Meat Eating

[chatanga1]

Its probably with Mullah Omar now. I have seena Gurmukhi version of this hukumnama myself.

[Silence]

Kuta simply means that which is slaughtered, people who want meat just take the liberty to grossly misinterpret it as meaning halal meat.

Good reads:

(source:http://www.panthic.org/news/129/ARTICLE/2910/2006-11-22.html)

the example often used to suggest "Kutthaa" refers to Muslim meat is

ਅਭਾਖਿਆ ਕਾ ਕੁਠਾ ਬਕਰਾ ਖਾਣਾ ॥ (472)

But clearly, as opposed to standing in support of Kutthaa meaning "Halal" this tuk is strong proof that Kutthaa means only meat. If "Kutthaa" meant "Halal meat" then there would have been no need or reason to qualify it with "ਅਭਾਖਿਆ ਕਾ". Abhaakiyaa refers to the Muslim Kalma, which is recited when butchering animals for Halal but is "un-utterable" for Hindus as it would convert them to Islam. If Kutthaa means "Halal" then this translation would be "Kalma-Halal meat." That's completely redundant as Halal is by definition with the Kalma. But because Kutthaa is just "meat", it required "abhaakhiyaa" to show it's a reference to Muslim meat here.

Animal being slaughtered

Let us look at the different translations

Sant Singh Khalsa translates this tuk as:

abhaakhiaa kaa kut(h)aa bakaraa khaanaa ||

They eat the meat of the goats, killed after the Muslim prayers are read over the,

He clearly has shown that "Kutthaa" was goat meat but became "Muslim" because of "abhaakiya" or the Kalma. "Abhaakiya" was necessary to make it "Muslim meat".

Bhai Manmohan Singh translates as follows:

abhaakhi-aa kaa Kutthaa bakraa khaanaa.

He eats the he-goat killed by uttering the foreign (Muslim-Kalma) words.

ਪਰਦੇਸੀ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਉਚਾਰਨ ਕਰਕੇ ਮਾਰੇ ਹੋਏ ਬੱਕਰੇ ਨੂੰ ਉਹ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Here once again, the translation qualifies just a killed goat (Kutthaa) with abhaakhiyaa (kalma) to take the meaning of Halal. Otherwise Kuttha here is just meat.

Freedkot vala teeka defines it as follows-

ਅਭਾਖਿਆ ਕਾ ਕੁਠਾ ਬਕਰਾ ਖਾਣਾ ॥ ਚਉਕੇ ਉਪਰਿ ਕਿਸੈ ਨ ਜਾਣਾ ॥

(ਅਭਾਖਿਆ) ਮਲੇਛ ਭਾਖਾ ਅਰਥਾਤ ਕਲ ਮੇਂ ਰੂਪ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਕਾ ਮਾਰਾ ਹੂਆ ਬਕਰਾ ਖਾਣਾ ਕਰਤੇ ਹੋ ਫੇਰ ਕਹਤੇ ਹੋ ਹਮਾਰੇ ਚੌਕੇ ਉਪਰ ਕਿਸੇ ਨੇ ਜਾਣਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਭਾਵ ਕੋਈ ਨ ਜਾਓ ਚਉਕਾ ਅਸੁਧੁ ਹੋ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ॥

It is clear that the translation says it's just "ਮਾਰਾ ਹੂਆ ਬਕਰਾ " but because of "abhaakhiyaa" it is "(ਅਭਾਖਿਆ) ਮਲੇਛ ਭਾਖਾ ਅਰਥਾਤ ਕਲ ਮੇਂ ਰੂਪ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਕਾ" ie. Muslim Kuttha.

So it is now perfectly evident that "Kutthaa" by itself means only meat. To signify "Mulsim meat" Guru Sahib used to adjective "abhaakiya ka". Without it, the term would have meant only butchered meat.

To summarise, the root of "Kuttha" is "Kutthaar" or axe. A word that operates like "Kuttha" is "muthha" which refers to the act of looting and also the product of looting i.e. "the loot". In this way, Kuttha can mean, "to butcher/ kill/ destroy" and also refers to the product i.e. "butchered meat". It cannot by any means refer to Halal meat or Muslim meat.

(source:sikhism101.com)

----- INTERPRETATION OF THE WORD "KUTTHAA" -----

In Dictionary of Guru Granth Sahib by Surinder Singh Kohli on page 205 is the following entry:

Kutha: (ਕੁਠਾ) adj (from Punjabi Kohana) Slaughtered.

From Punjabi-English English-Punjabi Dictionary by Krishan Kumar Goswani Page 91

Kohnaa ( ਕੋਹਣਾ ) v To torture, to slay, to kill

1. The word ਕੁਠਾਰੁ "Kuthaar"

a) SGGS page 693:

ਬਜਰ ਕੁਠਾਰੁ ਮੋਹਿ ਹੈ ਛੀਨਾਂ ਕਰਿ ਮਿੰਨਤਿ ਲਗਿ ਪਾਵਉ ॥

bajar kuthaar mohi hai chheenaaN kar minat lag paava-o.

"I fell at the Guru`s feet and begged of Him; with the mighty axe, I have chopped off emotional attachment."

Here word "Kuthaar" appears to mean "Axe"

SGGS page 714

ਕਾਢਿ ਕੁਠਾਰੁ ਪਿਤ ਬਾਤ ਹੰਤਾ ਅਉਖਧੁ ਹਰਿ ਕੋ ਨਾਉ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

kaadh kuthaar pit baat hantaa a-ukhaDh har ko naa-o. ||1|| rahaa-o.||

"The Name of the Lord is the medicine; it is like an axe, which destroys the diseases caused by anger and egotism. ||1||Pause||"

Again the word "Kuthaar" appears to mean "Axe"

2. The word ਕੁਠਾਰਿ "kuthaar"

SGGS Page 1225 Full Shabad

ਹਰਿ ਕਾਟੀ ਕੁਟਿਲਤਾ ਕੁਠਾਰਿ ॥

har kaatee kutiltaa kuthaar.

The Lord has cut down the crooked tree of my deceit.

3. The Word ਕੁਠੇ ॥ "kuthay"

SGGS Page 1019 Full Shabad

ਅਜਰਾਈਲਿ ਫੜੇ ਫੜਿ ਕੁਠੇ ॥

ajraa-eel farhay farh kuthay.

"Azraa-eel, the Angel of Death, seizes and tortures them."

The word "Kuttha" (ਕੁਠਾ) appears in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji a number of times. Kuttha can have two meanings: either to butcher, kill or destroy or alternatively, it can mean meat (the product of killing, butchering, destroying). The root of "Kuttha" is "Kutthaar" or axe. A word that operates like "Kuttha" is "muthha" which refers to the act of looting and also the product of looting i.e. "the loot". In this way, Kuttha can mean, "to butcher/ kill/ destroy" and also refers to the product i.e. "butchered meat". It cannot by any means refer to Halal meat or Muslim meat.

Everyday we kill countless organisms just through breathing or stepping, but that is much different than Kuttha. Kuttha is the meat of an animal that has been 'butchered' and then 'intentionally' eaten.

EVERY ARGUMENT FOR MEAT DEMOLISHED: http://www.sikhism101.com/node/77

[shaheediyan]

Lol.

The jewels of the old and new school - Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji Bhinderan and Prof Sahib Singh Ji define Kuthaa as halal.

That is how it was defined by all the academics who put together the Panthic Sikh Maryada also - as they have trasnlated it as the same.

Dal Panth also define it as the same.

The Amarnama and 18thc records of 1699 clearly shows that puratan Khalsa and Guru Gobind Singh beheaded Goats.

The AKJ arguement is embarringly weak. Old hukumnamai also mention Halao in replacement of the word Kuthaa - no coincidence.

Kuthaa almost certainly also means slaughter (as per Gurbani shown) but that is no reason why Sikhs could and did not adapt the word to refer to halal method of slaughter.

Peopl can play with words but they can't change complimenting independant historical records which those seeking the truth will cross reference for authenticity and conclude.

[fatehsingh]

Its probably with Mullah Omar now. I have seena Gurmukhi version of this hukumnama myself.

Doesn't help me. There has to be a book or website where this is written. People use it all the time. Is it in Ganda Singh's compilation of Hukamname?

[Matheen]

Where can one read this kabul Hukamnama in Gurmukhi?

Not much use to you Veer Ji, but I have a photo of it. If I find it on the net, I'll let you know.

[fatehsingh]

Not much use to you Veer Ji, but I have a photo of it. If I find it on the net, I'll let you know.

That will be even better.

[Mithar]

Doesn't help me. There has to be a book or website where this is written. People use it all the time. Is it in Ganda Singh's compilation of Hukamname?

The Kabuli hukamnama was not recognised by Ganda Singh as being authentic which is why he never included it in his book.

[fatehsingh]

The Kabuli hukamnama was not recognised by Ganda Singh as being authentic which is why he never included it in his book.

Did he state the reasons why?

[amardeep]

I think its because it mentions the five kakaars which is not seen in any other rehitnama, hukamnama or document dated from that time

[amardeep]

silence:

i read that article once. even though im not a great fan of the akj and modern sikh mindset i would say they have some good arguments in regards to the meaning of kutha. But i think that in the same way the word "turk" changed from the time of the first 5 Gurus(meaning muslim) to the times of Guru Gobind Singh and the rehitnama writers(where it means mughal or enemy forces), i would think the same think happend to the word kutha.. So that in the times of the first 5 Maharajs it means slaughter, and in the times of the rehitnama writers it meant islamic slaughter methods.

this is just my theory i dont have any sikh sant or scholars to back me up

[fatehsingh]

I think its because it mentions the five kakaars which is not seen in any other rehitnama, hukamnama or document dated from that time

I guess we'll just have to wait for the photo of the actual Hukamnama to surface to decide for ourselves. I do agree the content is very questionable.