hello there,
well this is one controversial matter
jhatka has been an age old tradition in sikhi i believe it began at the time of the sixth guru, sri guru hargobind sahib maharaj.
when being besieged there would be no food inside a fort as the supplies would of been cut of so the singhs and singhnia had no option but to eat the meat of there animals to survive this is also true to those that were in the jungles.
for meat to be jhatka one has to recite japji sahib and then chandi di vaar and on the last lines of chandi di vaar: "durga paath bania sabe pauria fer na jooni ayia tinai giya" the head of the animal is cut of with one slice of the sword.
the eating of meat was not to be for self pleasure but rather respect first the blood of the animal is offerd to the sword for its sustenance and then is distributed.
the rest of the animal also has to be used for weapons and the skin can be used to make drums so all of the animal has to be respected and not just eaten.
in sikhi if one wants to eat meat then it has to have gone through this process.
one can only eat meat in one of these five situations.
number 1: in times of swordsmanship and training for growth and health (optional)
number 2: in times of battle (optional)
number 3: when under siege and their is no other food. (optional)
number 4: during childhood (optional)
number 5: during the elderly age and needed for growth or ill health if prescribed by doctor.
the guru said in the bibek the code of conduct "no fish no meat no eggs"
but is one needs to eat it in one of theses 5 situations then it must be jhatkad and not out of greed.
waheguruji ka khalsa waheguruji ki fateh
bol chuk maf karna - i am only 14
