Kutha meat

Kutha (Kuttha) Meat is defined as "meat of animal or fowl slaughtered slowly or slaughter which sanctifies meat", contrarily, Halal and Kosher methods being examples of the latter. It has been more broadly defined as "killing an animal with a prayer", or as "a sacrifice to God", or meat prepared through "unnecessary ritualism".

The Sikh community views this method of killing animals negatively and forbid adherents from consuming such meat. Hindu philosophy views Kutha as a means of repression and an inhumane non-Aryan way of killing animals for human consumption.

During Mughal rule, Hindus viewed Kutha meat as creating "spiritual weakness among Hindus". Also, according to the anti-Hindu oppressive Mughal law of the time, "Hindus were neither permitted to keep weapons at home nor allowed to cook and eat any form of meat". Hence, many Hindus will not eat Kutha meat. In addition to this, according to the ancient Aryan Vedic tradition, "only such meat as is obtained from an animal which is killed with one stroke of the weapon causing instantaneous death is fit for human consumption".

Eating kutha meat for a baptised Sikh is considered to be one of the Four Cardinal Sins. These four sins are part of the Sikh Code of Conduct (Rehit Maryada). The undermentioned four transgressions (tabooed practices) must be avoided:

The reason for Sikhs avoiding Kutha "does not lie in religious tenet but in the view that killing an animal with a prayer is not going to ennoble the flesh."Guru Gobind Singh (the tenth Sikh Guru) also instructed Sikhs not to eat Kutha meat in order to boycott the Moghul Empire.

On the other hand, many Sikhs are lacto-vegetarian. According to many Sikhs, Sikh Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib, only prohibited the excuses of inhabitants who eat meat and they never granted eating meat.

Two of the biggest Jathebandis (loosely translated as Sects) in Sikhi, the Akhand Keertani Jatha and Damdami Taksal are strict lacto-vegetarians.

Following quotes from the Guru Granth Sahib are interpreted to show that diet of Sikhs are vegetarian.

ਬੇਦ ਕਤੇਬ ਕਹਹੁ ਮਤ ਝੂਠੇ ਝੂਠਾ ਜੋ ਨ ਬਿਚਾਰੈ ॥ ਜਉ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੁ ਖੁਦਾਇ ਕਹਤ ਹਉ ਤਉ ਕਿਉ ਮੁਰਗੀ ਮਾਰੈ ॥੧॥
Do not say that the Vedas and other holy books are false. Those who do not contemplate them are false. You say that the One Lord is in all, so why do you kill chickens? ||1||

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