Sikh Intellectual Views on Meat
Various sikh intellecturals have views on Eating meat.
I. J. Singh states that throughout Sikh history, there have been many subsects of Sikhism that have espoused vegetarianism however, this was rejected by the Sikh Gurus. The Sikh thinking being that vegetarianism and meat-eating was unimportant in the realm of spirituality.
Surinder Singh Kohli links vegetarianism to Vashnavite behaviour. Surinder Singh Kohli comments on the "fools wrangle over flesh" quotation from the Guru Granth Sahib by noting how Guru Nanak mocked hypocritical vegetarian priests.
Gopal Singh commenting on meat being served in the langar during the time of Guru Angad.
Gyani Sher Singh—who was the head priest at the Darbar Sahib—comments that ahimsa does not fit in with Sikh doctrine.
W. Owen Cole and Piara Singh Sambhi comment that if the Sikh Guru's had made an issue on vegetarianism, it would have distracted from the main emphasis of Sikh spirituality.
H. S. Singha and Satwant Kaur comment on how ritually-slaughtered meat is considered a sin for initiated Sikhs.
Gobind Mansukhi states how vegetarianism and meat-eating has been left to the individual Sikh.
G. S. Sidhu comments again on how ritually-slaughtered meat is taboo for a Sikh.
Gurbakh Singh comments on how non-Kutha meat is acceptable for the Sikhs.
Devinder Singh Chahal comments on the difficulties of distinguishing between plant and animal in Sikh philosophy.
H. S. Singha comments in his book how the Sikh Gurus ate meat.
Historical dietary behaviour of Sikhs
There are a number of eyewitness accounts from European travelers as to the eating habits of Sikhs. Although there is no prohibition on Sikhs eating beef, it is clear that Sikhs as a mark of respect for their Hindu neighbours did not partake in eating beef. To initiate Muslims into their mysteries, one traveler said the Sikhs would prepare a dish of hog's legs.
According to Dabistan e Mazhib (a contemporary Persian chronology of the Sikh Gurus) Guru Nanak did not eat meat, and Guru Arjan thought that meat eating was not in accordance with Nanak's wishes. This differs from I. J. Singh's research that states that Guru Nanak ate meat on the way to Kurukshetra. However, his son Hargobind ate meat and hunted and his practice was adopted by most Sikhs.
Bhai Gurdas—a contemporary of the sixth Sikh Guru—wrote vaars (poems or couplets) to describe the behaviour of Sikhs at that time. One of his vaars praises the merits of goat meat:
The proud elephant is inedible and none eats the mighty lion. Goat is humble and hence it is respected everywhere. On occasions of death, joy, marriage, yajna, etc only its meat is accepted. Among the householders its meat is acknowledged as sacred and with its gut stringed instruments are made. From its leather the shoes are made to be used by the saints merged in their meditation upon the Lord. Drums are mounted by its skin and then in the holy congregation the delight-giving kirtan, eulogy of the Lord, is sung. In fact, going to the holy congregation is the same as going to the shelter of the true Guru.
