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1. Those mortals who consume marijuana, flesh and wine - no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow, they will all go to hell. (SGGS p1337)

In this instance let us firstly add the Gurmukhi with the English: 

 

mukat padaarath paa-ee-ai thaak na avghat ghaat.

231 

kabeer ayk gharhee aaDhee gharee aaDhee hooN tay aaDh.

bhagtan saytee gostay jo keenay so laabh. 232 

kabeer bhaaNg maachhulee suraa paan jo jo paraanee khaaNhi.

tirath barat naym kee-ay tay sabhai rasaatal jaaNhi. 233

neechay lo-in kar raha-o lay saajan ghat maahi.

sabh ras khayla-o pee-a sa-o kisee lakhaava-o naahi. 234 

aath jaam cha-usath gharee tu-a nirkhat rahai jee-o.

neechay lo-in ki-o kara-o sabh ghat daykh-a-u pee-o. 235 

sun sakhee pee-a meh jee-o basai jee-a meh basai ke pee-o.

jee-o pee-o boojha-o nahee ghat meh jee-o ke pee-o. 236 

kabeer baaman guroo hai jagat kaa bhagtan kaa gur naahi.

arajh urajh kai pach moo-aa chaara-o baydahu maahi.237 

har hai khaaNd rayt meh bikhree haathee chunee na jaa-ay.

kahi kabeer gur bhalee bujhaa-ee keetee ho-ay kai khaa-ay. 238 

kabeer ja-o tuhi saaDh piramm kee sees kaat kar go-ay.

khaylat khaylat haal kar jo kichh ho-ay ta ho-ay. 239 

kabeer ja-o tuhi saaDh piramm kee paakay saytee khayl.

kaachee sarsa-uN payl kai naa khal bha-ee na tayl.240 

dhooNdhat doleh anDh gat ar cheenat naahee sant.

kahi naamaa ki-o paa-ee-ai bin bhagtahu bhagvant. 241 

har so heeraa chhaad kai karahi aan kee aas.

tay nar dojak jaahigay sat bhaakhai ravidaas. 242 

kabeer ja-o garihu karahi ta Dharam kar naahee ta kar bairaag.

bairaagee banDhan karai taa ko bado abhaag. 243 

 

He obtains the treasure of liberation, and the difficult road to the Lord is not blocked.

231

Kabeer, whether is is for an hour, half an hour, or half of that,

whatever it is, it is worthwhile to speak with the Holy. 232

Kabeer, those mortals who consume marijuana, fish and wine -

no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow, they will all go to hell. 233

Kabeer, I keep my eyes lowered, and enshrine my Friend within my heart.

I enjoy all pleasures with my Beloved, but I do not let anyone else know.234

Twenty-four hours a day, every hour, my soul continues to look to You, O Lord.

Why should I keep my eyes lowered? I see my Beloved in every heart. 235

Listen, O my companions: my soul dwells in my Beloved, and my Beloved dwells in my soul.

I realize that there is no difference between my soul and my Beloved; I cannot tell whether my soul or my Beloved dwells in my heart. 236

Kabeer, the Brahmin may be the guru of the world, but he is not the Guru of the devotees.

He rots and dies in the perplexities of the four Vedas. 237

The Lord is like sugar, scattered in the sand; the elephant cannot pick it up.

Says Kabeer, the Guru has given me this sublime understanding: become an ant, and feed on it. 238

Kabeer, if you desire to play the game of love with the Lord, then cut off your head, and make it into a ball.

Lose yourself in the play of it, and then whatever will be, will be. 239

Kabeer, if you desire to play the game of love with the Lord, play it with someone with committment.

Pressing the unripe mustard seeds produces neither oil nor flour. 240

Searching, the mortal stumbles like a blind person, and does not recognize the Saint.

Says Naam Dayv, how can one obtain the Lord God, without His devotee?

 

 


Taking out the sentence we see 

 

 

kabeer bhaaNg maachhulee suraa paan jo jo paraanee khaaNhi.

Kabeer, those mortals who consume marijuana, fish and wine – 

 

tirath barat naym kee-ay tay sabhai rasaatal jaaNhi. 233

no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow, they will all go to hell. 233

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji 

 

 

Firstly note that maachlee is not flesh, but is indeed fish. The word in Punjabi for flesh is maas. Then secondly one must ask, why is there a forbidding in the consumption of fish specifically. The answer lies in reading the entire paragraph and a picture emerges. In the last two lines the statement is made: 

 

kabeer ja-o garihu karahi ta Dharam kar naahee ta kar bairaag. 

Kabeer, if you live the householder's life, then practice righteousness; otherwise, you might as well retire from the world. 

 

bairaagee banDhan karai taa ko bado abhaag. 243 

If someone renounces the world, and then gets involved in worldly entanglements, he shall suffer terrible misfortune. 243

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji 

 

 

Now putting this in its entire context what Bhagat Kabir is actually criticising in the rich and those in power. The thrill seekers, who are addicted to their senses and those addicted to the 5 thieves. Kabir was born around the area of Benares, and was brought up in a poor Muslim weavers family. He saw the excesses of the rich around him, while the poor starved. Foods like fish and wine were associated with the rich who had an excessive disposable income. Marijuana was associated with either idol people or those who had time and money to waste. Kabir abhorred this, and this statement is a social comment about the excesses of the rich. At the end he clearly states, that those people who do their duties as householders (i.e. work hard, care for other etc) are the ones who will be liberated, and those who live by excesses will suffer. One cantherefore clearly see that this is in no way a comment about eating meat (because of mistranslation) or about avoiding certain foods (as has been misrepresented). 


My friend you are making a brilliant case for this essay....i.e. quoting one liners and hence destroying the meaning of the shabad.  ;)



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