁ ਖਾਣਾ ਖੁਸੀ ਖੁਆਰੁ ॥ ਜਿਤੁ ਖਾਧੈ ਤਨੁ ਪੀੜੀਐ ਮਨ ਮਹਿ ਚਲਹਿ ਵਿਕਾਰ ॥”

He said, “I ate meat last night and then came to the Gurdwara. I listened to your Katha here, but no bad thoughts or vices arose in my mind. It is clearly evident that there is no harm in eating it.”

I replied, “Vikaar cannot be detected in this way. Please wake up at Amrit Vela today, take a bath without washing your hair, and then sit down for Bhajan. Observe how steady and focused your mind remains. Then, tomorrow, eat simple food at night and sit for Bhajan again. You will realize for yourself how steady your mind is.”

Sure enough, that Singh came the next day and said, “It is true. After eating meat, my mind was not able to remain steady.”

That is why someone has said, “Jaisa Ann, Taisa Mann”, meaning, “As the food, so the mind.”

Some Sikhs also make the excuse that eating meat gives a person greater physical strength. This is completely false.

The world-famous wrestler Kikkar Singh, who was a meat-eater.

But a wrestler named Fateh Singh from the village of Valtoha did not eat meat, eggs, or fish at all, nor did he drink alcohol. He was so strong that many times he would grab Kikkar Singh’s wrist and say, “Wrestler, try to free yourself.”

Kikkar Singh would humbly reply, “I cannot compete with you.”

Consider this as well: all meat-eating animals have been given sharp teeth by nature. Meat-eating birds have curved beaks, while grass-eating animals have flat teeth and straight beaks. Human beings have been given flat teeth by Parmatma because humans are grass-eaters. …

Some people have created another argument, quoting:

“ਜੇਤੇ ਦਾਣੇ ਅੰਨ ਕੇ ਜੀਆ ਬਾਝੁ ਨ ਕੋਇ॥”

They say that there are living beings in grains as well, so we should stop eating them too.

We should remember that Parmatma has provided vegetables, pulses, grains, and other foods for those who are meant to eat plants, in order to give them strength, and has permitted their use.

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji wrote a Shabad in Var Malhar in which meat is mentioned:

ਕਉਣੁ ਮਾਸੁ ਕਉਣੁ ਸਾਗੁ ਕਹਾਵੈ ਕਿਸੁ ਮਾਹਿ ਪਾਪ ਸਮਾਣੇ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੧੨੮੯)

This Shabad is also misused. Meat-eaters say, “Maharaj has said that there is no sin in eating meat.”

They forget that Guru Sahib was not talking about meat as food. He referred to the human body itself as “maas.” He called the mother maas, the woman maas, the father maas, the son maas, and the mother’s breasts maas. This is the maas through which our daughters, sons, relatives, and friends are connected to us.

Guru Sahib explained that all our blood relations are connected through maas. This was said specifically to explain the matter to the Pandit.

If Guru Sahib went to Haridwar and, in order to explain the matter to the Pandit and open his eyes, threw water towards the west, it would be a mistake for any Singh or Sikh to conclude from this that Sikhs should also offer water towards the west.

At weddings, we misuse alcohol and meat in the name of hospitality.

ਇਕਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਮਨ ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ੀ ਕਿ ਗੋਸ਼ਤ ਖਾਵਾਂਗੇ। ਇਕਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਮਨ ਗਮੀ ਕਿ ਮਾਰੇ ਜਾਵਾਂਗੇ।

On one side, Kirtan of Gurbani is being performed in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, while under the shamiana nearby, animals are being slaughtered.

Do the painful cries and screams of those animals not drown out the Kirtan of Gurbani?

When their throats are cut, their bodies are chopped into pieces and then eaten, tell me, what will come from their minds? Will it be curses or blessings?

Nowadays, it has become a common practice for our Laavan to take place in the afternoon. In the morning, when the Baraatis leave the house, they drink heavily because they are supposed to dance at the Dukaao along the way. Unless they have had a drink, their feet do not move and the Bhangra does not begin.

When these drunk Baraatis come for the Milni, we welcome them with the Kirtan of Gurbani and say to them:

“ਹਮ ਘਰ ਸਾਜਨ ਆਏ”

Why do we not instead recite, “ਹਮ ਘਰ ਨਾਚੇ ਆਏ, ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ”, because people who come to dance cannot really be considered our Sajjan.

There is another matter that I will not hesitate to mention. Many young girls come to me who, even after several years of marriage, have not had a child. When the matter is investigated, it is sometimes found that a Pret has taken hold of them.

When asked why, the Pret says, “I am her rightful husband.”

How so?

In response, it says, “When the Laavan and Phere take place, I also sit alongside them and take the four rounds.”

I then ask in astonishment, “You cannot even stand in a place where Gurbani is being recited. How can all this be true?”

The Pret replies, “I bless those Sikhs who eat meat and tell them, ‘May they remain alive and well, and may they not interfere with my work.'”

When Sikh Baraatis leave their homes, they begin by performing a Shagun with a bottle of alcohol. Then, when they sit down for breakfast, they are served fish, frogs, livers, omelettes, and other such foods until they are completely full.

Even the Ragis who have come to perform Kirtan consider it their right to sit with the Baraatis and eat all these things.

The entire gathering has thus become a gathering of drunkards, and who can stop me from entering such a gathering?

The Pret says, “I cannot enter the Sangat of Sufis, Naam-Rasiyas, and vegetarians. There, Gurbani burns me like fire. But the Sangat of meat-eaters gives me honour and respect.”

Therefore, through these direct examples, I appeal to the entire Sikh world that, for the protection of our daughters and sisters, meat should not be served at weddings at all. Otherwise, we will eventually have to regret it.

We have developed such a strong craving for meat that whenever a brother or sister faces some difficulty, they come to me looking for a solution. When they are told, “Perform a Chaliya of this particular Shabad and you will receive its benefit and your difficulty will be removed,” they are asked to give up alcohol and meat for forty days.

Then they become distressed and say, “If we do not eat meat even for one day, our mouth becomes tasteless and unpleasant.”

In the end, I make only this request: we must protect ourselves from this craving. Especially for those who practise Naam, meat is a poison.

ਰਸੁ ਸੁਇਨਾ ਰਸੁ ਰੁਪਾ ਕਾਮਣਿ ਰਸੁ ਪਰਮਲ ਕੀ ਵਾਸੁ॥
ਰਸੁ ਘੋੜੇ ਰਸੁ ਸੇਜਾ ਮੰਦਰ ਰਸੁ ਮੀਠਾ ਰਸੁ ਮਾਸੁ॥ ਏਤੇ ਰਸ ਸਰੀਰ ਕੇ ਕੈ ਘਟਿ ਨਾਮ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ॥
(ਅੰਗ ੧੫)

In 1930, during British rule, some Sikhs approached the government and requested that Jhatka meat should be made available to Sikhs at government hotels and refreshment rooms.

The British government asked its advisers to prepare a report on the matter. The report was as follows:

The report stated the total Sikh population of India and then gave figures for how many Sikhs were followers of various well-known Sikh Sants of that time. It mentioned that several hundred thousand Sikhs were Namdharis and that many others were followers of Radha Soami. All of these figures referred to Sikhs who considered eating meat to be a sin.

Their combined number was estimated to be around 70%. There were also Sikhs who were not followers of any Sant but still considered eating meat to be wrong.

This left only about 20% of Sikhs who ate meat. Even among them, many simply had a craving for meat and, to satisfy that craving, did not care whether the meat was Halal or Jhatka.

Therefore, the demand for Jhatka meat was considered unnecessary.

Another thought comes to mind. For those Sikhs who sit in hotels and eat meat, what proof do they have that they are actually eating Jhatka and not Halal?

In reality, a Sikh who eats meat in a hotel can never put his hand on his chest and honestly say, “I do not eat Halal.”

In 1940, an Amrit Sanchar was held at the Gurdwara in Madahdal, Jabalpur, and I had the good fortune of being included among the Panj Piare.

One Sikh was taking Amrit again. When he was asked why he was taking Amrit again, he openly admitted that he ran a hotel where meat was also cooked.

He confessed that many times he had served people the meat of dogs and even human beings. He would lure innocent local people to his hotel on the pretext of feeding them, then take them inside, kill them, cut their bodies into pieces, and serve the meat to customers.

He also admitted that human skin cannot be removed properly. In some places, hairs remain on the body. One day, a police officer was eating at my hotel and carefully noticed that there were hairs in some places on the meat. He immediately realized that it was human flesh.

He quickly went inside, and I escaped the situation by giving him a large bribe.

Now my conscience curses me, saying that I had been committing a great sin. I want to take Amrit and wash away that sin.

Readers can now judge for themselves how harmful and evil eating meat is. We should make every possible effort to stay away from it.

If, after reading this article, even one Sikh gives up meat, I will consider my purpose fulfilled.

Translated from Bhajan Bandgi Da Partap – Sodhi Harbhajan Singh