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Summary of Question:	Meat Eating And Shabd
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Wednesday, 12/19/2001 12:01 PM MST

I am writing this not to convince anyone to eat or not eat meat. I was just reading a book on Guru Nanak and this came up, so i thought i should share it with all of you. The name of the book is "The Sikh religion its Gurus sacred writings and authors" volume 1. The page number is 47, this is how it reads

The Guru (Nanak), hearing of a religious fair at Kurukshetra near thanesar, in the present district of Ambala, on the occasion of a solar eclipse desired to visit it with the object of preaching to the assembled pilgrims. Needing refreshment, he began to cook a deer which a disciple had presented to him. THe Brahmans expressed their horros at his use of flesh, upon which he replied:-
Man is first conceived in flesh, he dwelleth in flesh. When he quickeneth, he obtained a mouth of flesh; his bone, skin, and body are made of flesh.
When he is taken out of the womb, he seizeth teats of flesh
His mouth is of flesh, his tongue is of flesh, his breath is in flesh.
When he groweth up he marrieth, and bringeth flesh home with him.
Flesh is produced from flesh; all man's relations are made from flesh.
By meeting the true Guru and obeying God's order, everybosy shall go right.
If thou suppose that man shal be saved by himself, he shall not; Nanak, it is idle to say so.
The following is also on the same object:-
Fools wrangle about flesh, but know not divine knowledge or meditation on God.
They know not what the flesh is, or what is vegetable, or in what sin consisteth.
It was the custom of gods to kill rhinoceroses, roast them and feast.
They who forsewear flesh and hold their noses when near it, devour men at night.
They make pretences to the world, but they know not divine knowledge or meditation on God.
Nanak, why talk to a fool? He can not understand or reply what is said to him.
He who acteth blindly is blind ; he hath no mantle eyes.
Ye were produced from the blood of your parents, yet ye eat no fish or flesh.
When man and woman meet at night and cohabit, Afoetus is conceived from flesh;
we are vessels of flesh.
O Brahman, thou knowestnot divine knowledge or meditation on God, yet you call thyself clever.
Thou considerest the flesh that cometh from abroad (the flesh from animals) bad, O my lord, and flesh of thine own home good.
All animals have sprung from flesh, and soul taketh its abode in flesh.
They whose Guru is blind, eat things that ought not to be eaten, and abstain from what ought to be eaten.
In flesh we are conceived, from flesh we are born; we are vessles of flesh.
O Brahman, thou knowest not divine knowledge or meditation on God, yet you callest thyself clever.
Flesh is allowed in the purans, flesh is allowed in the books of Musalmans, flesh hath been used in the four ages.
Flesh adorneth sacrifice and marriage functions ; flesh hath always been associated with them.
Women, men, kings and emperors spring from flesh.
If they appear to you to be going to hell, then accept not their offerings.
See how wrong it would be that givers should go to hell and receivers to heaven.
Thou understand not thyself, yet thou instructestothers; O Pandit thou art very wise ( said ironically)!
O Pandit thou knowest not from which flesh hath sprung.
Corn, sugar-cane, and cotton are produced from water;
from water the three worlds are deemed to have sprung.
Water saith 'I am good in many ways' ; many are the modifications of water.
If thou abandon the relish of such things, thou shalt be superhuman, saith Nnak deliberately. (Malar Ki War)
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REPLY
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Sat Siri AKaal. I answered a post on this shabd once already, but accidentally deleted it (uh oh!) So I will tell you that what Guru Nanak is saying here is he is provoking the thinking of the time, that "people are bad because they eat meat, or that people are better because they don't." This shabd is not intended to tell people that meat eating is or is not alright. Rather, it is looking at mere ritual (in this case, of avoiding eating of flesh) and saying, you cannot judge someone's spirituality because they do or do not eat meat. Guru Nanak told us that true spirituality comes not from ritualistic practices but from meditation on the Naam and a life of service to others. In Guru Nanak's time, everyone judged spirituality by caste (Brahmins were considered spiritual by virtue of their caste status) and by outward ritualistic practices. Nanak always taught that no one understood spirituality if these (2) things were the only considerations. This shabd is another lesson for those then and now who think someone is holy because they do or don't eat meat or practice some Brahiminstic ritual.
Guru rakha,
-DKK